Raising Bilingual Children: The Most Successful Methods

Raising Bilingual Children: The Most Successful Methods

By: Christina Bosemark

As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat, and so there are a multitude of strategies for raising bilingual children. Among all these choices, one thing remains constant -- a children’s love for predictability.

Have you ever noticed how poorly many children handle change and how they thrive when on familiar turf? When you’ve read that same story every night for two months, you’ll know what I mean. Certainly, kids learn languages under the most chaotic conditions -- just look at the average dinner table scene -- but some predictability within the chaos spells safety and security, which in turn promotes learning.

Most multilingual families have discovered that a fixed language system in the home greatly reduces the tendency for children to mix the languages -- or worse, the flat-out refusal to speak the second language. One parent expressed it perfectly; “I’ve noticed that when Anna gets overwhelmed by something, she just tunes out. I guess that it is the toddler safety mechanism against information overload.” Kees van der Laan continued, “But I really don’t want her to tune out my Dutch, so my wife and I agreed on a language combination that we can both live by, while keeping it simple for Anna. I feel that the consistency is ultimately more important than which kind of system we use.” In choosing your system, you’ll absolutely need to consider what will work best for your family, but here are the two most popular methods:

1) One Person, One Language (OPOL) is the most common family language system in use. For instance, Kees speaks his native Dutch, while his wife speaks English. Each parent or caregiver consistently speaks only one language to the child. Sometimes OPOL requires extra "language supplements,” such as playgroups, visits from family, a trip to the country, or a native speaking nanny or au-pair. It helps tremendously for your child to hear that his parent isn’t the only one who speaks this language. Kids are savvy little creatures who are quite capable of reasoning that they don’t really need to know a language if it is only spoken by one other person.

2) A second option, slightly less common but tremendously successful is Minority Language at Home (ML@H). It simply means that everyone speaks the minority language at home, even if this language is not the native language of both parents. It is probably the most reliable method for raising truly native speaking children since it ensures consistent interaction from birth until the child leaves home.

However, the ML@H parent has to be able to quell doubts and stay the course unwaveringly. When your child isn’t speaking the community language on the same level as his or her monolingual peers (generally the ML@H child doesn’t reach parity with them until around 5 years of age), it’s difficult not to worry. The McColloughs in Germany remember “We were watching other children jabbering away in complete German sentences, while Patrick seemed incapable of getting out two or three connected words.” Within months after starting preschool, however, he had transformed completely. “Now he can’t stop talking in either language.” Even when you know that your child is going to catch up, it can be daunting to watch him struggle. Some parents fear that he will never learn the primary language, even though this really only occurs when children are isolated from the primary language within a minority speaking community.

3) Frankly, any pattern that works for your family and provides enough interaction in the second language is fine. Examples of such variations are: (1) one language is spoken every day, the other on extended vacations to another country; (2) one language is spoken in a certain location (e.g. if the children attend an immersion program), the other at home.

As you can see, the raising of multilingual children is a flexible and highly personal process, so just adapt the basic language systems to something that fits your lifestyle. Even the most highly-trained athlete couldn’t finish a marathon in ill-fitting shoes, and all your training won’t help if you aren’t settled comfortably for the long haul. Remember, it isn’t all on you; you can find an immersion program, call upon grandparents, organize playgroups and schedule frequent visits to your country -- good for junior’s language, but just as helpful and fun for you.

About the Author: Christina Bosemark is the founder of Multilingual Children’s Association, www.multilingualchildren.org, the definitive guide to raising bilingual children featuring expert advice and real world wisdom with parent discussions, tips, articles, a resource directory and more. Ask us you most burning questions or share your own experience in our Forum!

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Learning Foreign Languages Online

Learning Foreign Languages Online

By: Philip Nicosia

In today’s competitive and evolving world, the importance of education has never been more important. People are now more aware of the continuing need to improve one’s self through adult learning. Due to factors such as time constraint, e-learning has quickly emerged as an alternative means of continuing education.

As globalization continues to be the trend these days, more and more people feel the need to learn at least one foreign language. Again, due to the fast-paced lives many lead today, online courses present a viable alternative to the traditional face to face, or classroom, language learning. The major advantage of learning foreign languages through e-learning is the convenience it presents to the learner. Materials can be made available anytime, anywhere. The learner can access modules at his own time and he work on his courses at his own pace.

Computer assisted language learning has been in existence for many years now. In fact, its roots can be traced back to the 1960s. This technique began with a simple drill and practice approach. As more pedagogical elements were introduced, computer assisted language learning evolved into a more interactive experience.

The question many people ask is just how effective is learning a foreign language online? The main difference between classroom learning and e-learning is the presence of a teacher. A good teacher recognizes the learning needs of the student. In addition to that, a good teacher recognizes the learning style of each individual student. He capitalizes on both factors and enhances learning through different techniques. Due to advances is many e-learning platforms, these factors have been taken into consideration. The learner’s needs and learning styles can now be dealt with accordingly.

Today’s e-learning platforms offer a wide range of approaches to suit each learner’s specific needs. Some platforms even make use of facilitators – human or otherwise – to encourage the student and enhance the learning process. When combined with the convenience of studying at one’s own pace, e-learning proves to be an effective way of learning a new language.

Studies show that more people prefer e-learning to the traditional classroom sessions. The flexibility the e-learning offers seems to be one of the major factors that students take into consideration. Some personalities react more positively to the online learning environment. One explanation is that the relative anonymity that this type of learning gives a student more confidence. Studies show that learning languages online seems to present a more relaxed learning atmosphere. It has been proven time and again that such a learning atmosphere does a lot in terms of enhancing the learning process. The student learns more and in a shorter span of time than normal. The student also tends to remember more of what he has learned.

Online foreign language learning also capitalizes on the amount and quality of information and resources that can be found on the Internet. E-learning programs take advantage of this situation, enhancing learning even more. So if you are seeking to learn a foreign language, whether for professional or personal reasons, online learning just might be the right choice for you.

LearnMyLingo.com delivers a variety of quick language learning programs right to your desktop and a free language learning guide, 8 ways to learn a language quickly and easily. learning a foreign language online

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Foreign language learning for business success

Foreign language learning for business success

By: Frank Middleton

If you understand a language then you will understand to a large extent the culture that goes with it, and if you understand the culture you will pick up on subtleties that you might otherwise miss. In any negotiation or business relationship the more you understand about the needs and wants of the other party the more likely you are to be able to reach an advantageous outcome (for both sides). This is well recognized, but less widely taken into account is the favourable impression that speaking another language gives about you, and this is what I want to consider.

In the international business world of today the English speaker is at a disadvantage in this regard because the international language of business is English. If you are not a native English speaker the obvious language to learn is English, whereas if you are and you want to learn a new language where do you start? Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian or French are just a few in no particular order which come to mind.

Naturally if you are going to learn a language for business purposes, the language you choose will depend primarily on where you do business. However, in this era of the internet, cheap flights and cheap telephone calls, it is common to establish business relationships world-wide.

It is not realistic to start learning multiple languages well, and so the interesting question is what strategies can be employed to maximise the possibility of foreign language use, with the aim of increased business success in a global market?

The answer is to learn enough of a language to be polite. The potential impact of this is rarely considered, but what impression do you have of a visitor to your country who does not speak a single word of English ? My guess is not a great one. The thought process is often ‘that’s a bit rude’ or ‘it’s not that difficult to learn hello and goodbye’.

Exactly the same thought takes place in a business relationship because initial impressions count. Nevertheless how many English speakers who are building relationships with non English speaking countries take the time to learn hello or goodbye in the language. Even fewer bother to learn a few pleasantries and use them on the phone or face to face. The person who does that will stick out from the crowd and become human. It helps build and improve a relationship.

There is no need to become fluent in all the different languages that your customers speak. It is not possible and anyway English is recognized as the international language of business, but it is useful to remember that learning enough of a language to exchange pleasantries breaks through barriers and opens doors which might otherwise remain closed.

Clever use of some words and phrases in languages other than English is going to improve your personal relationships with foreign clients. Linguata would help.
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Foreign Language Skills At Top Of "Needs" List

Foreign Language Skills At Top Of "Needs" List

By: Languageskillsabroad.com -

There was a time when speaking a second language was a skill that only the rich and famous strived to acquire. It was a delightful when someone knew just the right French phrase to drop at a party. Only United Nations translators actually needed foreign language skills to earn a living. But all of that has changed.

First jet aircraft cut the world to half its size, followed by the Internet which has shrunk the world to one global neighborhood. Now, no matter what your job title is, you're just as likely to serve a customer or client who speaks Spanish, French or Japanese as you are to serve a client who speaks English.

It's no longer a luxury to be able to speak a foreign language. In fact, for many jobs, being bi-lingual is either an absolute job requirement, or you'll at least be at a competitive disadvantage against other applicants who do speak a foreign language.

And it's not just police and fire dispatchers, EMS technicians and law enforcement officers who are finding it neccessary to speak a foreign language. Many healthcare professionals, salespeople and even retail and food service employees see bigger paychecks and happier clients when they have a foreign language skill.

Take Spanish for example. Of the 5,000 spoken languages in the world, Spanish is #3 in the order of number of people who speak that language. Only the Chinese and Indian languages rank higher.

Even English, which is the primary language for an estimated 330 million people, falls behind Spanish which is estimated to be spoken by 346 million people.

As the number of Spanish language speakers continues to grow, colleges and corporations are responding to the pressing need for foreign language publications and marketing materials as well as foreign language radio and television spots.

U.S. businesses are reaching out to Spanish foreign language speaking consumers through advertising outlets such as CNN en Español, CBS Telenoticias, Univisión, and Telemundo. Being able to communicate in a foreign language is big business and people who do not have foreign language skills will be left behind.

Missing out on the income opportunities of speaking a second language doesn't make sense now that the methods of teaching people to speak a foreign language have changed so dramatically.

Today, one of the easiest and most fun ways to learn a foreign language is through a process called "full foreign language immersion". Here's how it works:

You pick the foreign language that you want to learn, such as Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian, or Spanish, and then you contact a foreign language immersion agency, like the company Language Skills Abroad that operates a web site at http://www.languageskillsabroad.com/. They match you up with a quality overseas foreign language school and help you with all of the travel details and living accommodations.

The end result is that you learn your chosen foreign language quicker, because you are living and learning among people who actually speak your target foreign language.
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Learning A Foreign Language Through Educational Games

Learning A Foreign Language Through Educational Games by Michael Gabrikow

If you have children of your own, or if you have a little brother or sister that you've watched growing up, you might have noticed how they started learning your native language. The first words they usually speak out are the ones that they come into contact the most often, usually the name of their parents, parental appellatives such as "mama" or "papa" or "dada" and so forth. Later on, as they are encouraged to express verbally, their vocabulary base will consist of words that they meet in their "daily activities", which for most children simply include eating, sleep and... playing. This is where I actually wanted to bring the discussion to, learning a language through playing and especially through educational games that are specifically aimed for this purpose.

Since most children follow the above mentioned pattern when learning their native language many scientists claim that simulating the process at an older age can produce the same learning effects with a foreign language. The reason for this is that the brain already got used to that specific type of learning and it will adapt easier when confronted with a similar situation later on in life. That's why learning a foreign language through children's games has become increasingly popular among adults, despite the slight awkwardness of the situation. Flashcard games are such an example, a flashcard being a small piece of material with a picture of an item printed on it and a related word (or small text) describing the picture. The image-text correlation is extremely potent when having to memorize words. Using flashcards is a good way to start building the basic vocabulary for the language you're learning and it gives you a first contact with the language pronunciation (you'll need a dictionary for this of course).

Another great way to learn a foreign language is by playing computer games. Although most games are in English (and if you're reading this, you already know English I assume...) some computer games have translated versions for specific languages (mostly German, Spanish, French or Italian). If you can get a copy of one of these translated games it could be a great way to start learning that specific language and have fun at the same time.

A study exists in this sense, where a young English boy that couldn't speak any language but his native one was invited to play a popular online PC game on a French server. Although he was extremely confused at first, the constant contact with the other human players in the game, combined with a natural correlation between what he saw on the screen and the game chat gradually helped him understand the French language. The game experience was almost like throwing him in the middle of say, Paris, with no knowledge of the French language. After living in a foreign environment, hearing and reading a particular language at all times and instinctively correlating words with actions and images one actually starts learning that particular language, a fact proven by the above experiment. This just proves that online educational games (well not necessarily educational ones, but simply "games") may yet become the future language learning centers of tomorrow. To the same extent, millions of players all around the world learn and perfect their English language skills while playing the numerous online games available today.

Of course, there are still "classic" educational games out there that you can try out. Some sites offer several such educational games for languages ranging from English, German, Spanish or Italian to Polish, Romanian, Turkish or Ukrainian (and many more). If you're thinking about beginning to learn a new language, these educational games might prove to be starting point that you need. Some are actually fun and quite addictive and they are a surefire way towards boosting your vocabulary in that particular language.
About the Author

Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Hindi, Turkish, Ukrainian and many others.
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What's Up With Foreign Language Immersion Programs?

What's Up With Foreign Language Immersion Programs? by Languageskillsabroad.com

Do you know why children are able to learn to speak at such an early age? It's because they have no choice. They are surrounded by people who are speaking to them and to others around them, and the natural ability to start speaking that language just kicks in. That process is called "Foreign Language Immersion", and the concept has revolutionized the way that adults are learning to speak a second language as well.

The principal of foreign language immersion is simple. If you take someone who does not speak a particular foreign language, and you place them into an environment where everyone they encounter does speak that particular foreign language, the person has no choice but to become a fluent speaker. Plus, not only does the student learn the language faster, but he or she learns the actual dialects of everyday conversation, rather than straight "textbook" foreign language skills, and they also pick up a true native accent in the process.

That's why Foreign Language Immersion Programs are rapidly becoming the fastest and easiest way to learn a foreign language such as Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian, or Spanish.

And that's why foreign language immersion agencies, like the company Language Skills Abroad that operates a web site at www.languageskillsabroad.com/, are becoming so popular among people who want to become throughly fluent in a foreign language in the shortest time possible.

These companies like Language Skills Abroad have relationships with the finest overseas language schools. They not only know which foreign language schools are the best, but they actually know the people who run them. This saves the student hundreds of hours that would ordinarily be spent researching the various foreign language schools, plus it helps them avoid picking one that might not be reputable or might fail to meet their needs.

And that just the beginning of what companies like Language Skills Abroad do. Because the student actually lives in the foreign country while they are studying the language, Language Skills Abroad assists the student with all of the travel, passport and student visa details, as well as helping them find appropriate living accommodations.

So, whether a student wants to rent their own apartment, share living quarters with other foreign language students, or even be placed with a family living in that foreign country for even more immersion opportunities, Language Skills Abroad gets it all done.

If you, or someone you know, have always wanted to learn a foreign language, then looking into the opportunity to participate in a foreign language immersion program should be high on the priority list. It's a unique, fun and exciting way to master a foreign language with the end result of speaking it like a local.

You can find out more about how the foreign language immersion program works, and get a good idea of whether or not it's a good way for you to learn a foreign language, by visiting Language Skills Abroad at www.languageskillsabroad.com/. They've got all of the details posted right on their web site.
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Learning a Foreign Language

Learning A Foreign Language by Michael Gabrikow

The speed and consistency at which you assimilate a foreign language depends on a lot of factors, including:

1) Whether or not your mother tongue and the foreign language you're learning have a shared lexical family and glossary (Latin or Germanic languages for example)

2) Your own ability to assimilate new words and think in the new language, rather than translate everything in your mother tongue, translating everything to the new, foreign language afterwards

3) The amount of contact you're receiving with that particular language, externally (for example, English is a lot easier to learn than other languages for most foreigners, since they receive a lot of external contact with it from movies, computer activities, commercials and so forth).

Regardless of the fact that the language you're trying to learn fits into any of the above categories, make no mistake about it, every language is learnable if you follow a few important steps and if you invest a constant stream of time in the learning process. Taking medium to long breaks from learning will be extremely negative in the long run, since it will be harder to get back on track and "re-learn" what you've once assimilated. Think of learning a foreign language as taking care of a huge furnace. You need to place a huge amount of coal in it in order to get it started and then you need to keep the fire burning by constantly shoving medium amounts of coal. If you stop shoving and let the fire go out and the furnace go cold, you'll have to invest almost the same amount of work to get it back on.

So you might be wondering how to start learning a new foreign language, what should be the base point for the learning process. Well, some basic vocabulary will get you started with understanding and pronouncing the language as well as give you something to work with later on. Language learning games are extremely useful in this first stage, since the correlation between images and words will get them to print easier in your mind. Using flashcards is also a good option and although learning what "duck" is in German for example, might not be that satisfying, think about the fact that the whole game thing has a higher purpose. And if you're an adult, try getting past the inherent awkwardness and silliness of this first learning stage as it is proven to be one of the most efficient yet. And who knows, you might even have some fun while you're at it :).

After you're familiar with the new language, after trying out pronouncing what you've seen on the flashcards, or in the game (by the way, always keep a "mother tongue - foreign language" dictionary close to you, since you'll want to check on pronunciations often) you should start off with a couple of translated texts that you can compare. Don't worry about the subject, reading "Little Red Riding Hood" with the annexed translation will be equally helpful as reading a technical view on computer architecture with the relevant translation (actually Little Red might be even more useful, since it will be easier for you to relate the words). Try reading the foreign text, sentence by sentence and then re-reading it in the translation. While doing so, try and spot the similarities in grammar and sentence structure and focus on noun gender, and plurals. It's extremely helpful to get used to the new language's gender and plural system early on or you might get the "habit" of mixing them up, sounding funny at best.

The above-mentioned method of learning a foreign language might not necessarily be the one most appropriate for you. Still, it simulates the way we learn our mother tongue, which makes it easier for us, your brain adapting easier to the new learning process since you've "already been there and done that" once. If you're looking for alternative ways of learning a foreign language, be it Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Hindi, Polish, Greek and many more, you could look up one of the many sites out there offering free or paid lessons and tutoring services.
About the Author

Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Hindi, Turkish, Ukrainian and many others.
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How to start learning a new language

How to start learning a new language by Frank Middleton

It is easier to start to learn a new language than to become good at it, and almost certainly is more fun.

I've started to learn many new languages. French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Afrikaans to name but a few. I can't speak them yet but I've started and I've picked up a few words and phrases that help me when I'm visiting, and equally importantly I've had fun doing this.

For example, I've started to learn Italian but I haven't learnt any Italian grammar, and when I visit Italy I'm not able to speak correctly . Now you may say this is lazy, but we all live in a world where you can hear and speak any number of languages. So my aim is just to communicate at a very basic level when I visit a country, to make an effort, to show appreciation of the language and culture. I'm not trying to talk about world politics or explain my view on life.

So, I know about starting to learn a new language and this is what works for me.

I pick key or useful words and phrases that I want to learn. For example, as a visitor to another country, the key words in a foreign language are the words which will be of most use to you and which you will use most often. These key words and phrases will vary from visitor to visitor depending on the purpose of their trip. A businessman, for example, may have different language requirements to the tourist, and when only learning a small part of language may choose to concentrate on a few formal situations. Or, if you have friends who speak another language, you might learn a few expressions that you can use in specific situations with them. In either case, you are starting to learn the language and if you continue to learn it , then the vocabulary you have learnt will be a great help.

Here is one suggestion for learning common words and phrases. Watch television concentrating on the soaps. This is helpful because the language is repeated again and again, the words used are in common use and you see and hear the same actors each time you watch. This means that you will become used to their accents which will help improve comprehension. Look up the commonly used expressions, which after a while you won't forget because every time you watch your favourite soap you will hear them.

It is worth remembering that it is easier to start a task than finish it, and the same goes for learning a new language. The better you are at it the slower your rate of progress, as you have to learn grammar, learn less common words and so on. If you are only trying to learn a few foreign words and phrases you will enjoy a faster rate of progress, have more fun, and don't have to spend to much time on any given language. Starting to learn a new language is a very rewarding activity and an ideal way to begin is with Linguata.


About the Author
Frank Middleton is a freelance author and writes occasional articles for www.linguata.com a site with a practical realistic and fast approach to learning words and phrases in a foreign language, using a combination of sophisticated testing and simple games.
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