RAISING BILINGUAL CHILDREN - ADVANTAGE INDIA

In most of the western countries raising bilingual children, or in other words, giving the child the gift of a second language other than his/her mother-tongue, is a big issue. In India however this ability comes to our children almost automatically. So, we must be doing something right, and doing it so proficiently that we do not consider it to be a big deal. But actually it is. If you are not belonging to the Hindi heartland but have migrated there because of your professional compulsions, the children end up learning not two but three languages almost effortlessly! This is because of the vast linguistic diversity of our Nation and the two language formula of our school education.

Today, with the development of global international culture, more and more parents want to give their young children as many language skills as possible - not only one native tongue but also other languages that can be used for the better in the future; for those who aren’t native English speakers, English is, of course, usually at the top of the list, but also Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Bengali and French can be on the list of languages you’d want to teach your child as these remain the most spoken languages in the world! An extra language proficiency is a huge plus in the job market and it opens the child to a whole new world of literature and culture.

Our desire as parents is to help our children become bi or even a multi-lingual, as early as possible, however, the fears in doing this often outweigh the desire. A lot of myths revolve around the issue of bilingual and multi-lingual child rearing which bother many parents who ultimately decide to abandon this worthy goal in the western world. But our experience in India is a clear testimony as to why they are wrong and why it’s worthwhile and recommended to overcome these fears and begin the process of teaching your child more languages at an early age.

Will learning two languages simultaneously confuse the child?

Many of those who argue against the introduction of an additional language cling to the myth that the extra language can confuse a child leading to them using both languages in one sentence. But it is important that you know that although this may happen, it isn’t really harmful; On the contrary, it is an act of ingenuity on the part of the child, and an intelligent use of all the tools at their disposal in order to convey an idea and to convey a certain message in a clearer and understandable way. The English spoken in almost every state in India has a distinct flavor of the state’s native language with its own distinctive accent. So, though grammatically it remains Queen’s English, certain local words, phrases and most importantly the diction adds a very distinctive native fragrance. Thus Hinglish of the Hindi Heartland, the Rosogolla accent of Bengal, the rustic English of Punjab, the heavily accented English of Tamilnadu are all spoken and understood, though initially with a bit of difficulty,

Experts agree that the mixing of languages is temporary, and eventually, as the vocabulary of the child in the two languages learned will increase, and the more exposed they are to both languages, the habit will disappear. We, as adults, also tend to mix languages unintentionally when we don’t know how to say a particular term in a single language or when a word in another language sounds better or more accurate in describing a situation. After all what are the English equivalents of Veranda, Jungle, Bandanna, Dinghy, Pajama, Juggernaut, Cashmere, Thug, Chutney, Loot, Bungalow? The Empire is striking back and these words are already in the English dictionaries.

Will bilingualism delay speech development?

There are those who argue that trying to teach two languages will cause a general delay in the development of speech and communication. This concern is based on a number of incidents that have occurred, but the delay has always been temporary, and this isn’t true for everyone. Unfortunately, many western parents who are concerned about language development difficulties stop the learning process and return to teaching their child only one language.

We in our family have seen that bilingualism does not delay speech development or language acquisition. I am a Bengali and my wife is from the Garhwal hills but stayed and studied in Lucknow. Our both children learned three languages Bengali, Hindi and English almost simultaneously as did the kids of other Bengali friends in the community.  Studies have shown that children with delayed development of bilingual language are eventually able to acquire languages with the same level of competence as language-delayed children raised as single-language speakers. So bilingualism has very little to do with delayed speech.

Being bilingual and being proficient in both languages are two very different things

If you think that learning a second language is a very simple process and all that is needed is to talk to the child in the language, or to just place them in front of different sources of that language, for example, T.V shows and music so that they can absorb it on their own, this is an unrealistic idea that is likely to lead to insignificant results. The process of teaching a new language should not be a heavy burden on your shoulders; however, it is important to present the child with the correct language and structure, as well as to persist in proper and consistent learning, whether in everyday conversations with the same language or traditional means of study – poems, story books etc. The idea is that in the end, you must expose your child to the language in a way that is meaningful to them; this includes interesting learning methods that relate to their daily life and routine.

You can learn another language at any age up to puberty

Many parents believe that there is a certain stage in childhood after which it is too late to try to raise their child bilingual. Therefore, if their child has crossed that age, they will not try to teach them a second language. But you should know that this is a mistake because all professionals and experts indicate that in most cases there are three optimal times for teaching a child a second language.

It is true that the best stage to impart to the child the knowledge of the additional language is from the moment of birth until the age of 3 - since this is the period when they acquire their first language and their mind is still open and able to be molded - but the 4-7 age range is also suitable for this purpose, as at this age they can still process multiple languages, that is to build a second language system next to the first language and learn how to speak both languages well. This is the time when most Indian children learn English. The third window of opportunity is between the age of 8 and puberty. After puberty, studies show that new languages are stored in a separate area of the brain thus making language acquisition at this age much more difficult, yet still possible.

Do parents need to know both the languages?

It helps if both parents know both the languages but if each of them is proficient in one language the child will pick up both the languages, and often so will the parents! In a house where two parents speak only one language, or only one of them speaks the other language they want to impart to a child, it is questionable whether it is even possible to raise a bilingual child. They start conversing in the language of comfort, the common language and ignore the second one……and so does the child. The Indian joint family is a huge language melting pot and if not the mother the grandmother will teach the child the second language. My mother taught both my sons as well as my wife and all of them speak Bengali fluently. And for those who are not so lucky,  today there are many professional aids that can help you teach your child a second language.

Of course you should take into consideration that if you decide to teach your child a second language without being able to speak it yourself, you may also have to learn some parts of it to help your child absorb it better - but you don’t need to speak it fluently. Movies, books, and of course, classes and professionals who specialize in language learning for children can be of great help to you and contribute to the development of the additional language in your child even without you mastering it as a second language yourself.

Every child can be bilingual

Every child can be bilingual, regardless of their IQ or intelligence. When you teach your child a second language you should not be concerned about whether they are "smart enough" to go through the process, but only whether you are willing to make some lifestyle changes to make it happen.

It might be helpful to know that children are actually born ready to learn languages, and don’t need any special intellect or gift to do so. A young brain has an advantage in learning languages more than any other tendency. It is quite an effort after puberty.

In a globalized world, where mobility is facilitated, learning a language is a wonderful benefit. Not only does it help when traveling, it is also a great advantage for studying in general and for career prospects abroad. Acquiring a second language enables us to develop various mental abilities at all ages and it improves our networking skills and job prospects. But trying to understand a language and the heritage that goes with it puts us in a position of self-discovery. It makes us come to terms with how we view the world and other cultures, and have more appreciation of our own. In the end, we come to terms with our own self.