Does your family speak more than one language? Lots of families do. Some parents worry that it will confuse their child or make learning more difficult. And it’s true that a young child who speaks French and English will know fewer English words than a child who speaks just English. But they will know just as many words overall, only spread across the two languages. And children who speak more than one language are actually very good language learners.
A recent study with children who spoke both French and English showed that they would speak French when they were with their French-speaking parents and English when they were with an English-speaking stranger. This goes to show that children can easily tell the difference between their languages and can easily switch depending on who they’re talking with. So, don’t worry, it’s totally fine to speak more than one language to your child.And it can be very rewarding.It helps children keep strong relationships with their families and helps them connect with their culture and heritage.
Once your child starts school, they will be surrounded by people who speak the majority language, which will help them learn.If you want your child to keep speaking two languages, you will need to keep using the other language at home, to give them plenty of practice. As a grown-up, you might find learning a new language difficult, but children are natural learners and can easily pick-up one, two, even three languages! C'est fantastique!
Does your family speak more than one language?
Lots of families do. Some parents think that it will confuse their child or make learning more difficult, but they needn't be worried.
Image caption, Some parents worry that speaking multiple languages will confuse their child or make learning more difficult. And it’s true that a young child who speaks both French and English will know fewer English words than a child who speaks just English.
1 of 4
