When bilingual or multilingual adults become parents, they're often confronted with the decision which language(s) to use with their child or children. In our case, I am the one speaking two languages but for me it was clear from the start that I would speak German with our kids. We live in an English speaking environment plus my husband speaks the community language. So we pass on both our native languages to our children using a method called OPOL - One Parent One Language. For us, it has been working very well.
If there are multiple languages at play and you choose not to speak just one language to your child but two (or sometimes three) there are other options to use the languages with your child. (Here in Ireland this could mean increasing the exposure to Irish outside of school plus adding another language):
If there are multiple languages at play and you choose not to speak just one language to your child but two (or sometimes three) there are other options to use the languages with your child. (Here in Ireland this could mean increasing the exposure to Irish outside of school plus adding another language):
- when passing on one language in addition to the community language (English+Irish; English+German) do specific activities such as bedtime stories, TV , playgroups for younger children or look for other spare time activities conducted in the minority language in order to increase exposure
- some parents who speak two languages switch back and forth (code-switching). When using this approach parents usually use one language for a particular conversation, then change back to the other language. In this case the parent doesn't mix languages within a conversation or in sentences. By doing this the parent still keeps the language separate in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar.
- another option is to apply the above method of code-switching and opt for a home vs. community version: Use the minority language (the language not or less spoken by the majority - Irish or German) exclusively at home and use the majority language (English) outside of the home.
- one other method used by bilingual parents who are the only parent to pass on two languages - in addition to the community language - is to use temporary full immersion: in this case the parent uses one language exclusively for a week or two weeks at a time (Irish), then switches to the other language for the same amount of time (German). In the meantime everyone uses the community language at school or in the work place.
If your situation changes, for example, if you've moved country and the majority language your children have grown up with now is a minority language, go through the different options and look for the option that best suits your family. In any case, it helps to which way you're going in order to bring consistency and routine into the language part of your life (it just helps if you don't have to think about what your doing all the time). Should you find that one particular method doesn't work for you, or your circumstances change, re-evaluate the options and take it from there
If you are interested in how other families handle multiple languages I recommend these (very active) Facebook Groups:
Raising Bilingual / Multilingual Children
Multilingual Parenting
Have you found a particular method or way of helping your children learn multiple languages? What works for your family? Please share your comments below!
- some parents who speak two languages switch back and forth (code-switching). When using this approach parents usually use one language for a particular conversation, then change back to the other language. In this case the parent doesn't mix languages within a conversation or in sentences. By doing this the parent still keeps the language separate in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar.
- another option is to apply the above method of code-switching and opt for a home vs. community version: Use the minority language (the language not or less spoken by the majority - Irish or German) exclusively at home and use the majority language (English) outside of the home.
- one other method used by bilingual parents who are the only parent to pass on two languages - in addition to the community language - is to use temporary full immersion: in this case the parent uses one language exclusively for a week or two weeks at a time (Irish), then switches to the other language for the same amount of time (German). In the meantime everyone uses the community language at school or in the work place.
If your situation changes, for example, if you've moved country and the majority language your children have grown up with now is a minority language, go through the different options and look for the option that best suits your family. In any case, it helps to which way you're going in order to bring consistency and routine into the language part of your life (it just helps if you don't have to think about what your doing all the time). Should you find that one particular method doesn't work for you, or your circumstances change, re-evaluate the options and take it from there
If you are interested in how other families handle multiple languages I recommend these (very active) Facebook Groups:
Raising Bilingual / Multilingual Children
Multilingual Parenting
Have you found a particular method or way of helping your children learn multiple languages? What works for your family? Please share your comments below!
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