American Parents Have Baby in Frace Will It Speak English

Question

Dear Multilingual Parenting team,

I am still in my early pregnancy, but similar all ambitious mother to exist, I'one thousand already because all kinds of scenarios regarding the infant's futurity education. Equally a multilingual person, which language shall I speak to my babe is one of the most of import question.

I'one thousand native Chinese who has immigrated to the U.s.a. in my mid-twenties. I speak quite fluent English with very piddling accent, although I do not always speak with the correct grammar and am not completely up to date with the expressions. In 2013 I moved to France to live with my French husband, who speaks but French fluently. The advice between usa is in French.

Obviously, I want my infant to be able to speak Chinese fluently, but I also want him to get prepared for fluent English language speaking. I accept seen how difficult it is for a native French speaker to pronounce English correctly if they do not learn it in very immature historic period. I wanted to be able to speak both Chinese and English language for the baby, but I have two hesitations:

1. I heard that it's better for one parent to speak simply ane linguistic communication to the baby so that he won't go confused.
2. Equally English language is not actually my native tongue, so I'thousand not sure information technology's good for the babe to learn it from me no matter how well I think I speak.

Another business is that I speak all 3 languages quite naturally. For some expressions, I feel more comfortable with one of the 3 languages and for others another i. It all depends on the context or unlike knowledges I accept acquired in different languages. I am afraid that my own confusion with languages might impact the babe.

I would really appreciate that y'all can shed some light on these problems.

Best regards,
Lilan

Answer

Dearest Lilan,

Thank you for your question and congratulations on your upcoming family improver!

Y'all are multilingual and would like to know how to best laissez passer on both Chinese and English to your baby. You live in France with your French-speaking husband, and then your child volition no uncertainty also get a fluent in French.

Your dilemma is whether to speak Chinese or English, or both languages with your infant. There are some concerns you have with regards to the decision, and I will address those first:

1. Confusion – children do not get confused beingness spoken to in several languages, fifty-fifty by the same person. If you choose to speak both Chinese and English language with your baby, I would however recommend that you put in identify a structure for when you lot speak which language and effort to avoid mixing within sentences. I assume that when you speak, for example, with someone who only speaks Chinese, you would non mix in English language or French phrases that the other person does not understand. You would like your kid to exist able to do the aforementioned, i.e. stick to one language when necessary, then she/he needs to learn to carve up the languages.
2. Non-native language – if you will be the just source of English exposure for your child, she or he volition grow upwards speaking like you, including emphasis, possible grammar mistakes and mixed phrases. Nevertheless, if your kid too gets the opportunity to spend a pregnant amount of time with native English language-speakers and hears English from other native sources, her/his English will most likely become more native-similar. Many parents accept called to also speak a non-native linguistic communication with their child, so don't let these concerns put you off if you feel strongly for speaking English with your baby.

Passing on one minority language to a kid equally the just parent speaking information technology is a big challenge, so passing on two is even more challenging. The French linguistic communication volition play a pregnant role in your child's life, every bit this is the language spoken past the father, in the community, in media and in the home as the mutual linguistic communication between you and your husband. The crucial thing is to discover enough exposure time to the minority languages. Chinese and English.

Y'all have not mentioned whether you program to stay at home with your baby, or if she or he volition attend plant nursery, and at what age. If you were to select a French nursery for your kid, then the dominance of the French linguistic communication will exist even stronger. There would too be much less exposure time for Chinese and English, and information technology may be beneficial to choose to speak only one of the languages with your kid.

These are the options you accept and what you demand to take into consideration for each 1 of them:

1. Chinese simply – by deciding to only speak Chinese, you could exist fairly confident that your child would become fluent in your mother tongue. You would as well not have to stick to any structure of alternating between Chinese and English. To introduce English to your child, you could for example look for an English-speaking kindergarten. Post-obit that upward with teaching in English and your daughter/son would become a fluent English language-speaker.
2. Both Chinese and English language – if you were to speak both languages with your kid, e.thou. by alternating every two weeks or whatsoever other variation of the time and place (T&P) strategy, in that location will exist less exposure to each language. With consistent use of each language and enough exposure fourth dimension, this tin can still be washed. What you tin can also consider is to have Chinese as your main language, just innovate English language through songs, rhymes, games and toys and gradually increment the amount of English language you lot use. You could also look for English-speaking playgroups for your kid to attend. This way your child would get a foundation in English language which could afterwards be complemented past classes or tutoring.
3. English just – I take from what yous have written, Chinese is important for you lot, so this is not really an option.

I hope I take given you some food for thought in your decision making and wish you lot all the best! If yous would like to have a more than in-depth respond, this would fall within my Family Linguistic communication Coaching services, every bit I would need to acquit an interview and get more details almost your family language situation and the unlike language exposure options bachelor to your kid.

Wishing you a successful multilingual family unit journey!

Kind regards,
Rita

Rita is an author, Family Language Passenger vehicle, blogger and speaker, who was born into a bilingual family on the Swedish-speaking west coast of Finland. After studying languages in Finland and Germany she worked as a academy teacher, translator, interpreter and manager of multinational teams. Rita is now a full-time writer and motorcoach and has been living in the U.K. since 1998. Rita is the mother of 2 grown-up multilingual daughters, who are the inspiration for her volume: "Bringing up a Bilingual Child", an easy-to-read guide for parents, where she navigates the reader beyond the "Vii Cs of Multilingual Parenting: Communication, Confidence, Commitment, Consistency, Inventiveness, Culture and Celebration". Currently English and Swedish are Rita's chief languages, but she instantly switches to Finnish or German or to her Finland-Swedish dialect when the opportunity presents itself (and when push comes to shove, she can communicate in a very bones Punjabi). Rita is the creator and driving force of this website, and she gives talks and holds workshops for parents and teachers on the topic of bilingual children. She also coaches families on how to brand the most of their languages and enhance their children to become confident speakers of the chosen languages.

adamssuarry.blogspot.com

Source: https://multilingualparenting.com/qa-languages-multilingual-mother-speak-child/

Share this post