Introduction

Parents considering raising their children to be bilingual face many questions. What does the research say concerning bilingual children? Is one method better than another? Is learning two languages simultaneously too difficult or "confusing"? Will their peers see them as "different" and tease them? Is it ever too late or too early to begin?

These were questions also faced by the author of the following article. Nadine Lichtenberger is an American who has lived in Linz, Austria since 1989 with her Austrian husband and their two children. Below she offers a personal account of her efforts to ensure that her children can communicate in the two languages spoken by their parents: English and German. The problems encountered in doing this in a German-speaking country largely mirror those in an English-speaking country. Nadine shares her personal concerns, methods, and resources used to help in the sometimes daunting task of raising children to be truly bilingual.

One Mother's Observations

The decision to raise our children to be bilingual in German and English was a rather easy one to make. Our personal reasons were fairly clear: I not only believe that the gift of language is priceless, but they will have the ability to communicate with a broader range of people. I want my children to be aware of their American (and Caribbean) cultural heritage since they will be raised in Austria. To me, this means complete fluency and knowledge of the English language. It is very important for me that my children be able to converse in English so they can feel connected to family members in southern California. I also want them to feel comfortable in an English-speaking setting. Perhaps they will be more open-minded, accepting and tolerant of other cultures. Perhaps their bilingualism will open doors for them in the future and offer them a wider range of options later in life. Perhaps they will develop a love for languages and acquire additional languages more easily. There is no way of knowing what the future holds, but I know that I cannot imagine not speaking to my children in my native English tongue. My goal is not just a passive knowledge of English, but fluency and active use so they can feel at home in Austria and the US.

After we made a conscious decision to be a bilingual family, I began to search for information on raising bilingual children as I had many concerns. For example, what are the results of research concerning bilingual children? Which method is best? Would learning two languages simultaneously be too difficult or "confusing"? Would peers see them as "different" and tease them? And would they perhaps refuse to speak English to me when they were older in an effort to conform with peers? What would it be like to raise them to speak English in a German-speaking environment?

My initial research revealed that children raised in bilingual or multilingual families have not been studied in numbers great enough to predict how certain conditions will or will not affect language acquisition. But despite what may seem to be an obvious assumption, I have found no research to back up the idea that "if language learning is difficult, learning more than one language must be even more difficult." Researchers still do not know how to predict later outcome with monolingual toddlers, much less bilingual or multilingual youngsters.

The research that has been done on the subject does indicate that bilingual and biliterate children outperform their monolingual peers on standardized tests. Bilingual children also seem to possess better conceptual abilities because they are exposed to a greater number of concepts (i.e., concepts existing in one language and not in the other). If a child is diagnosed with a disorder such as problems processing the language, a delay in expressing speech, or a localized disorder in productive/receptive or auditory/visual areas, etc., any disorder present in one of the languages will also be present in the other(s). A language disorder that impairs the ability to acquire an initial language is very rare and most commonly associated with severe mental impairment, such as retardation or autism.

There are many different methods of raising a bilingual child. A very popular method is known as "One Parent, One Language" (OPOL) in which one parent speaks exclusively to the child in the minority language, while the other uses only the local or majority language. Another popular method is "minority language at home" -- using the minority language exclusively within the family with the idea that the child will learn the majority language by living in the country. My personal advice to couples would be to decide early on what your goals for your child and your family are. Should the child be completely bilingual or just possess a passive knowledge of the minority language? A spouse who does not understand the minority language may not be too happy or supportive of the endeavor. The family should make a conscious decision to be a bilingual family, as I strongly believe consistency is the key to successfully raising bilingual children. However you choose to communicate with your child, I believe it is important that the interaction be pleasant and natural for everyone involved.

Be prepared to face difficulties and problems. The majority language is almost always dominant and it takes some courage to insist on speaking a foreign language when no one else in the outside environment understands you, and especially if the child does not seem to need this language in his/her daily life. I would suggest starting as early as possible (right at birth is best!) and to have faith in your own instincts and gut feelings. Don't jump to conclusions when problems arise. Many professionals, doctors, and therapists have good advice to offer but some may not have been deeply involved in the area of bilingualism. Of course you should listen to the advice of doctors or professionals -- especially if speech disorders or chromosomal disorders are diagnosed -- but keep in mind that you as a parent are also a specialist. Parents are the only people in the world who know their child best. It is unfair to make sweeping generalizations about language ability based on a few children. No two children are exactly alike and the range of outcomes varies. Studies have shown that two sets of families can use the OPOL method in the same way and yet the children of one family are better at simultaneous language learning than the children of another family. But isn't that also true of children learning a first, single language?

Our bilingual family experience has been very positive. We use the OPOL ("One Parent, One Language") method: I speak to my children exclusively in English, and my husband speaks to them in German. Both of our children were early talkers. Our older daughter, now five, refused to speak any German until she was almost three-and-a-half years old. She understood German very well but replied in English, even if she knew the person she was speaking with could not understand English. My husband began to fret, but those fears were put aside when she began preschool (what they call Kindergarten in Austria) at age three-and-a-half. Although she attends an Englische Spielschule ("English play school"), all of her classmates are Austrian children. Within two weeks, our daughter was rattling off in German and able to communicate very well in both languages. Our son, now three-and-a-half, has grasped both languages quite well from the very beginning. They do mix some vocabulary words, but I view this as perfectly normal and gently reinforce the correct word in English or the correct way to say a sentence.

I avoid any outright statement that they have said something incorrectly. I fear they may feel constantly reprimanded and then refuse to speak English if they are made to believe they are always saying something "wrong." If one of my children says something incorrectly, for example, "Today at school Auntie teached us a new song," my response would be, "She did? She taught you a new song? I would love to hear it!" My children are perfectly aware that I speak German as they hear me converse with neighbors, speak to people at the supermarket, bank, etc. on a daily basis. However, they know that I do not speak German with them, and so far they have accepted this. The OPOL method has worked very well for us and I believe that for their ages, they are at the developmental level they should be. In fact, if I began speaking German to my children now, I think they would have a heart attack! It would be an unnatural situation for us.

Our experience with Austrians has also been very positive. Most Austrians are generally impressed with my ability to switch between languages and admire the fact that we are raising bilingual children. Even relatives and friends who were skeptical and found it strange at first are now amazed that the children are happy and at ease using both languages.

There are a number of activities parents can do and methods parents can apply to raise a bilingual child. This would include speaking to the child exclusively in the minority language (or set aside a certain time of day to do so if passive bilingualism is your goal), sing songs and nursery rhymes, watch videos, read books aloud, purchase educational CD-ROMs for the child's use and, when possible, visits to the country where the minority language is spoken. Perhaps you can find a family nearby who also speak the minority language or start a playgroup in your area. I truly believe it is well worth the effort.

Cultural and language challenges are all part of the experiences of most multilingual families. My advice is to keep a positive attitude, be consistent, and remember that your own competence as a parent is very important and a great asset for developing language. Nadine Lichtenberger does not claim to be an expert in the fields of special education, speech therapy, or linguistics. She's just a parent interested in raising bilingual children. She welcomes comments, opinions, views, advice, additional information and research results on the subject of bilingual parenting. You can contact her at: nadine_jkul@hotmail.com