Special Problems of Bilingual Families
These pages are and can only hope to be a brief overview, to give
those who are interested in bilingualism in the family a place to
start. If you want to know more, turn to the Books and Newsletters
page to find good sources. The Bilingual Families mailing list, biling-fam, is
a great place for parents and future parents of bilingual families to
ask for help and advice on the matter, or just to share your troubles
and joys with people in a similar situation. If you'd like to know
more, there's more information back on the main
page.
- Monolingual Relatives:
Monolingual relatives can be a great joy to bilingual families,
especially if they speak the minority (non-community) language. They
then give the child(ren) an extra reason to learn that language. But
long visits by monolingual relatives may temporarily disrupt the
language pattern a family uses at home. The visit will proceed more
easily if everyone knows this and is prepared for it.
- Learning to Read and Write:
Bilingual parents often want their children to be able to read and
write, not just speak, both languages. Since the children will
generally only learn one language in school, the parents have to find
ways to teach the other. If the languages use the same alphabet, the
child may actually transfer reading and writing skills from one
language to the other - though they may need help with phonics
(relating sounds to written letters) and spelling! If the languages
use different writing systems, parents might consider special evening
or weekend classes if they are available, or self-teaching resources
from the home country if this is practical.
- Family Resistance:
Well-meaning relatives may be uncomfortable with the whole idea of
bilingualism, and believe it will do the child more harm than good.
This is especially true if they can't see any "practical" benefits
from knowing those two languages - it won't help the child get a job,
for instance. The best answer to this concern is probably gentle
education. Point out the benefits you see for the child (being able
to speak to certain relatives, for instance), introduce them to
bilingual families you know, or encourage them to read books you have
found useful.
- "Authorities":
Much the same is true of "authorities" in the child's life, for
instance the doctor, as it is for relatives. They honestly want to be
helpful, but the advice they are giving is unsupportive. Again, the
best answer is probably gentle education, but the simplest answer may
simply be to ignore them! Remember that no matter how much the
pediatrician, for instance, may know about your child's sniffles and
scratches, he or she is not an expert on language.
A useful method for brushing off unwanted advice has been brought up
frequently in the Usenet newsgroup misc.kids. Just listen politely
(or give the impression you are doing that!), nod seriously, and say
"Thank you for the advice, I'll be sure to think about that!" Then
take the advice you think is sensible and useful, and forget the rest.
This works with relatives, in-laws, nosy neighbors, and most medical
personell. I recommend it!
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