Raising Polyglots

[fleur d-octobre]

Liv Qorri

I'd send them to an immersion school if possible, too.

 

[Henneth Annun]

Apparently there was a Japanese immersion school about three minutes away from where I used to live for about a decade, but my parents never thought to send me, and now it's too late. *wipes back a solitary tear*

I just learned this information now. *wipes back another tear*  

[TurtIe Tracks]

My parents both are fluent in German, and I really wish they spoke German at home when I was little. Then I'd know a second language without having to work. razz I always really regretted that even though it wasn't my choice.

So if/when I have kids, although I won't force them to study another language, I would definitely speak a language at home different than the one usually spoken outside. For example, in Germany they'd learn German anyhow, so I could purely speak English at home and then they'd know both!

I think the two languages would be Chinese and English, not only because they are becoming the two most useful languages in the world, but also because they are (to me at least) two of the most annoying languages to learn. sweatdrop Granted I didn't have to learn English, but I'm sure if it weren't my native language learning it would've been a nightmare. So I'd definitely want to spare my kids from having to learn it. lol

I'd encourage them to learn another language, just because, and support them through their decisions on this, but I mean I wouldn't ever force them or be pushy because that's counterproductive.

...at least that's what I think while I'm still young and naive. sweatdrop  

[Ge-may]

I am quite sure i will have children when i'm older and i would love them to be bilingual or in multilingual. But you have to be realistic. It would be very hard to try and teach a young child a different language when they are immersed in English. as i'm from the UK.
But if i was to be with a person who actually speaks for example French. Then we could both speak to them in our first languages.
My Auntie is German and she speaks to him in German and my Uncle Speaks English. So he will grow up Bilingual.
When i have children i would love them to Learn French. and then maybe spanish, Italien or German.
I really wish i taught another language from a young age. :]  

[snubsnub]

You should wait until they're about 5, I'd say, before I would begin teaching them the newer language, especially if it's not your native language.

My Aunt sent my three cousins to a French immersion school (Because we live in Canada and she thought that would be good for them), even though she doesn't know the language herself, but now they lack in the English department I must say. Or maybe it's because they're just not very bright.

 

[Hersheydudette]

The only thing that concerns me is slowed development. xD
A family I know raised their kids speaking both English and French, and they had to be placed into special programs to help them keep up with English. D: Wonder how you avoid that kind of thing?
And I'd begin by teaching English and Spanish because those are the two they'd probably use the most in the U.S. =)  

[Da_Nuke]

I'd send them to English school as soon as they're old enough to be accepted. Then I'd send them to French school, and from there, German school.

I should know, because I learned English from having in elementary school two daily hours every single working day. And as far as I know, my language skills come from having learned Spanish and French at the same time, back when I used to live in france and we used to speak Spanish at home, then learning English at such a young age. Coincidentally, my friends only used to get two hours of English a week, and now they find it hard to learn that questions begin with "are you" instead of "is you be" confused  

[Lover_2_The_Fire]

Since i'm gay, and its physically impossible for me to have biological children (without invetro fertilization) I will most likely adopt, so my kids might already speak another language. But if I do use Invetro, and do have biological kids, I want my kids to know at least 2 languages other than english, most likely German or Japanese.  

[The Star is Vain]

I want to raise my future child(ren) to speak multiple languages, although I only natively speak one. I told my German teacher the other day that any children I had would likely speak poor German, because I'd probably try to teach it to them but I would be bad at it. She disagreed with me and complimented me, and said that (if I continue with it) I would be capable enough to raise a kid speaking it. The person I'm currently with (with whom I want to stay) is monolingual, and not as interested in languages as I am; however, he thinks German is cool and will probably continue taking it during high school, meaning he'll at least know basic German.

Something of an ex-boyfriend of mine was Vietnamese, and spoke to his family in Vietnamese; occasionally he'd talk to me in it when I begged him too as well, since it's rather sexy. xd He naturally thought that if he had a kid it would speak Vietnamese, and seemed surprised that I even asked.  

[Oh!Sweet`Serenade]

I think that starting to teach a child a language at age 8 is way to late for many children to successfully make them fluent in that language. You can teach a one-year-old baby how to speak two different languages at the sametime, just like how a child would learn from a mom who's from...say England and a dad who's from the United States. The child will understand both 'dialects' of English. It's just like learning two words for something.

For example, my husband and myself both want our children (when we have them) to be fluent in English and German. I'm not sure whether we will only speak German at home and then they learn English from T.v, grandparents, babysitters, school, playgrounds, just living in an English speaking country, and of course teaching them a few words here or there. Or if one of us will only speak English to the child while the other only speaks German.

And of course, the first child will become a teacher for the other children for both languages because they will be interacting constantly.  

[asdfasdf22]

Ge-may

I am quite sure i will have children when i'm older and i would love them to be bilingual or in multilingual. But you have to be realistic. It would be very hard to try and teach a young child a different language when they are immersed in English. as i'm from the UK.
But if i was to be with a person who actually speaks for example French. Then we could both speak to them in our first languages.
My Auntie is German and she speaks to him in German and my Uncle Speaks English. So he will grow up Bilingual.
When i have children i would love them to Learn French. and then maybe spanish, Italien or German.
I really wish i taught another language from a young age. :]

ditto.  

[Telekinetic Typewriter]

Da_Nuke

Coincidentally, my friends only used to get two hours of English a week, and now they find it hard to learn that questions begin with "are you" instead of "is you be" confused

I could see how they might mess that up.

I think if I ever had kids, they'd be like my test subjects for speaking a new language. I have a speech impediment (monotone) that makes accents hard for me to do. I keep changing meds, and losing the accents I learn. I almost can picture my kids being like, "No, Mom: it's said: ____________". If I stay with my current boyfriend, I'd want my kids to learn German and Japanese. (He's 1/2 Japanese. Doesn't speak much.)