[etni] bi-lingual kids
- From: "Linda Dayan" <lindadayan7@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 09:21:47 +0200
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About the bi-lingual debate, after reading other responses, I guess I'll
add from my experience.
When my first child was born, I talked with him only in English and, in
the beginning, asked my husband to do the same. The funniest thing was that
my son would say one sentence to me with my American accent, and then say
the same to my husband with his Israeli accent! However, when I realized
that he was also picking up my husband's grammar mistakes, I asked that my
husband speak to him in Hebrew, while I continued in English. If any of my
children addressed me in Hebrew, I pretended that I didn't understand, and
that was enough to keep our communication in English until this day.
My two sons were born close together, so they speak Hebrew to one
another. My daughter, however, was born a few years later, and the boys
adopted my habit of speaking to her only in English. Again, to this day. 25
years later, my sons and daughter communicate with each other in English, so
around the dinner table both languages are spoken almost simultaneously.
This sometimes annoys my husband, but I've found that once a language basis
for communication is firmly established, it's impossible to alter it without
feeling that communication becomes artificial.
I do believe that it is better to look for a word in English, when
possible, rather than stick in the Hebrew word . I don't think, however,
that occasional Hebrew words make a child any less of a native English
speaker.
Linda
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