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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]i just don't get it. if you aren't chinese, and don't speak chinese in the home, what's the point of sending your kid to YY? how will you help them with their homework? and do kids REALLY learn in another language when that language isn't spoken in the home? plus, chinese is a really tough language to learn. i'll be happy if my kid just takes up a foreign language by middle school, then studies abroad or something. [/quote]

I'm not Chinese but speak another non-European language.  I am bilingual and my parents don't speak much English.  I learned it when we immigrated to the U.S. when I was 6.  Took about 2 yrs to become fully bilingual and my parents did not help with English at all.  While I don't expect my DC to become bilingual in Chinese in 2 yrs, I do expect it by 3rd grade after 5 yrs immersion.  I learned English mostly by watching TV in English and school so that's what I'm planning to do for my child, Chinese tv and school.  I don't plan to supporting Chinese at home but will certainly do so with English and Math.  We are planning on taking DC to China over summers.  My parents live in Asia now and go to China often.  Funny enough, my parents would rather DC learn Chinese over our native language since Chinese is considered essential after English in Asia.

I think it is important to acquire a language early.  One of my brothers is very gifted in languages and speaks/writes 8 including Greek and Latin but his accent in our native language is "off" since he came to the U.S. at 2 and had to relearn it as a teen.  He lived and worked in our country as an adult and married a native speaker but that did not remedy his accent:  His wife and friends sometimes tease him that he sounds like a "***** foreigner" although if a non-native speaker spoke like him they would be congratulated for speaking so well.  Also, I remember learning English at 6 to be effortless as compared to my learning other languages in jr. high and in college. [/quote]

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