Pure Parents

Question:

Congratulations, on your ability to maintain Japanese and English within your household. I was too worried that my first born girl would not do well in school if she continued to only speak Japanese. Now I wish she woudl have learned both languages fluently. With her confusion, ear infections played a major role in her slow language development as we switched to only English. I now firmly believe all children should learn both parents native languages while they are still young. You are on the right track.

Response:

 This is a very intresting thread so I thought i’d put my bit in for what it’s worth. I did not grow up in a bilingual household however I grew up in Hong Kong so was a minority race and had many bilingual friends. I am now horified at my lack of cantonese. I am at the moment trying to teach my children and myself Spanish as my parents have a house over there. The thing I have found most useful is the C.D.Rom as there are lots of childrens edu software written in two or three languages on the same C.D. Also most educational software has been adapted for other countries things like Lion King can be bought in French and I have a story/song C.D. called the cat came back which has Spanish,French and English on it and the kids love listening to the same song in three languages. — Bye for now….:-)

Response:

>Besides reading, are there other things you do?  For example, I’ve had people >suggest videos, cartoons, and going to movies. I’d like to try and tape >French TV programs.  Another person suggested starting a playgroup with other >couples.

        Of course, the days are full. Videos are a big item here. Recently Anna (3yrs) has become something of an addict, often watching the some one, two or more times in a day. I hate to leave the girls glued to the tube, though. When I’m home, I sit with them and draw them out with conversation in order to reduce the hypnotic effect it has on them. If, by cartoons, you mean animation, then most of their shows are animated. They don’t get to see many of the old standard cartoons I knew and loved, though. Paying for movies is out of the question – they just cost too much. (Would you be willing to pay 30-40 U.S. dollars each to see one?)         There are some playgroups around, but the one we attended was organized by foreign mothers who want to socialize among themselves. The kids were left to run wild outside while the moms had tea. My wife, Masae, had a bit of trouble with that. Masae routinely organizes playgroups among her friends, but as they are mothers of monolingual Japanese kids, it defeats any linguistic aim we might have had. I think our main problem with playgroups is a result of our living in a mountainous rural area populated almost exclusively by mono cultural Japanese. The group we did find took over an hour to drive to, only to have the problem described above. The city has more options. >Reading and writing is going to be a problem for us as well.  We have looked >into both public and private schools in our area.  The only bilingual >programs are through private schools and the cost is enormous. In Europe, it >appears we have more choices, but I’m not sure we’re ready to go back there >just yet.

        Private international schools here average 100,000 yen ($1,000) a month tuition, plus additional expenses, per child. That puts them well out of our reach.         I think our most powerful language teaching tool is the "lighthearted approach." I play word games with the girls constantly. I make rhymes and songs out of anything they say – turn both languages upside down at every give opportunity. They never fail to get into the spirit of wordplay and rather expect it from me more often than not, now. It keeps us laughing and reduces the stress of not knowing the "right thing" to say. Enjoy your trip. William C. Newman, Nara, Japan. The bodies that occupy the celestial vault, These give rise to wise men’s uncertainties; Take care not to lose your grip on the thread of wisdom, Since the Powers That Be themselves are in a spin.                        - The Ruba’iyat of Omar Khayyam

Response:

<Both of my daughters are bilingual. My Japanese wife, Masae, speaks to them in Japanese most of the time, and I (an American) speak to them exclusively in English.> We do the same and, judging by the responses I’ve had so far, that seems to be what most parents try to do. <I attribute Anna’s ability to switch so rapidly to English to the constant exposure I gave her at home. Her motivation most certainly came from her desire to interact with her 17 cousins (many of whom are within a year of her age!). English is still her dominant language, but she will enter kindergarten in April so I expect that to change.> We are going to spend a month in France this summer.  None of our family over there speaks English so, hopefully, this will encourage my eldest daughter to expand her French vocabulary. <I continue to speak to the girls almost exclusively in English and my wife, realizing that we are virtually their only source for it, speaks English quite a bit as well. I also read to them almost every night. I expect both the girls to continue developing their oral English fluency, but it seems that reading and writing will be very weak without me at home, or too busy, to tutor them.> Besides reading, are there other things you do?  For example, I’ve had people suggest videos, cartoons, and going to movies. I’d like to try and tape French TV programs.  Another person suggested starting a playgroup with other couples. Reading and writing is going to be a problem for us as well.  We have looked into both public and private schools in our area.  The only bilingual programs are through private schools and the cost is enormous. In Europe, it appears we have more choices, but I’m not sure we’re ready to go back there just yet. Sincerely, Victoria F