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From: wales@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.kids,net.nlang
Subject: Teaching children to be bilingual
Message-ID: <1505@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 5-Oct-84 18:18:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.1505
Posted: Fri Oct  5 18:18:52 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Oct-84 21:03:35 EDT
Organization: UCLA CS Dept.
Lines: 117

The following subject is somewhat hypothetical from my point of view
(since I'm currently single, unattached, uncommitted, etc.), but I'd
still be interested in some feedback on it anyway.  It seems to overlap
two subjects (child rearing and natural language), which is why I've
posted it both to "net.kids" and "net.nlang".

I've known several couples who have tried to bring up their children to
be bilingual, in the following manner:

(1) The husband is a native speaker of language X, but also speaks lan-
    guage Y reasonably well.  Similarly, the wife is a native speaker of
    language Y, but also speaks language X reasonably well.

    An assumption here is that one or the other language (X or Y) is the
    native language of the area where the family lives.  Hence, I am ex-
    cluding situations in which both parents are immigrants and neither
    one speaks the local language adequately.

(2) They have a child.

(3) Each parent speaks ONLY his/her respective native language when in-
    teracting with the child.  That is, the father speaks to the child
    only in language X, while the mother speaks to the child only in
    language Y.  Since both parents understand both languages, each
    would also use his/her native language when talking with the other
    in the child's presence.

(4) As a result of all the above, the child ends up being bilingual,
    speaking both X and Y with equal fluency.

    (a) Since the model for each language has been a native speaker, the
	child will acquire a native accent and will have "native" con-
	trol of vocabulary and grammar appropriate to his/her age.

    (b) Since each parent has interacted with the child using one lan-
	guage only, the child will be unlikely to confuse or mix the two
	languages (as opposed to a situation in which both parents used
	both languages indiscriminately).

This idea sounds reasonable in theory, and I'm sure lots of couples have
tried it -- but does it really work?  Specifically:

(1) Have any studies been published on the results of trying this?  If
    so, could someone supply me with references to articles in journals
    or texts?

(2) Has anyone "out there" actually done this with their children?  What
    were the results?  Would you do it again?

(3) Is anyone "out there" the product of such a procedure?  Did it work?

(4) Is it really necessary for each parent to use one language all the
    time, under all conditions whatsoever, in order not to cause the
    child to confuse the two languages or present him/her with an un-
    desirable (non-native) model for either language?

    (a) Is the child likely to confuse the two languages anyway, even
	if each parent is careful to use only one language or the other?

    (b) Note that children seem to eventually pick up the native lan-
	guage of the area where they live from playmates, school, etc.,
	even if the parents speak a different regional dialect of the
	language, or even if they speak a different language altogether.

    (c) In the interests of parental unity (i.e., both parents present
	a consistent, united policy when dealing with the child), it is
	probably a good idea for the child to realize that both parents
	understand both languages -- and, therefore, that he/she cannot
	use either language as a means of keeping a secret from one par-
	ent or the other (i.e., none of the "if I tell Mommy in language
	Y, Daddy won't know what I said" train of thought).  This prin-
	ciple can probably be adequately taught by having the parents
	use their respective native languages when talking to each other
	in the child's presence (i.e., Father talks to Mother in X, and
	Mother talks to Father in Y).

    (d) How old must the child be before the parents can "relax" the
	strictness of the above regimen?  (Presumably, if they stopped
	too soon, the child's previous exposure to the language not
	native to the area might be forgotten.)

(5) For the sake of clarity in discussion only, suppose in the following
    points that the father's language (X) is the native language of the
    area where the child grows up.

    (a) Does the fact that playmates and schoolmates speak only language
	X interfere with the child's acquisition or retention of lan-
	guage Y?

    (b) As the child comes to realize that most people around him do not
	speak language Y at all, what will be the effect on the child's
	relationship with his/her mother (who has been speaking only
	language Y to the child)?  For example, if classmates were to
	ridicule the child for being "different" (as young children are,
	sadly, often prone to do), the child might end up subconsciously
	resenting his mother for being the "cause" of his misery.

    (c) Will the child be confused when, even though his/her mother uses
	language Y, other adult females (e.g., teachers) use language X?

    The above situations would probably be similar if the speaker of the
    local language were the mother instead of the father -- except per-
    haps subpoint (c), since the young child's teacher is probably much
    more likely to be a woman than a man (I am speaking realistically,
    not chauvinistically, so no flames PLEASE!).

An undercurrent flowing through all the above, of course, is the idea
that it is desirable for the child to gain proficiency in the native
languages of both his parents.  Some extreme advocates of the American
"melting pot" philosophy might possibly disagree -- but, in any case,
that's a separate issue altogether.
-- 
    Rich Wales
    UCLA Computer Science Department
    3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, CA 90024 // (213) 825-5683
    ARPA:  wales@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA
    UUCP:  ...!{cepu,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!wales