Does anyone else want their future kids to be bilingual?

[Tye]

I regret that I am not bilingual. If I decide to have kids I don't want them to be hindered by only knowing one langauge. Is anyone else going to teach their kids to be bilingual?

[LiquidC]

Well I speak 3 languages and definatly plan on making them learn at the very least the 3 languages I know and maybe a fourth one.

[nurvonic]

i'll teach my kid 2 languages, the languages i know: english and bad english. if he/she wants to learn another language, then thats cool with me.

[Tye]

Originally Posted by LiquidC

Well I speak 3 languages and definatly plan on making them learn at the very least the 3 languages I know and maybe a fourth one.

Besides obviously english, what are the other 2 languages you know?

Originally Posted by nurvonic

i'll teach my kid 2 languages, the languages i know: english and bad english. if he/she wants to learn another language, then thats cool with me.

Once you learn one language it is hard to learn a second, because our brain assosciates the second language with the first. If you learn one language and another at the same time the brain doesn't do this, because it doesn't already have a dominant language in place. It is much easier to learn both languages simultaneously, and the kid will be truly fluent in both. Why not just teach him the second language while he is learning English?

[nurvonic]

first off, im not a really good teacher. secondly, i would need to know another language to actually teach him/her.

but to answer your question, yes i would like my future child to learn 2 languages. it would be nice to know my child is smarter than me.

[Tye]

Originally Posted by nurvonic

first off, im not a really good teacher. secondly, i would need to know another language to actually teach him/her.

That is understandable. Once you know the language however, it is quite easy to teach ababy a second language. A baby learns two langauages the same way we learned our first. They just listen and observe. You don't actually have to do much teaching. When you are around them say things in both langauges, and label things in both langauges. One strategy is to speak one language at home, and another in public. Like if you are in english speaking country speak english in public, and at home speak the foriegn language. Your baby's brain will learn both.


When a baby learns a language it isn't like when we learn a language. Their brain is like a sponge, and can pick up a second language just as easy as the first.

There is a mechanism in your brain that is specifically for learning your first language. Scientists believe that this part of the brain can emulate any language that you hear. The moment you are born this part of your brain begins to figure out what the language is and begins to teach the rest of your brain this langyage. If you hear two different languages frequently while you are a baby this mechanism just assumes that these are one language and you begin to learn both. As you get older you begin to seperate the two languages by observing how your parents and the people around you use these two seperat languages.

[brad]

definitely, i am going to try and expose my son to Spanish and French as soon as he starts talking.

[marik]

me i want my kids expose to French also Mexican! but im still young! "IM Not Twenty!"

English also!

[nurvonic]

Originally Posted by brad

definitely, i am going to try and expose my son to Spanish and French as soon as he starts talking.

brad, how is your better half doing? you should try to get her to register on your site lol.

i tried learning spanish in middle school, failed miserably. same thing with french in high school. Tye is certainly correct.

[Tye]

Nurvonic, I also had trouble with Spanish, but my tearcher was horrible, and wasn't qualified. I am having an easier time with French. Since I am planning to move to France my kids will pick French up pretty quick. English is the language I will have to teach them. I would also like them to be able to speak German. With English, French, and German they should have no problem traveling through Europe.