| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Bilingual child: not excluding the other parent Thread poster: Annac
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| Yes! There are other factors! | Jan 19, 2006 |
Nadia Fahmi wrote:
So, I guess this all shows that apart from OPOL another factor is environment, plus the child's psychology.
I agree with the above posters. We did OPOL, and my husband (English speaker) picked up a lot of Latvian from that.
However, I also completely agree with Nadia. OPOL isn't a magic wand. There are many factors in language learning. If the original poster's husband isn't supportive, for instance, that will make the situation more difficult, as will the Italian-only environment. But that doesn't mean it's impossible! I had my husband's full support, but our daughter resisted learning Latvian for a long time. Perhaps this was a personality issue. I would speak Latvian to her, and she would speak English back to me - it took consistency and perseverance (2-3 years of this!!), Latvian books, music and Saturday school, and finally a trip there before she began to speak it back to me. Now she speaks Latvian and English, and is in a Spanish immersion program at school and is handling all of it fine.
My advice to the original poster is to use as many English media as possible (TV, music, books, magazines, etc.) and to just be consistent!
[Edited at 2006-01-19 15:29]
| | | | Diana Cossato (X) 
Belgium
Local time: 22:04
Hungarian to Italian
+ ...
| stick to OPOL and no code-mixing | Feb 26, 2006 |
Annac wrote:
When I am alone with the baby I will speak, read, sing in English, but when I speak to him?? Won't that confuse the baby? Thanks for all the advice.
Anna
Dear Anna,
like many of the translators in this forum, I was brought up bilingual (Italian-Hungarian) and my parents invariably spoke each their own mother tongue to me at ALL times. My father never learnt Hungarian proper so he couldn't really follow what my mum and I were saying (wereas my mother spoke Italian and that was the language they spoke between each other) but that has never been a problem, as we would always let him know what was going on. And it has never confused me, so don't worry about that!!
As it is reported in the literature on biligual children I too identified one person with one language and wouldn't speak Italian to my mum even if non-Hungarian speakers were present. This may look rude in the adult-eye, but I have never perceived it as a problem and I am a firm believer and supporter of the OPOL principle which I see as the only way of raising true bilinguals. Both the literature on the topic and my personal experience with more-or-less bilingual peers all point in the same direction: OPOL equals biliguality, code-mixing (using two languages in the same sentence or stretch of talk) results in limited proficiency in the weaker language (usually the minority language, that of the "other" country, to which the child is less exposed). In your case, Anna, you are the only source of native English for your child: use it EVERY time you speak to him/her and let your husband speak Italian to the child. Between the two of you use whichever language feels more comfortable (Italian I gather) but I would suggest sticking to that first choice at least until the child's languages are fully developed. Do NOT indulge in code-mixing and do not speak to the child in a language other than your own: children hang on what parents say and any mistake or mispronunciation will be picked up as you are the sources of knowledge and whatever you say can't but be right (up to adolescence that is! ) This apparently applies only when the child is addressed directly, so I would'nt worry about mistakes made addressing each other. The key is CONSISTENCY! ADDRESS THE CHILD IN YOUR OWN LANGUAGE AT ALL TIMES.
I wish the best to the baby and its parents!
Maybe in a few years you can let us know how you managed!
Diana
[Edited at 2006-02-26 02:17]
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