Learning more than one language

How does speech and language develop when different languages are spoken within one family?

Example#1

One parent is a native speaker of Greek and the other a native speaker of English. The child is born in a country where English or Greek is spoken. The parents can choose one of the two languages in which they will address each other, especially when they are all together as a family. But each parent should use his/her native language when addressing the child. This child will grow up to be bilingual, initially alternating languages even in the same sentence. He or she may make some mistakes, but as long as there are no other developmental issues, the child will master both languages. Most specialists suggest that each parent should use his/her native language when addressing the child, or “One Parent One Language”.

Example#2

A family moves to a foreign country. Here we have the “one environment-one language” model, so that the language used at home is different than the language used in school.

Example #3

One parent is a native speaker of Greek and the other a native speaker of English. The child is born in a country where natives speak Spanish. The parents can choose one language in which they will address each other, especially when they are all together as a family. But each parent should use his/her native language when addressing the child. The child will learn Spanish at school, through social contact with friends and others. As long as no learning or other difficulties exist, this child will grow up to be trilingual. He or she will be a native speaker in three languages. Of course if the child was not born in that foreign country, the time it will take to learn the third language will depend on his/her age.

Even if there are more languages involved in one family (other family members speaking different languages, moving to many different countries etc.), the basic rule of each parent using his/her native language when addressing the child is very important. This rule should apply at least until the child’s speech and language has fully developed.

There are of course more factors to be taken into account, such as the parent’s educational background and the exposure to each language. There may sometimes be a small delay in speech development due to input from many different languages, but this is to be expected and therefore completely normal.

What is the ideal age to learn a foreign language?

Even though there is no absolute answer, since there are many factors to consider, we can safely say that the correct approach to learning a second language is starting at a young age and continue the lessons until at least the end of puberty. After having learned a second language, it gets much easier to learn a third or even a fourth one. 

What factors affect how we learn foreign languages?

There are different factors at play while learning a foreign language and in every case different learning mechanisms apply.

Age

Researchers suggest that if our goal is the perfect accent and pronunciation, it’s better to start early (4-7 years old). Our hearing and listening skills are better when we’re young and so is the ability to imitate. The younger we are the less shy and the more confident we are, since people are more tolerant to our mistakes. We also learn faster through games and songs. If we learn a second language before the age of seven regardless of how good we are in spelling, verb tenses or syntax, chances are we’ll have the perfect accent and language comprehension.

Other researchers believe it’s better to start later (after 11 years of age), since we are already proficient in the structure and mechanisms of one language. We achieve a deeper understanding of rules and grammar.

Motivation

Teenagers or adults understand the benefits of being proficient in a second language, so they put more effort into learning it.

Learning difficulties or dyslexia

In cases of such difficulties the teacher may have to use different strategies and:

-prompt the children to record the lesson so they can listen to it multiple times.

-consider the use of visual aids, games and songs during the lessons.

-not force the children to speak, but encourage them instead to answer when the teacher believes they know the answer.

-discuss the foreign words and the summary of a new text, before they ask the student to read it.

-introduce new words and rules gradually.

-go through the same lesson many times.

-encourage and reward effort and accomplishment.

Besides having lessons, anybody learning a foreign language could try to:

-be in contact with native speakers.

-read foreign newspapers, magazines.

-listen to the news or watch movies without subtitles.   

-listen to songs and try understanding and learning the lyrics.

Boundaries and Rules

Clear and sensible boundaries help children become independent adults, who are more secure and believe in themselves. They can build satisfactory personal as well as working relationships.

Children who felt safe growing up can achieve these goals in adulthood. In order for children to feel safe they must be able to have some control over their environment and grasp that each action or behavior has a clear consequence. Rules that have to do with behavior are of the utmost importance. Children should be aware of what others expect of them as well as what they can expect from others.

Adults should of course figure out which circumstances call for a more lenient approach. Especially when it comes to human relationships rules have exceptions. For example, if a child is sick, feeling tired or going through a difficult period (puberty for example), he or she might need a different approach. Furthermore, some behaviors are solely attention seeking and as such, they need to be ignored.   

From the first moments in its life a baby starts to connect each action with a consequence. If it is a positive consequence then the action that provoked it will be repeated. At this point it’s the adult who decides which actions should have positive consequences (rewards). These actions are now positively reinforced and more possible to be repeated.  Gradually the positive behavior is formed.

Many times adults will unwittingly reinforce an unwanted behavior thus making it more possible to be repeated. That may form a negative behavior. One common example could be when a child screams and demands something which he subsequently gets (while still screaming or crying). Sometimes a “negative” consequence may actually work as a positive reinforcement for some children. Consider the following example: A child doesn’t want to stay in the classroom and is deliberately annoying. She is then sent to the principal’s office and so achieves the goal of leaving the classroom.  

There are no “quick fixes” and advice varies according to circumstances.

In any case, an adult may:

-Decide which behaviors are positive and which ones should change.

-Discover what the child likes and can be used to shape behavior (when used as reinforcement or reward).

-Think in terms of earning or losing “privileges” and not punishment. For example a child may, depending on her/his behavior, lose or earn the privilege to play on the computer. There should be dialogue and discussion with the child. Adults should explain the rationale behind their decisions and actions. A strict punishment without dialogue may result in the negative behavior momentarily stopping but in the long run won’t help a child learn what the appropriate behavior is.    

-All family members should agree, accept and follow the same rules. Children can become very controlling and will take advantage of very mild adults.

A child can and should understand that each action has a consequence. We all have rights and responsibilities. The same rules that apply at home, also apply in the playground, at school and later on at work. Once children learn to apply those rules, they will grow up to be cooperative and calm. They will feel calm, since they will feel safe in a predictable environment with boundaries, but at the same time an environment that can be shaped through their own actions.  

What is the Portage Family Centered Early Intervention Program?

Portage is a family centered intervention program for children with developmental delays from birth up until the age of six. The parents are active participants and actually work together with the therapist to achieve instructional goals in the following areas of development: socialization, self-help, language, as well as cognitive and motor skills.

The program is usually implemented in the home environment, but it can be adapted and applied in therapy centers with multidisciplinary teams.

A special education program usually includes different types of intervention, such as speech therapy, special education and occupational therapy. There may be cases where other specialists are also needed, according to the needs of the child and the family. In cases of young children with problematic behavior, short attention span, or communication difficulties, the therapeutic goals and interventions of the different specialties often overlap. So it may be better for the parents of young children to start with a program such as Portage to assist, train and guide them through the therapy process. The parents will come to understand how they themselves can help their child. It is possible that children will also be referred to other specialties to enhance their progress. In that case the therapists must communicate and collaborate with each other. An experienced therapist can also combine various therapeutic approaches so as to use their most effective tools.