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Parents’ Misunderstanding the Benefits of Raising Their Children as Multilinguals

Zamir Asliev

University of Cincinnati Blue Ash

5 March 2018

Introduction

People raising children in a foreign country think that exposure to two or more languages causes confusion, and it is extremely difficult for their children to learn those languages simultaneously; usually, the parents ignore and do not support the communication in their native language. However, if parents persist communication in their native language then the child has more likelihood to grasp both languages simultaneously with no possible confusion. Also, multilingualism or the ability to speak in more than one language improves their cognitive brain functioning and has many other advantages. According to Hedges (1991), “If you do not have the correct supportive structures to raise the child bilingually, the child will not be comfortable in either linguistic community”. In addition, Hedges (1991) reiterates, “…parents should feel comfortable speaking one language with the children responding in another, thus preserving comprehension skills in the second language”. Therefore, parents should note multilingualism is beneficial and give balanced support of both languages so their children do not face any difficulties. As a result, the children are less likely to feel or be disconnected from the society and the relatives who live abroad.

Bilingualism or multilingualism can be very challenging or difficult to learn in a country where only one language is adopted or is dominant. Also, many people, especially immigrants, think that learning two languages at the same time may cause confusion and delay in a child’s speech when they are exposed to two or more languages at an early age. However, researchers have found that is not the case. While multilingualism may cause a temporary delay, but in the long run it has many positive benefits. For example, if an infant who grows up in a bilingual family where they receive the correct and balanced support of both languages then, there would not be any issues or difficulties for an infant to acquire both languages at the same rate. Ramirez (2016) reports, "At birth, the baby brain has an unusual gift: it can tell the difference between all 800 sounds. This means that at this stage infants can learn any language that they’re exposed to. Gradually babies figure out which sounds they are hearing the most". As a result, doctors should encourage their young patient's families to teach their newborn children a language that may be beneficial later in life. Knowing this, these same families can find that children know two languages or more with lots of ease.

Perspectives

Learning another language and ability in two or more language causes lack of confidence in their performance. Therefore, it is difficult to assume that multilingualism is always beneficial. Folke & Ouzia (2018) add, “This ability is called metacognition and is associated with, but separate from, other areas where bilinguals have been shown to have an advantage”. As a result, monolinguals are at advantage at this point because they are confident about their fulfillment whereas bilinguals are insufficient. Forcing a child to speak only one language at home might as well disrupt the child parent relationship or social life. Hedges (1991) also says, “This will have consequences in school and in the child's identity; a child can feel alienated and removed from those around him". The parents of bilingual need to teach or speak to their children in the home language, so they can learn and be able to communicate with their relative; also, not feel disconnected from the society as well.

When the parents find out that their children have a language delay, they worry if speaking their home language is causing negatively and their children will not learn the majority language. Therefore, the parents give up the home language, and they speak the majority language all the time so the children learn that language fully, and start teaching a second language after their children are fluent in the first language. Lowry (2016) asserts, “Some parents attempt to speak the majority language to their child because they want their child to learn that language, even if they themselves are not fluent in the majority language”.

Multilinguals can be able to speak or write in multiple languages, but they might have issues with having smaller vocabulary than their monolingual peers, and sometimes they often struggle to explain something clearly and easily. Ramirez (2016) says, “Parents of bilingual children also worry that their children will not know as many words as children who are raised with one language”. The reason is that the bilingual children’s exposure to two languages at an early age, and it makes it difficult for them to differentiate languages. However, when both languages combined, it makes them equal to the monolingual children.

Solution

Parents should not ignore the importance of the benefits of multilingualism and support their children in both the native and the language where they live in, so the children do not feel disconnected from the society and their relatives who may live abroad. Researchers say that parents of bilingual children are main reason why their children do not have the same knowledge in their home or minority language and Hedges (1991) reports, "If parents have given the child some knowledge of the second language, they have still enriched the child's life". Therefore, it is important for the parents to teach their native language to their children as they learn the majority language; so they will at least could have some knowledge in the second language.

Baby brains are capable of learning any language without any possible negative cause because their brain is not fully developed and can assess any language they are exposed to. Also, their brain can differentiate about 800 sounds which makes them able to learn the sounds of any languages and sound like a native speaker. Knowing this, parents should start teaching a second language to their children as early as possible so they can be accent-free.

When a child borrows some word from as many languages the child is exposed to it does not mean that the child is confusing the languages. The child is simply doing what multilinguals do on regular basis. Ramirez (2016) asserts, “Another common concern is that bilingualism causes confusion. Part of this concern arises due to “code switching,” a speaking behavior in which bilinguals combine both languages”. As a result, the parents should not limit the use of the minority language, the one spoken at home, as it is normal for their children to use some words from the second language because of the exposure to two languages at an early age.

Benefits

Ability to speak more than one language has many practical benefits rather than simply earning multilingual status, and one of them, according to Bhattacharjee’s article in New York Times, is their higher intellectual level. In the research, scientists have tested intellectual levels of monolingual versus bilingual infants. They were assigned two similar tasks such as ordering items by color and then by shape. In the first task, both monolingual and bilingual infants learned equally. However, in the second task bilingual infant mastered it more quickly than monolingual. Bhattacharjee (2012) asserts, “… bilinguals perform better than monolinguals even at tasks that do not require inhibition, like threading a line through an ascending series of numbers scattered randomly on a page.” The reason behind this ability is that bilinguals switch between languages on regular basis. Therefore, they adapt to new task easily and quickly.

Multilingualism has many intellectual and health benefits alongside being able to speak more than one language. It can prevent symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and switching between languages or tasks with no complications. Until the 1960’s, people have been told that raising a bilingual child causes negative cognitive effects, and they tended to raise their children with one language (Diamond, p.332, 2010). However, a recent study showed that was not the case. Instead, bilingual children have same the perception or more as monolingual children. When they both monolingual and bilingual children are given the same task, their comprehension was same but when it was opposite bilinguals learned after a couple trials whereas monolinguals could not. Additionally, it can delay the Alzheimer’s as Diamond (2010) reports, “Hence, you may be more impressed by recent results suggesting a protective effect of lifelong bilingualism against symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease” (p.332). The reason is that when monolinguals do not use that part of the brain, which bilinguals do, the cells start to degenerate (die), and it causes dementia. Therefore, when a person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s tends to play brain soaking games like Sudoku, but it is a brain exercise for a moment whereas bilinguals use their brain all the time which proves why they are less likely to get dementia.

Children who grow up in a bilingual family and environment usually face many issues in their lives while their monolingual companions are saved. They can feel disconnected in both languages and societies when floating between languages. Also, it may even damage the child-parent relationship if the parents demand their children to speak only one language at home, usually their native language. In order to prevent the issues, Hedges (1991) suggests, “Educators also say that parents should not limit vocabulary and concepts in either language, even if the child fails to grasp all that is being said.” Therefore, it is important for the parents to know it is normal for their children to borrow some words from the second language.

According to CNN Money, translating and interpreting was one of the hottest and fastest growing jobs in 2013 (Kurtz, 2013). Therefore, another benefit of multilingualism is to earn more money and have financial freedom. At the time, multilinguals made the most money of all, especially the ones who worked in the government agencies such as, CIA and FBI and the speakers of the Middle East and African countries. On top of financial freedom, Kurtz (2013) adds, “Most interpreters and translator work on a freelance basis, which can be both a blessing and a curse”, some of them had flexible schedules where they worked as an independent contractor but some other were called whenever they were needed. Therefore, it is important to understand the schedule flexibility.

According to Wolfstone, anybody can learn another language, but it is more difficult for monolinguals as they use all their brain power to achieve their goal whereas for bilinguals or children it is a little bit less stressful, because children have Super-Brains, which means that their brain is not fully developed and able to learn any language they are exposed to without any difficulties or having accents as the adults do (Laget, 2015). The reason for that is adults who are bilingual would go through the same process once again, and their brain already knows what to do, as well as their memory and cognitive vision are more developed than monolinguals but they are less likely to be accent-free speakers. Therefore, it is easier for them to learn a third language. Nevertheless, monolinguals still can learn another language with utilizing some tips Laget (2015) suggests, “Living for several months or years in a foreign country is the best way to learn a language since you get the opportunity to hear different sound systems every day. Thus, you get used to speaking the targeted language faster.” Additionally, monolinguals can try to think and speak to themselves in the language they are learning because it improves their accent and speech frequency.

Learning a new language made adults aware of its difficulties and confusions but why when a toddler raised in a bilingual environment mixes up the word between languages is assumed a confusion? According to The Conversation, Ramirez reports that it is not true because children who undergo two or more languages from birth become native speakers of those languages whereas adults struggle to gain fluency in a foreign language. Acquiring a language for babies starts even before they are born, and babies can differ or hear about 800 sounds (Ramirez, 2016). Later they will stick with the language they hear the most. However, bilingual parents have been concerned about whether their children may confuse the languages and not learning fast enough as their monolingual companions. In order to prove that they all learn at the same rate Ramirez (2016) asserts, “We found that the bilingual babies showed an equally strong brain response to English sounds as the monolingual babies. This suggests that bilingual babies were learning English at the same rate as the monolingual babies.” Additionally, some other parents think that their children may have smaller vocabulary; this can be true because they are learning two or more languages at the same rate but they have words to borrow from their second language and this makes them equal to monolingual babies.

Multilingualism has been very popular for its intellectual benefits alongside delaying or preventing symptoms related to dementia. However, according to The Conversation it also has a downside related to emotion. In the research, they have tested both the monolingual and the bilingual in a particular task where they were supposed to represent which of the two circles contained the more dots in them. As a result, they both were able to tell or differentiate which circle had the most but the bilinguals felt less confident with their performance whereas monolinguals did better. “Confidence in their ideas and performance can be the determining factor in whether they decide to keep investing time in their company or give up and apply for another job (the so-called “exploitation exploration trade-off”)” says Ouzia and Folke (2018). This explains that monolinguals are better at making decisions, especially immediate decisions, where bilinguals lack at this point and take more time to decide.

In a survey of 11 students at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash, I found that the majority think multilingualism is a serious issue and for American society as well. The majority of them know only two to four multilingual people, and they think it is moderate to learn another language. Also, they suggested the benefits of multilingualism such as communication with more diverse groups, opening lines of communication with mono-linguistic people and better job opportunities.

Conclusion

Parents and immigrants should know the importance of multilingualism in early ages of their children and the many benefits that come alongside with learning two or more languages. They should support their children in both the minority and the majority language if they are bilingual. By doing this they, the children achieve fluency in both languages at the same time and do not feel disconnected from their relatives living abroad and speaking different languages. It also can be helpful at school because bilinguals are capable of creative thinking and performing new tasks better. Also, it is important to remember the cause of demanding communication in one language, usually the parents’ native language, may impact the child-parent relationship negatively; the parents should support them in both languages even if the children response in the majority language. It is normal for them to do so at an early, but later they become comfortable at speaking in both languages.

In my personal experience, I learned my first language via the communication at home and our community. However, I was exposed to two other languages since we were the minority population in the country and the official language of the country was different. I did not speak those languages before I went to school, and I learned those languages at school. However, nobody at home spoke in either of those languages although they could. Therefore, it was a bit stressful and difficult to learn those languages at the beginning, but my parents and siblings gave me the correct balanced support at home and the school. I received the help mostly from my siblings, because we all went to same school. Lastly, I suggest that the parents should teach a second language to their children at an early age, and support them in both languages, so they become sufficient in both languages.

Reference

Bhattacharjee, Y. (2012). Why bilinguals are smarter. New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2018, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?src=me&ref=general

Diamond, J. (2010, October 15). "The Benefits of Multilingualism." Science, vol. 330, no. 6002, pp. 332-333. EBSCOhost, doi:10.11261/science.1195067

ENGL 1001 UCBA. (2018). Survey on Benefits of Multilingualism. [In class survey].

Hedges, C. (1991, January 05). Growing Up In 2 Languages. The New York Times. Retrieved February 04, 2018, from http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/06/education/growing-up-in-2-languages.html

Kurtz, A. (2013). The hottest job skill is… CNN Money. Retrieved on January 30, 2018 from http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/30/news/economy/job-skills-foreign-language/

Laget, A. (2015). How does your brain work when learning foreign languages? Wolfstone. Retrieved on January 30, 2018 from http://www.wolfestone.co.uk/blog/brain-work-learning-foreign-languages/

Lowry, L. (2016). Bilingualism in Young Children: Separating Fact from Fiction. The Hanen Centre. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Bilingualism-in-Young-Children--Separating-Fact-fr.aspx

Ouzia, J & Folke, T. (2018, January 19). There are also drawbacks to being bilingual. The Conversation. Retrieved February 07, 2018, from https://theconversation.com/there-are-also-drawbacks-to-being-bilingual-56726

Ramirez, N. (2016). Why the baby brain can learn two languages at the same time. The Conversation. Retrieved on January 30, 2018 from https://theconversation.com/why-the-baby-brain-can-learn-two-languages-at-the-same-time-57470