Bilingual children: myths and truth, how to raise a bilingual child

Motherhood

June 24, 2020

text: Anna Volkova

Experts say that the best age to learn multiple languages is infancy. From the moment of birth, children are ready to learn the languages of their environment without any confusion or delay. Let’s figure out whether it’s true or a myth that bilingual children have advantages over their peers, but first let’s talk about an important problem that parents raising bilinguals should understand from the very beginning.

Problems of raising bilingual children

Even in cases where parents are well aware of their children's language abilities, they should not feel falsely reassured. Adults may think that it is enough to speak to each other in different languages so that children hear speech and learn to understand it. Psychologists say that mastering a language requires enormous contact. It's about talking to young children as much as possible, reading aloud and singing to them.

To avoid problems in bilingual education of a child, it is necessary to provide massive language exposure. Moreover, it must be personal; it cannot be delegated to a TV or tablet. According to pediatricians, screen time does not help children's language learning, even with monolingual upbringing, and even more so when raising bilinguals. With the help of a screen, children can receive information and improve their vocabulary, but speaking abilities develop only through personal communication. Parents must understand this and get involved in the learning process as much as possible.

Myths and truth about bilinguals

To understand whether bilingualism is beneficial or harmful, you need to dispel the myths around this concept. Let's look at some of them:

Myth: bilingualism causes delays in the development of speech and thinking in children.

Truth: Bilingual children develop at the same rate as monolingual children. Even if a baby confuses words or mixes part of a word from one language with part of a word from another, this is not considered a sign of abnormal speech development. A little time will pass, and he will easily distinguish between the vocabulary of each language.

Myth: Learning two languages at the same time can confuse your child.

Truth: Yes, children can confuse grammatical rules and other language patterns from time to time. But by the age of 4-5 these difficulties are a thing of the past. The better he gets to know both languages, the clearer the line between them will be.

Myth: Children with speech problems cannot learn a second language.

Truth: These children tend to have more difficulty learning two languages, but that doesn't mean it's insurmountable. You will have to spend more time to achieve an equally high level of proficiency in both languages.

Myth: Bilingual children may have problems in school.

Truth: Numerous studies have shown that bilingualism has a number of academic benefits. These include valuable skills in multitasking, cognitive flexibility, and quickly finding the right solution.

Myth: Children who simply know a second language are already bilingual.

Truth: To be considered bilingual, you need to know and use both languages approximately equally. Yes, a dominant language is possible, but regular practice of using and developed vocabulary of the second language is an indispensable condition for bilingualism.

1/ Intelligence level

Myth or truth: The IQ of bilingual children is lower than that of those who speak only one

Myth . “This opinion really existed in the scientific community until about the middle of the 20th century,” explains linguist Elena Simonova. “It was based on a study conducted at the beginning of the century of several hundred families where bilingual children grew up. It turned out that their intellectual development was more modest than that of their peers who spoke only one language. But the researchers did not take into account a very important social factor in their work. In those days, bilingual children most often grew up in migrant families, that is, people of low income and limited opportunities. The fact that children did not demonstrate amazing success in learning and development could be due to hereditary factors, low living standards, the inability to give children a good education, and poor nutrition, in the end. Modern scientific data completely cancels the results of those that were published a century ago. It is reliably known that bilingual people are characterized by greater brain plasticity, more easily acquire new knowledge in any area and are less likely to suffer from cognitive impairment in old age.”

Scientists from Canada, a country where English and French are officially named official languages and where almost 100% of children are bilingual, have found that the brain function of people who learn several languages from infancy is different. They found that they had better developed memory, speech centers and the ability to be flexible in solving creative problems. Surprisingly, bilinguals use just as many words as monolingual children when telling stories. This indicates a high level of cognitive flexibility.

Why is bilingualism useful?

Today, bilingualism is very common. And the idea that only highly educated and literate people speak two languages is wrong.

Firstly, in many countries of the world there are 2, and sometimes more, state language directions. In this case, even for banal everyday communication you have to use more than 1 language.

At the same time, a person’s level of literacy in general may not be the highest, but he communicates in these 2 languages equally to the extent of his education.

In the world, about 70% of the population speak more than 1 language to some extent.

Today the world is more open than ever, both for travel and for emigration. Therefore, hundreds and thousands of people every day take up the study of some foreign language.

The article will focus mainly on congenital/early natural bilingualism. It differs even from the natural late one, since due to the characteristics of the child’s psyche, children do not try to remember patterns and rules like those who pore over textbooks.

However, bilingualism is quite achievable for every child. The main thing is a competent educational methodology and a good teacher. The latter can be especially difficult due to the demand for good specialists, employment and high cost. The solution is technology. A technique that allows you to teach a child English at home has received a lot of positive feedback. By the way, as a pleasant bonus, many note the family-strengthening effect of this technique and the educational side, because adults also get involved and begin to speak English. Find out more about the methods of learning English on the official website.

Nowadays it is especially fashionable to introduce children to learning a foreign language as early as possible. There is more than one book on how to raise a bilingual.

On the other hand, early artificial bilingualism, which is now especially in vogue, cannot be called true bilingualism.

If a couple of centuries ago noble children in Russia had foreign governesses, then it is worth keeping in mind that the use of a foreign language was actively supported by the parents and those around the children.

Children developed the need to use a foreign language constantly, even in everyday situations. Today there are quite a lot of cases when parents, who themselves do not speak the language, send their children to all kinds of courses.

Thus, in English, for example, they communicate for several hours a week and they do not develop a natural need for constant use of a foreign language.

Knowledge of 2 languages (and today it’s better to at least 3) opens many people up for study, travel, new acquaintances, this is a big advantage when finding a job.

It has been scientifically proven that bilinguals have more developed brains. When conducting various tests, it was revealed that they “sort information” better, are more prone to abstract thinking and are generally more mobile.

Knowledge (and, in principle, the study itself) of several languages is associated with longer preservation of cognitive functions. It’s not for nothing that studying foreign speech and spelling is proposed as a preventive measure for Alzheimer’s disease.

And when such knowledge has been there since childhood and, as it seems to others, fell on a person from the sky, then it’s really a shame that you are not in their place.

But is it really that simple? Are the only advantages to be found in bilingualism?

Unfortunately no.

2/ When do bilingual children start speaking?

Myth or truth: bilingual children begin to speak later than their peers

Is it true . A child growing up in a multilingual family is often in no hurry to say his first words. However, this has nothing to do with intellectual development. It just takes time for the brain to organize the information it receives before using it.

“My husband and I speak English, he and his parents communicate with our daughter Emma in German, and my family and I chat with her in Russian,” says Natalya. — When the girl was a year and a half old, at the family council they began to sound the alarm: the child does not speak! To clear my conscience, I went to a child psychologist, heard a soothing “Mom, don’t worry” - and literally a week later the child surprised us. Emma was playing with her grandfather, and he jokingly told her in German to tell her mom that it was time for dinner. The child fulfilled the request exactly, and automatically translated the phrase into Russian - especially for me.”

In order for the development of several languages to proceed harmoniously, parents of bilingual children will have to ensure that speaking is supported by reading and the ability to write in these languages.

What to pay attention to

Clarifying the answer to the question - who are bilingual children, the next step is to find out how to help your child develop harmoniously. If noticeable speech deviations are observed from an early age, you should immediately contact a speech therapist. To correct serious violations, the help of a psychologist may be required.

Parents have the power to help their children master various language forms as easily as possible. We must strive to ensure that by the time the baby speaks, he can already distinguish foreign words.

3/ Start of communication

Myth or truth: you need to communicate with your child in a foreign language as early as possible

Is it true . Studying the neural reactions of 11-month-old children, scientists found that already at this age there is an obvious difference in the brain activity of babies growing up in mono- and bilingual families. Even before children begin to speak, those raised in bilingual environments show greater brain activity in areas involved in problem solving, redirecting attention, and other important functions.

The sooner a child finds himself in a multilingual communication environment, the higher the chance that he will speak the languages he hears like a native speaker - clearly, without an accent, thinking in this language. “Many parents are now trying to hire an English-speaking nanny, for example, if everyone in the family speaks the same language,” says pediatric neuropsychologist Pavel Doronin. “This is a very convenient way of learning: the baby does not need to explain grammatical structures or ask him to memorize words. His brain itself will analyze the speech situation and draw conclusions. But if parents decide to start teaching a foreign language when their son or daughter turns three, the approach will be different: memorization, explanation of the rules. There is only one plus in later language learning: a child or teenager, with diligence and desire, is able to master it quite quickly. But he most likely will not speak like a native speaker.”

Advantages of bilinguals

Psychologists have long been interested in the phenomenon of bilingualism. After testing many people, they determined the following advantages of being bilingual.

Bilinguals have more developed mental abilities. They can keep both languages active at the same time, which develops the ability to concentrate on different things at the same time. This makes bilinguals more confident in achieving their goals and making fewer mistakes in the process.
Bilinguals are resourceful and inventive. Children who speak multiple languages simultaneously develop ingenuity and creative thinking.
Bilinguals have flexible minds and strong memories because learning languages is the best memory training.
Bilinguals do not have mental disorders. A person who speaks several languages trains his memory all the time. Moreover, the higher the degree of bilingualism, the more powerful the resistance to dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Bilinguals have rational thinking, they are attentive and observant, they plan things carefully and easily find a way out of difficult situations.
Bilinguals have an easier time learning new languages. They remember unfamiliar words faster and learn grammar more easily.
Bilinguals have fewer problems with socialization. Knowledge of languages increases the quantity and quality of social connections; in addition, bilinguals have more developed communication skills.
Types of bilingualism help you better recognize emotions. Thanks to knowledge of synonyms for the same word, bilinguals are able to more accurately comprehend their emotions.
Bilinguals have a better chance of getting a prestigious job. Many foreign representatives of large companies prefer bilingual employees.

4/ One language - one contact

Myth or Truth: Children Should Speak to Each Parent in the Established Language

Myth . The theory of adopting a "one parent, one language" approach to bilingual families was popular 100 years ago. Experts advised creating such associativity out of fear that otherwise children might experience intellectual fatigue or confusion. Today it has been established that such an approach is neither necessary nor sufficient for the successful acquisition of two languages. Parents can follow any strategy that promotes qualitative and quantitative language learning. For example, with reference to a person (one person - one language), place (one language at home - one outside the home), time (hours or days of the week). At the same time, experts note that a flexible approach without fixed rules is not a mistake. This experience leads to a balanced and positive interaction with the child.

How is bilingualism formed?

Bilingualism arises due to migration flows in the world. People move to other countries, bring or have children there. A foreign language environment does not frighten the younger generation. Even if children hear only their native speech at home, in society they quickly learn a previously unfamiliar language.

Bilingualism can be developed without moving. For example, by hiring a native tutor for a child, that is, one for whom the language being studied is native.

Another factor in the formation of bilingualism is family. If the child’s mother and father have different native languages, then he will successfully learn both and communicate in the one that is preferable for each of the parents.

Classes with bilingual children

To involve children in active communication in a foreign language, you can use the game method. Here are some examples of activities with bilingual children that will help expand their vocabulary and encourage them to speak.

Game "Puppy" . Children love animals and love to reward toys with their voices. Buy or make your own toy puppy. The point of the game is that the toy speaks only one of the languages. Change with the child so that one of you can be the “puppy” in turn.
Puzzle game . Puzzles are good for any age. Ideally, this could be a puzzle that will allow the child to expand his vocabulary. During the game, you discuss with him the shapes, colors and placement of puzzle elements, decide what is suitable and what is not. The game allows you to use comparison words, progress, and evaluation of results. Allow yourself and your child to think out loud as you complete the puzzle.
Game “Mom brought it” . This is a very simple game that resembles a city game. One of you says: “Mom went to the store and brought ...”, after which he offers the first letter of the object. The second player’s task is to name as many words as possible starting with this letter in the desired language.

And finally, something interesting: scientists from the UK found that bilingual children are better than their peers at recognizing the emotions of adults. It’s harder to hide rudeness and lies from them!

Trilingualism. And this is possible

The most difficult situations are bilingual families in a country with a third language. But this also happens in our open world. It turns out that at the age of early socialization, a child who is already bilingual must also learn a language to communicate with society. Psychologists recommend postponing this introduction until the age of six, so as not to overload the child. In the future, a difficult period awaits him, which will be easier the more similar the third language is to one of the parent languages: that is, it is easier for a child whose parents are Russian and French to learn German than Chinese. In any case, the situation is complex and requires the support of specialists, although many children cope with this problem.

In multilingual families, the question always arises: will the child be fluent in languages? After all, what is language? It's not just vocabulary. This is the ability to use his expressive means in order to express, among other things, shades of feelings, joke, etc. Mastery of a language is not possible without detailed knowledge of the culture to which it belongs. For example, claim that you know English if you have never been to Great Britain and do not know many small details of everyday life, do not know proverbs, catchphrases, quotes from films, have no idea about children's books, etc. - wrong. It turns out that a child will only be truly fluent in the language of the culture in which he is located. It is possible to combine two cultural backgrounds, although this is an extremely difficult task.

Anna Nikitina

Setting Family Rules

As soon as the baby begins to speak, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between languages. Correct him if during a conversation he begins to mix up foreign words. By the age of 3-4, the brain has mastered most grammatical structures and there should no longer be problems with confusion. Therefore, already from kindergarten, the baby can comfortably maintain communication.
Follow the rule “each parent uses only his own language.” This will simplify the task and also minimize confusion between linguistic constructs. Your goal is to form the habit of hearing speech forms from different speakers.
Set a rule - you use one language in public places, and another, for example, at home. It can also be differentiated based on time. One in the morning and afternoon, another in the evening.
It is very important to give older children foreign books to read so that they can more easily grasp grammatical structures. At the same time, remember the need to alternate texts.