I think I'm the only parent who could not care less about DC learning multiple languages

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a high-school foreign-language teacher who never speaks one word of English in the classroom (my classroom is an hour a day or immersion, if you will ). I have taught all levels from beginners to AP students. My observations are obviously not statistical, but they nonetheless are based on nearly 15 years of empirical evidence coming from literally over a thousand students, so they're probably a bit more than simply anecdotal (or rather, they are anecdotal but based on a whole lot of anecdotes, LOL).

In a nutshell: some people are gifted at languages and others are not. (That may be thought of as a harsh statement by some, but I don't see why that should be--some people are gifted at dance, or music, or math, or what have you, and some people are talented at languages.) Speaking for me personally, I studied Latin in middle and high school, and never had a single class in a modern language until college, yet easily became completely fluent in the language I teach, reading and writing as well as speaking (I did spend over a year living there), and am high-intermediate-level conversant in two other languages that I essentially picked up on my own from a couple of textbooks and a couple of weeks spent in the countries. I simply have a gift for languages, just like others have a gift for math, or music, or athletics, or what have you. For people like me, it honestly doesn't matter if a language is studied early: when a language-talented person decides to learn a language, he/she will do so and have no trouble. (BTW, to be clear: I am just being honest/matter-of-fact about my gift for languages, I'm not being self-aggrandizing about it, for the simple reasons that a) I had nothing to do with it--I was born with it and so really can't take any credit, and b) it's hardly the most important/valuable of possible talents, LOL.)

For those people who aren't talented at languages, it will always be a struggle for them. My husband actually speaks a second language fluently for the simple reason that his parents are immigrants and they spoke that language at home--yet he has been unable to master any other foreign language in his entire life! He just isn't talented at it. Likewise, I have taught very, very intelligent people--future Ivy students, etc.--who just couldn't master a second language, period. And then I have taught others for whom it came easily, regardless of how old they were when they started.

Of course, with hard work, even if one isn't truly good at languages, one can still become basically competent at it by sheer effort and brute force, if one devotes a lot of time and effort to it. But most people, unless they have a fierce desire to do something for which a language is necessary, such as work abroad, won't devote the requisite time/energy to learning a language if it doesn't come easily. Thus if they aren't ready to really put in the later effort, having taken classes in elementary school won't really help these people much either.

So the question really becomes, for most people, is early exposure useful? In my experience, it makes no difference whatsoever. At one school where I taught, students informed the language department of their previous language exposure, and there was seemingly no benefit to having had prior exposure, with the possible exception of the intangible of students taking a favorable attitude toward learning a language because of having had a good experience in prior classes. I am speaking here of prior language classes (such as elementary/middle school studies or outside classes such as those offered by outfits like JabberU); I am not speaking of immersion programs nor of actual time spent living in another country. Both of the latter are known to be a superb way of learning a language, and my empirical evidence also supports those methods.

Let me be clear: there is certainly no harm whatsoever to starting a language early! Obviously, I am a language teacher and wish that everyone were interested in languages! For those of you for whom it is important, have at it; hopefully your children will enjoy it and it is certainly great to expose them to it, just as it is important to expose them to all subjects. For some it may spakr a desire to learn more and to in fact put in the necessary effort. It just isn't the be-all and end-all, and probably ultimately will have little to do with any future fluency.




Thank you for your very informative post. The only thing that surprised me is that, in your husband's experience, being bilingual isn't always a boost for learning additional languages. My understanding had always been that bilingual brains are differently wired anddo have an easier time picking up additional languages. But innate ability/talent definitely plays a role.

[Anonymous]

What I've always thought -- and this could be way-wrong, what do I know? -- is that language ability has something to do with auditory processing, and that folks who have good ears for music tend to also have good ears for languages. I am tone deaf and struggled through high school french. My daughter has some musical ability and is also doing well with her French. Fortunately she didn't get my genes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I've always thought -- and this could be way-wrong, what do I know? -- is that language ability has something to do with auditory processing, and that folks who have good ears for music tend to also have good ears for languages. I am tone deaf and struggled through high school french. My daughter has some musical ability and is also doing well with her French. Fortunately she didn't get my genes.

I've heard this too (about music) but have my doubts. I speak 4 foreign languages, three of them with good-to-near-native accents, but my musical ability is quite minimal!!

[Anonymous]

I'd like to respond to... the comment made by the foreign language teacher who opined that some kids are gifted at languages, and others are not...

This is my own theory, backed up only by my own experiences...

While I believe that as teens/adults, some people are more or less "gifted" with learning languages... I don't think the same applies to young children. I believe there are studies that basically show that any normal child, if raised with a specific language, will learn that language fluently, and will speak it as a native speaker. Thus, you could take your American born and bred baby, put it with a Chinese family, and it will grow up speaking fluent Chinese. I think this principle debunks (to a certain extent) the notion that some people (or specifically CHILDREN) are "gifted" at language while others are not.

I think there are a number of studies that show that EARLY exposure to languages triggers a part of the brain that becomes more static as you age. So a teenager who struggles learning German at age 16 might have no problem if he had started at age 3, when the language processing part of the brain is still developing.

And, for my own opinion... I think exposing children to different languages early helps develop a part of the brain that will stick with them throughout life... thus making it easier for them to learn other "new" languages later.

Thus, if you expose your child to Chinese... you're making it easier for him to learn French at age 20, when he decides he wants to live in Paris and be a banker.


All of this is to say, I think the gift of language is a wonderful thing... though I'm not certain its any more or less wonderful than the gift of music or art. And, per usual, I think people in this area get a little bit crazy about this stuff... looking for Chinese immersion schools for their 6 month old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I'd like to respond to... the comment made by the foreign language teacher who opined that some kids are gifted at languages, and others are not...

This is my own theory, backed up only by my own experiences...

While I believe that as teens/adults, some people are more or less "gifted" with learning languages... I don't think the same applies to young children. I believe there are studies that basically show that any normal child, if raised with a specific language, will learn that language fluently, and will speak it as a native speaker. Thus, you could take your American born and bred baby, put it with a Chinese family, and it will grow up speaking fluent Chinese. I think this principle debunks (to a certain extent) the notion that some people (or specifically CHILDREN) are "gifted" at language while others are not.

I think there are a number of studies that show that EARLY exposure to languages triggers a part of the brain that becomes more static as you age. So a teenager who struggles learning German at age 16 might have no problem if he had started at age 3, when the language processing part of the brain is still developing.

And, for my own opinion... I think exposing children to different languages early helps develop a part of the brain that will stick with them throughout life... thus making it easier for them to learn other "new" languages later.

Thus, if you expose your child to Chinese... you're making it easier for him to learn French at age 20, when he decides he wants to live in Paris and be a banker.


All of this is to say, I think the gift of language is a wonderful thing... though I'm not certain its any more or less wonderful than the gift of music or art. And, per usual, I think people in this area get a little bit crazy about this stuff... looking for Chinese immersion schools for their 6 month old.

It's true what you said about language learning among young children. The big "But" is that it takes more than just exposure or a once a week class at 3 years old to gain this benefit. If parents supplement a class with reading books in the foreign language, playing music in that language, and giving them the chance to interact with native speakers of the language outside of class, there'll be much more benefit. The problem is that most parents think that the classes, whether CommuiKids or preschool or elementary classes, on their own will have the kids develop meaningful proficiency.

Our son learned to speak Spanish thanks to daycare - the women who worked there spoke to the kids only in Spanish. This was sustained exposure from the time he was a year old -- 40+ hours/week. His accent is native and his understanding is too -- his speaking is solid but not as developed as his English skills. That kind of exposure makes a difference -- but we've used lots of resources like kids theatre en espanol and books and music to further develop his abilities. Now he's in immersion school, so his knowledge/abilities will deepen.

Giving your kid another language is work -- I think a lot of parents, who weren't good at languages themselves in many cases, think it's too much work. But it's really not, especially in an area like this. You just target your consumption of children's products and entertainment a bit differently.

[Anonymous]

I spoke with a top neuroscientist about this (with whom I deal through work, I don't just call 'em up for advice!) and he said that studies have shown that children who are bilingual are better able to process more information at once - essentially, their brain can multitask.

[Anonymous]

Ah, that explains my problem . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spoke with a top neuroscientist about this (with whom I deal through work, I don't just call 'em up for advice!) and he said that studies have shown that children who are bilingual are better able to process more information at once - essentially, their brain can multitask.

Oh, please....!

Hysterical.

[Anonymous]

Alright catty b**ch at 21:04, please read:
http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainbriefings_thebilingualbrain

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah, that explains my problem . . .

Yeah, me too! Maybe why I can't remember where I put my car keys - or my cell phone - or sometimes my kids!

Then again, I didn't have these problems before I had kids, so I'm a little skeptical!

[Anonymous]

No, the research really does show that bilinguals can multitask better, in general. Studies also suggest greater vocabulary, better use of language etc. Doesn't mean that every bilingual will display these traits, nor that monolinguals are hopeless losers. Still, there are some real cognitive benefits to being bilingual, which is why so many parents want their kids to learn another language.

[Anonymous]

Hi all, OP again. Thank you for the citations PP on the neuroscience behind bilingual brains!

For me personally, I think this comes down to being a bit of a slacker mom. Hence my silent shame at the playground I'm not going to put in the time, effort and expense required on my end to raise children who are really, truly bilingual.

Although I do believe there is some cognitive bump to being bilingual, I'm not convinced that the gains that have been suggested by the research are, for me and DH at least, so very worth it, given what would we would have to do to make that happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all, OP again. Thank you for the citations PP on the neuroscience behind bilingual brains!

For me personally, I think this comes down to being a bit of a slacker mom. Hence my silent shame at the playground I'm not going to put in the time, effort and expense required on my end to raise children who are really, truly bilingual.

Although I do believe there is some cognitive bump to being bilingual, I'm not convinced that the gains that have been suggested by the research are, for me and DH at least, so very worth it, given what would we would have to do to make that happen.

I think you are short-changing your children. This is the typical ugly American veiwpoint of "Everybody else learns English so what's the point"...Has your child express a lack of desire to learn a language??

[Anonymous]

Oh lighten up. People can make their own choices. I'm sure OP does plenty of other things instead.

[Anonymous]

Silent shame? Please, you've got to get over this guilt thing. There will always be something us Moms feel guilty about if we let people get to us. Just be. Raise your kids. I'm sure you're doing a great job. Ignore the judgmental types like PP with the "ugly American" crap. If anyone should feel guilty its her with her judgments and name-calling.