How To Overcome Bilingual Myths
If you are interested in how to overcome bilingual myths as non-native parents plus my favorite 4 tips on how to start today you will find some insights here ...
Bilingual Benefits
What Does It Mean To Be Bilingual?
Bilingualism is used to describe someone who uses two or more (multilingual) languages to communicate. There are various interpretations regarding the attitude, proficiency, or use of the language.
Referring to this definition of bilingualism, the majority of the population is already bilingual. We either learned some languages in school or are gifted, for example, with additional languages like our family heritage language, which comes in addition to our community language that we speak in the country in which we're living.
What Is Non-Native Bilingual Parenting?
Non-native bilingual parenting is raising your children in a language that is foreign to the parent(s). Instead of speaking to your children in your native tongue, non-native bilingual parents choose to speak a foreign language.
What Are The Benefits?
Here is my list of just some of the benefits for you and your children, if you decide to become a bilingual family:
It will increase and improve your brain power
It can give you an academic advantage
It will increase your awareness of other cultures
It will make travel easier and more enjoyable
You will have more opportunities in the job market
You will find it easier to learn a third language
It will improve your social life
Non-Native Bilingual Parenting
Why Does Non-Native Bilingual Parenting Matter?
Non-native bilingual parenting is possibly one of the greatest gifts you have to pass on your knowledge to your children. Before we became parents, so many of us had to learn foreign languages the hard way. In the course of globalization and the internationalization of our society, foreign language skills are of immense importance. So why not pass our solid language skills on to our children and ease their path towards speaking different languages? Every new word they will absorb in their daily life is one word less they will have to learn in school. This will give them the advantage, for example, to concentrate on the content in the lesson like grammar.
How to overcome bilingual myths as non-native parents:
You should only raise your children to be bilingual when you are a native speaker of the additional language!
Oftentimes this belief is rooted in the idea that as a non-native speaker, you will pass on a false accent or incorrect grammar. Someday on your journey, you will find yourself in a position in which you have to defend your choice — this can create self-doubt and feelings of being an imposter. But please, remember, you are not alone. And the gift of already speaking a foreign language on a solid basis is one which you should really pass on to your kids. They will be so thankful when they recognize what you have done for them.
If it's not your native tongue, you will pass on some mistakes or your non-native accent to your kids!
If you will be the main source of exposure to this language, you are probably right. Try to make sure that your children also interact as much as possible with native speakers. This will counterbalance your lack of perfectness. Before they start having foreign language lessons in school, try to read books in the target language, or if they spend time on screens, you could switch the content to the target language. It could be as simple as listening to some nursery songs in your target language while you are driving the car.
You won't be able to express your feelings and emotions properly in a foreign language!
First of all, this can be a blessing, because if you are in a situation where you are, for example, upset, you react slower in a foreign language. That gives you the possibility to think about what you are saying :-) And secondly, most of what you convey is not through words. Consequently, your body language and your feelings will play a more important role when you're transmitting your emotions.
Speaking to your kids in a foreign language is so unnatural!
Yes! It really feels so artificial at the beginning, but you get used to it. If you are committed to the journey and are continuously talking every day with your children in the target language, you will start to feel more confident and with creativity and fun thrown into the mix, it will soon be "natural" for you and your kids!
MY FINAL QUESTION
After discussing the points above:
What if I don't speak to my kids in a foreign language?
What if they don't get the opportunity in their daily life to gain from my knowledge of a foreign language?
The answer is so simple: they will miss out on everything you can already teach them, without you even having to realise it! They will lack the head start you could give them in their language lessons and the joy of exploring a new language together.
Every single word my children and your children absorb - without having first learned it in school - is a huge success for me!
And you can be sure I'm celebrating every individual small success ;-)
Please, tell me in the comments below:
What is holding you back to start speaking in a foreign language to your kids to raise them bilingually?
If you are ready to give it a try, feel FREE to grab my GUIDE with my 4 TIPPS on how to start today!
