General background
Aleksander, age 2
What languages do you speak and to what level (Basic/Intermediate/Advanced/Fluent)?
I speak German, fluent (non-native). My husband is from the Netherlands and speaks Dutch & English fluently plus advanced German.
What languages are you passing on to your child?
English, German and a tiny bit of Dutch. I decided not to use OPOL. I found I just couldn’t give up my own English culture of words, books, songs, etc. And since my husband is Dutch and didn’t grow up with these things, I knew he wouldn’t be able to supplement. Thus I settled on a compromise of spending half of each day in German. Or at least trying to!
Why have you chosen to raise your child with more than one language?
Even before I started learning a second language, I have always been fascinated by other languages. I’ve always thought it would be such a gift to pass my a language on to my children. Learning from the beginning seems so much easier than waiting until they start teaching it in school – especially here in the US, where they usually wait too long.
How are you passing on the different languages and/or culture?
I speak German with Aleksander. We also read books, sing songs, and watch DVDs. I try to incorporate holiday traditions, too. And I’m looking for a German-speaking babysitter to help reinforce input when I’m not with Aleksander.
Non-native issues
Speaking German with a baby/toddler has definitely opened my eyes to large holes in my vocabulary. No one teaches you the words for diaper, bib, a thousand different trucks, etc. in school! I try to keep a list of words to look up and make them part of my active vocabulary. I’d love to continue to work more on my German, but mostly I settle for learning new things as I read and sing with Aleksander.
Do you get support for teaching your child from native speakers?
I have a friend who is a native-speaker and also has a son about Aleksander’s age. So that is really helpful. In the future, I will definitely consider some kind of Saturday school (although the teachers aren’t necessarily native-speakers).
Does your child ever teach or correct you?
Aleksander only just started talking, so he’s not correcting me yet!
In terms of your emotional relationship with your child, do you feel speaking in a non-native language adds something, takes something away, or both?
I find it really challenging to keep up the German when things get more emotional – either comforting Aleksander or when I get really frustrated with him! For me, I don’t feel I can comfort him in German the way I can in English. But when I think about it, it probably doesn’t make so much difference to Aleksander. After all, he’s used to me speaking both languages. It just seems so strange to me! And when I get frustrated, I just have trouble accessing all the vocabulary I need.
On the other hand, I feel like speaking German with Aleksander brings us closer. It’s a special bond we can share. And even if it gets hard, I think it’s so worth it to give him this opportunity.
Are there any particular advantages or disadvantages to speaking a non-native language with your child?
Well, obviously, I don’t speak perfect, native German. I wonder sometimes if that will be a problem for Aleksander. Will he pick up my mistakes with grammar or vocabulary? I hope that by offering other input from other German-speakers, DVDs, books, etc. it will compensate.
How have your family and friends – and strangers - reacted to your decision?
I have had nothing but support. It’s wonderful to know our families support and encourage us. We also belong to a playgroup that turned out to be quite international. We all met at prenatal yoga, and out of the six of us, five couples are made up of at least one person who is not from the US. So I’m not the only one speaking another language, which makes it easier for me. Out in public, I have to admit I have trouble sticking with German. I don’t want anyone to feel out of the loop. But when I make the effort, I never get any negative feedback.
Has it ever proved difficult or challenging? And, conversely, what has been the most rewarding aspect?
Of course!! It’s challenging every day! I have so much to learn. It’s frustrating when I stumble of my words or can’t think of the right noun gender or don’t know the right preposition or case. I also struggle with consistency. Since I split my days between English and German, I’m used to both. So I sometimes forget to switch over to German. All I can do is persevere, though.
There have already been some amazing moments with Aleksander in regards to German. The first time I realized he understood me, he was about a year old. He was going through the baby gate at the top of the stairs, and I told him to watch out for his fingers. It’s a little more complicated to say in German, so when he moved his hand, I couldn’t believe it! At just a little over age 2, Aleksander started talking. Hearing him speak German gives me such a thrill! It’s also amazing to witness how he is learning to separate the two languages. It makes it all worth it!
And finally, do you always plan to speak the non-native language with your child?
I do plan to always speak German with Aleksander. I know there will be new challenges in the future. And I hope he never goes through that phase where he doesn’t want to speak German! It’s helpful to have found the blogging community of other parents who speak a foreign language with their children. I get so inspired by their stories, so it makes me want to keep going when I feel like giving up. In the end, I hope Aleksander will get to a place where he really appreciates being able to speak more than one language. I also hope we can visit Germany now and then, so he has even more of a connection to the people and culture.
1 comments:
Great post! It´s so interesting to meet and hear about other bilingual families & bloggers and how they are bringing up their children bilingually!
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