How important is a second language?
Our preschool offers an immersion class in a foreign language that we don't speak at home, starting at age 3. A local public school offers dual immersion in a different language, one that my kids' nanny speaks (and I used to kind of speak), starting at age 5.
I know that there's a window for language learning based on our brain development - under 6 to sound like a native speaker, under 12 to be fluent. I'm assuming that without some kind of early immersion program our kids will not be comfortable in any language other than English (at least my husband and I aren't, and we both took language throughout our schooling - but not early).
I'd like them to have a second language because a) I think they'll be able to travel more easily and effectively, might use it in a job someday, be able to speak with recent immigrants here and so that b) they think about language differently, see the system of it more clearly, be able to more easily pick up languages of their choice later. And I see this as an opportunity that we, as parents, need to decide for them because it "expires" as they get older.
On the other hand, I worry that his age 3 immersion experience will be more difficult and less fulfilling than the standard English program the school offers. That he'll have less time to play and be a kid and discover things at his own pace if he feels distant from his teachers and classmates or confused about the day's "provocation" (activity).
Similarly, the dual immersion program that starts in Kindergarten has a heavy emphasis on vocabulary and other language skills and isn't as play-based, freeform, experiential as I'd hope for (as my husband and I enjoyed in Kindergarten).
It seems as though my children could be fluent in 3 languages, 2, or only 1, but there are tradeoffs with each.
So, my question is how important is a second language? Why do you think it is or isn't important? Does it matter which language it is? What choices have you made (if choices were available)?
5 Answers
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I think that learning to speak a second language is a great goal---and is especially important if the language is spoken by the family, other relatives, and within the everyday community of the child. Learning a language at school is also beneficial. However -- I question the value of teaching a young child a second language if there will be no opportunity to retain fluency at home and continuity in daily life. If the child is in immersion from pre-school through the early elementary years ---- what happens after that? What if the child loses interest in the second language his parents have chosen for him and he decides to stop learning it ?
Being an older person, I was schooled in a different era. At home in my elementary years, I was informally taught a bit of Mandarin by our Chinese neighbors. I thought this was fun. I also learned many hawaiian words and phrases in a natural cultural setting in Hawaii. I began learning French at school ( it was required) in 7th grade. Beginning in 9th grade I was required to take 2 years of Latin --- while continuing French as well. I hated Latin, and did poorly in it. I continued taking French through high school. Today, I can speak no language fluently other than English. But languages fascinate me and I certainly wish I were fluent in more than one.
As a parent, I certainly would not " push" a small child to learn a second language. This is not to say I would not encourage language development, experimentation, and " fun" learning with a multicultural emphasis.
At this point, learning a second language is your goal for your child. Of course you have some valuable reasons why this would be a good idea for him. But -- he has a long way to go in growing up, and I would hope that he might eventually have some input about what is important -- and of interest -- for him to study in the future.
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I looked into a Spanish/English dual immersion program and ultimately chose English only. There were many reasons, some politically incorrect, some gut feel, but it came down to one topic for me. My first language is English. My second language (if I dare call it that) is Math. I did not feel comfortable with Math being taught to my children in a language I couldn't speak. In my family, both immediate and extended, we sit around the table, have conversations in the car, and generally do mental and verbal math gymnastics as part of our everyday life. I am not capable of doing these in Spanish. I doubt any dual immersion student younger than 4th/5th grade and fully fluent could participate in any of these math games in English because they'd be translating back from Spanish and that means too much opportunity for confusion. In my life, math proficiency has been far more valuable than language proficiency. My three years of Spanish in high school has been plenty to get me by. My math skills were the reason I met my husband (in class), found me a job, and ultimately have opened many doors in my life.
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I don't think that there is much point in putting your kid in an immersion program if you aren't willing to continue it, whether in the home, through classes, tutors, trips to the place(s) that language is spoken, etc.
We know some people whose son started taking Mandarin in afterschool a couple of days a week at age 5. He did it for several years before they switched to him having a tutor a couple times a week. At 11, he has the accent of a native speaker but the vocabulary of about a Kindergartener. Presumably if they upped the number of hours he spent with his tutor, he could improve his vocabulary, but it would likely be hard for him to get an accent like a native speaker at this age.
Some other friends sent their daughters to a Spanish immersion school. One left the program at 4th grade to attend a GATE program then started with Spanish 2 in 7th grade. She speaks like a native (supposedly, I have no way to judge) and has grammar rules down pat. She and her sister (who went all the way through 6th grade in the immersion program) both did fine when they stopped in the immerson school and have had unexpected opportunities because of their fluency.
We have our 3- and 5-year olds in a weekly language class (spoken fluently by my husband and a little by me) and they are getting the accent down and learning some vocabulary. We plan to continue the language and will probably increase the frequency of classes as they get older. We are also considering putting them in a Spanish immersion school for K-3 or K-6. We don't speak Spanish but I'm not so worried about it. Since they have grown up speaking English plus they will hear it several hours/day in the home, I'm not worried about them not being able to participate when we verbally banter or play math games (we also do a lot of math in our family).
Both of my sisters studied in France; one is still fluent in French and the other isn't, though the one that is has kept it up. My husband became fluent in a language he started taking in high school. He continued it through college and has gone on many trips to the country where it is spoken, so it is possible to become fluent even starting late, it is just hard.
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I grew up speaking 3 languages and currently live in a bilingual home so my answer will be biased! Our children's second language is native for my husband but not one I speak so I do know what it's like for the children to be fluent in a language I don't understand. Even so I agree with all the benefits you mention, plus another benefit that you did not mention for multilingual children is that they learn to be better problem solvers (or so studies show). I also believe that knowing multiple languages helps you understand more about each of them as well as the culture that surrounds the language. So it would make them better at their native language in the long run, not more confused.
Other people mentioned that it might be futile to have them learn now if it is not constantly pursued. Of course having continued exposure is better, but I think it's still worthwhile to have them learn now and "forget" because it will still be easier for them to pick up languages later in life (when it's their choice), especially if it is a tonal language. It isn't just more difficult later, it can be near impossible later.
Regarding the fear that you are pushing your child too hard.. well, I think if you look deep down you will know if you do or not. If the program is part of school, he will be spending those hours at school anyway and have plenty of other time to play. (So actually I would advise against having extra tutors even if you don't speak it at home.) Consider also that while you might think of it as extra work, they probably think it's just as fun as anything else they're doing (or not doing).
I reiterate your point about the window being small and choices you make for your children. Imagine your child at age 18. He might not actually thank you for giving him another language. But that would be more likely than him saying, I'm so glad you gave me 60 more minutes of free play time when I was 3! My mom speaks and writes Mandarin fluently. I really, really wish that she had taught me.
By the way, it sounds to me like you do want a second language for your child but are not particularly thrilled about the programs you mentioned. Maybe you should shop around further.
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Exposure is more important than fluency, especially if the language isn't spoken at home or in the community. If you like the school and they happen to teach another language, fine. We lived overseas and our kids became fully bilingual. Within 1 year of relocating to the US, they'd lost their second language. We still speak it at home (it's my husband's native language) but the kids lose fluency quickly.
The good news is that when they have to study a language later in life, their brain will already know how to process it, whatever the language is.
Also, I grew up monolingual and didn't take any foreign language classes until high school. I studied 4 years of French, followed by 2 years of Russian. I'm now fully fluent in Romanian, with native level fluency. It can happen.
