In what circumstances is it necessary for a child to become bilingual ?
There are many reasons why a child may become bilingual, but two of the most common are:
1. Parents speak different languages (eg American and Turkish)
2. The parents speak the same language but live in a community where most people speak a different language (eg, a Korean couple living in the United States).
In the first case, both mothers and fathers want to be able to use their own language when talking to their children. In this situation, the house is bilingual. Second, parents may want to be able to use their language at home, although their children should also be able to function in the world on their doorstep with the help of an English language learning app. This is the state of bilingual settings.
Doesn't the child's bilingualism confuse them ?
The short answer is no. Children are incredibly sensitive to the different ways people speak. Even if they only hear one language, they quickly learn the difference between the way men and women speak, the difference between polite and impolite ways, etc. For your children, the child's bilingual status is just another difference between people.
50 years ago, educators across North America told immigrant parents that speaking English with the help of an English language learning app at home was better for their children's education. Some researchers thought that the bilingualism of the child would expose them to harm if it is too early. Recent research tells us that this is not the case, and that being bilingual (in addition to being able to speak more than one language) can bring benefits such as more flexible thinking. Disadvantages that previous research has shown are generally economic disadvantages associated with the hardships of immigrant life.
Bilingual development sometimes results in slightly slower language development than some monolingual children.
Doesn't the bilingualism of the child make them mix the two languages together ?
Like bilingual adults, bilingual children often use words from one language when speaking the other. However, this does not mean that they are confused about the language they speak. However, when speaking to monolingual children, bilingual children are careful to use only the relevant language.
How to start teaching two languages to our children ?
The most important thing to keep in mind is that parents actually "teach" children to talk, rather than teach them to walk or smile. The most important thing in language development is exposure and need. If children are exposed to a language from birth in different situations with different people and feel that they need it to interact with the world around them, they will learn it. If they are exposed to two languages from birth in different situations with different people and need both languages to communicate with those around them, they will learn both and the process of your child becoming bilingual will begin. You can also start the language learning process for your children with the help of the English language learning application.
Do you really think that if our children are exposed to two languages from birth, they will learn both languages in the same way ?
No, but children can do the process of becoming bilingual without any problems and it does not harm them. The hard part is making sure they get enough exposure to both languages. Most of the time, one of the two languages you're trying to learn is going to be "more important" in some way, and the trick is to give them enough time to use the "less important" language in a way that isn't. Mandatory or artificial The best way, if you can get away with it, is to put children in situations where only the "less important" language is used so that there is no temptation to mix languages or revert to the "more important" language.
Is it better to start teaching the second language after the children have a good start in the first language?
No, definitely not, especially in a bilingual home setting, where the second language is likely to seem "less important" to the children. Introducing the second language later is guaranteed to make them think that the language is less important and not worth the trouble.
On the other hand, in a situation where a child is becoming bilingual (for example, a Korean couple living in the US), there is no harm in letting the children learn English naturally and gradually with the help of an English language learning app. As long as the family stays in the United States and the children attend American schools, there is no danger that they will fail to learn English. In fact, a more common problem in a bilingual environment is that children sometimes reject their mother tongue in favor of a foreign language.
