Bilingual by choice raising kids in two (or more) languages

Bilingual By Choice Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages Bilingual By Choice Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages Virginie Raguenaud First published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing in 2009 Nicholas Brealey Publishing 20 Park Plaza, Suite 1115A Boston, MA 02116, USA Tel: + 617-523-3801 Fax: + 617-523-3708 Nicholas Brealey Publishing 3-5 Spafield Street, Clerkenwell London, EC1R 4QB, UK Tel: +44-(0)-207-239-0360 Fax: +44-(0)-207-239-0370 www.nicholasbrealey.com © 2009 by Virginie Raguenaud All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews Printed in the United States of America 13 12 11 10 09 ISBN: 978-1-85788-526-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Raguenaud, Virginie Bilingual by choice : raising kids in two (or more!) languages / by Virginie Raguenaud p cm ISBN 978-1-85788-526-2 Bilingualism in children Language acquisition Multilingualism in children Child rearing Child development I Title P115.2.R34 2009 404'.2083—dc22 2009033076 To my parents, Suzy and Jean-Pierre Raguenaud, for packing up and crossing cultures with three teenagers in tow To my daughters Natasha and Sofiya, and my husband Vern, for continuing this bilingual, nomadic journey with me CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi FOREWORD xiii INTRODUCTION CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER xv Getting Past the Misconceptions About Bilingualism A Conscious Choice Language Delay Semilingualism Language Overload Special Needs Taking Charge 11 13 16 The Logistics of Raising Bilingual Children 19 Defining Your Goals Language Strategies When Children Mix Languages Learning to Read 19 21 24 26 Keep Talking From Day One Strategies in Public Staying Flexible but Committed 29 31 35 Introducing a Second Language to a School-Age Child 37 Transferring Skills from One Language to Another ESL Classes Unexpected Factors that Influence the Learning Curve vii 41 42 44 Bilingual By Choice CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER Helping Our Children Integrate Maintaining and Progressing in the First Language Peers Working Together 45 48 51 53 Challenges at Home 55 When Cultures Collide All in the Family Setbacks Creating a Bilingual Home 55 60 68 73 Schooling Options 79 Homeschooling Dual-Language Programs Developmental Bilingual Education Programs Heritage Language Schools Charter Schools Attending School in the Home Country 79 81 83 85 87 88 Bilingual and Recommended for English Honors 91 The Cost of Losing a Heritage Language The Importance of Parent/Teacher Conferences The Future of our Native Languages Promising Changes CHAPTER 92 97 100 103 The Benefits of Bilingualism (for extra motivation on days when the Englishonly movement doesn’t sound so unreasonable!) 109 Bonding as a Family Academic Skills Higher SAT Scores Access to More Knowledge Self-Esteem viii 110 111 112 113 113 Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages CHAPTER CHAPTER A Balanced Cultural Identity Global-Mindedness College Preparation Competitive Advantages in the Workplace Intercultural Awareness 114 114 115 116 119 Listen Up!—Helpful Insights from Experts in Childhood Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition and Encouraging Advice from Fellow Parents 121 From Puppet Shows to Bilingual Scrabble: 50 Activities to Enjoy with Your Kids at Home 137 Online Activities 153 CHAPTER 10 From Bilingual Storytime to Kids’ Language Clubs: 50 Activities in Your Local Community ix 157 Bilingual By Choice Colin Baker The Care and Education of Young Bilinguals: An introduction to professionals (Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2005) Elizabeth Pathy Salett, Diane R Koslow, and Elsie Achugbue (2003) Race, Ethnicity and Self: Identity in Multicultural Perspective National Multicultural Institute Katy Abel “Inventing Identities: Raising Multicultural Kids.” Family Education http://life.familyeducation.com/multiculturalism/parenting/36268 html Barbara F Schaetti and Sheila J Ramsey “The Global Nomad Experience: Living in Liminality.” Transition Dynamics website Teresa Bevin “Bilingual Writer and Educator Escritora y Educadora Bilingue.” Teresa Bevin website Dugan Romano Intercultural Marriage: Promises and Pitfalls (Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, 1997) Vivien Stewart “Becoming Citizens of the World.” Educational Leadership April 2007 Andreas Schleicher “The Economics of Knowledge: Why Education is Key for Europe’s Success, Lisbon Council Policy Brief, 2006 Daniel Meiland “In Search of Global Leaders.” Harvard Business Review August 1, 2003 Wayne P Thomas and Virginia P Collier (2001) School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students Berkeley, CA: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence U.S Department of Education Jim Cummins Negotiating Identities: Education for Empowerment in a Diverse Society Covina, (CA: California Association for Bilingual Education, 2001) García, Ofelia Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A global perspective (West Sussex: UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) Stephen May (2008) Language and Minority Rights: Ethnicity, nationalism and the politics of language New York, NY: Routledge Daniel Ward Editorial Language magazine October 2008 J.A Fishman “300-Plus Years of Heritage Language Education in the United States,” in Joy Kreeft Peyton, Donald A Ranard, & Scott McGinnis (Eds.) Heritage Languages in America: Preserving a national resource (Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics, 2001) 192 INDEX activities for bilingualism in the home, 137–56 See also online activities for bilingualism advice on bilingualism by parents and professionals, 12; 121–36 alienation and depression in school-age children, 43 See also relocation and effects on school-age children American Academy of Pediatrics, 27–28 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 107; 178–179 American Speech-LanguageHearing Association’s guidelines for parents of bilingual children, 5–6 Andersson, Theodore, 12; 125 Baker, Colin, 15–16; 83; 89; 99–100; 130–131 balanced bilingualism, 10 benefits of bilingualism academic skills and, 111–13 college preparation and, 115 family bonding and, 22; 110–11 intercultural awareness and, 103; 119–20 self-esteem and, 113–14 See also workplace and bilingualism bi- and multiculturalism, 45 See also global migration; globalization bicultural identity, viii See also culture crossing and adaptation; cultural heritage and identity; ethnic identity bilingual books access to, 28; 50 as enrichment resource, 9; 20; 28–29 grandparents and, 25 Harry Potter, 148 sources for, 149 193 Bilingual By Choice bilingual books (cont.) See also children’s books; activities for bilingualism in the home; community-based activities and resources; libraries; reading skills bilingual development and influencing factors, 29–31 bilingual programs, 81–82; 134–35 See also developmental bilingual education programs; duallanguage programs biliteracy (reading and writing) benefits of, 39–40 employment and, 89 dual-language programs and, 84–88 See also reading skills brain development and bilingualism, 6; 11; 111–12; 115 Bialystok, Ellen, 3; 27; 111 Cannon, Harriet, 47; 129 careers and bilingualism, 89; 116–19; 176 Center for Applied Linguistics, 82; 106 charter schools, 87–88 children’s books, 28–29 code switching See mixing languages college preparation and bilingualism, 115 see also SAT and ACT scores Coming of Age in a Globalized World, 114; 139 Committee for Economic Development, 116 community-based activities and resources, 157–80 community language, 53; 72 See also dominant language; English cooking and food cultural traditions and, 99–100 ethnic pride and, 51 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; communitybased activities and resources creating a bilingual home, xii; 73–78 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; heritage languages cross-cultural conflicts, 55–60 “cultural dimensions” theory (of family relationships), 56–60 See Hoefsted, Geert culture crossing and adaptation, 45–48; 128–30 See also global migration; relocation and effects on school-age children cultural heritage and identity, 38–39; 114; 130–32 See also ethnic identity; food and cooking culture shock and school-age children, 38–41; 111 194 Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages See also ESL classes; relocation and effects on school-age children cultural values, 132–34 See also ethnic identity Cummins, Jim, 41; 91; 134 de Boysson-Bardies, Benedicte, developmental bilingual education programs, 83–85 See also dual-language programs; heritage language schools discrimination, 48; 96; 101–2 See also political attacks and bilingualism divorce and bilingualism, 70–71 dominant language children and, 32; 76 peers and, 51–52 relocation and, 72 spouses and, 63–64 native language and, 22; 74–75; 101–2 dual-language programs (DL); 81–82; 134–35; 179–80 See also developmental bilingual education programs; heritage language schools English conversational, 41 as dominant language, 21 dual-language programs and, 179–80 monolingualism and, ix English-only movement, 117; 135–36 ESL (English as Second Language) classes, 42–44 ethnic identity, 62; 85–86 See also cultural heritage and identity; food and cooking; loss of heritage language ethnic pride, 49–51 exchange students, 52; 150 family activities and bilingualism See activities for bilingualism in the home; community-based activities and resources Families First organization, 167 first language attrition, 48–49 See also relocation and effects on school-age children first language maintenance, 48–51; 72 See also heritage languages food and cooking cultural traditions and, 99–100 ethnic pride and, 51 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; community-based activities and resources foreign exchange students, 52; 150 friends communicating with, 10; 19 difficulties making, 93–94 making of, 51–52 195 Bilingual By Choice friends (cont.) peers, and 51–52 support systems and, 20; 34–36; 166 Fishman, Joshua A.; 122; 136 games See activities for bilingualism in the home; community-based activities and resources García, Ofelia, 83; 134 Genesee, Fred, 2; 7; 23; 72 global migration, 20; 37 globalization, xiii; 114–15; 142–43 goals and bilingualism, 19–20 grandparents and bilingualism, 25; 61–63 Grosjean, Francois, 20; 24; 45; 155 Harris, LaDonna, 130; 132 Heritage Language Initiative, 106 Heritage Language Journal, 106 heritage language schools, 85–87 heritage languages Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages website, 86; 106 benefits of sustaining, 12–13; 75 bond formation and, 17 discrimination and, 101–2 educational programs and, 86 exposure to, 73–74 forgetfulness and, 49 future of, 100–107 home environment and, 73–78 identity formation and, 85 legislation and, 103–7 maintaining skills in, 75–78; 100–101 making progress in, 49–50 peers and, 6–7; 51–52 personality types and, 35 public schools and, 85 rejection of, 8; 32; 77 relocation and effects on, 71–73 See also grandparents; heritage language schools; loss of heritage language; native language; siblings Heritage Languages in America: Preserving a national resource, 85; 103; 136 Hoefstede, Geert See “cultural dimensions” theory (of family relationships) home schooling, 79–81 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; communitybased activities and resources home strategies for creating bilingualism, 73–78 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; heritage languages homework, 49–50 identity issues and bilingualism, 93 See also ethnic identity; heritage languages; relocation and effects on school-age children 196 Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages infants bilingualism and, 2–3 multilingualism and, 11 See also brain development and bilingualism intercultural awareness, 119–20 See also benefits of bilingualism; culture crossing and adaptation international schools See charter schools Internet, 52 See also online activities for bilingualism introducing a second language See second language acquisition isolation and bilingualism, 69–70 See also cross-cultural conflicts; loss of heritage language; selfesteem Krashen, Stephen, vii; 49; 83; 94; 126 language delay contributing factors and, 4–9 early detection of, 15–16 sparse exposure to language and, 6–7 switching languages and, 7–8 symptoms of, 4–8 See also American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association’s guidelines for parents of bilingual children; semilingualism; twins and bilingualism language disorders early detection of, 15–16 stuttering and bilingualism and, 13–14 See also misconceptions about bilingualism language overload, 11–12 language switching and consequences, 7–8 legislative changes and public awareness of second languages, 103–7 libraries bilingual careers and, 118 Library of Congress, 170 as learning resources, 142; 144; 156 state libraries, 170 story time and, 160 trips to, 28; 120; 127; 129 See also community-based activities and resources Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis, 41 loss of heritage language academic performance and, 94 negative consequences and, 92–97 self-esteem and, 92–93 social difficulties and, 93–96 See also heritage languages; relocation and effects on school-age children 197 Bilingual By Choice majority language See community language; dominant language; English Macedo, Donaldo, 42–43 Marris, Peter, 38–39 Medecins-Sans-Frontieres, 44 museums See community-based activities and resources misconceptions about bilingualism See language delay; language disorders; semilingualism; language overload; strategies for reinforcing bilingualism mixing languages advice for parents on, 23–26 correcting and, 25 language development and, 25–26 reasons for, 24 Modern Language Association, 69–70; 158 monolingualism, ix, 42, 45 See also English; United States and bilingualism Multilingual Living Magazine, 80 multilingualism, xiii; 8; 9; 86 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; community-based activities and resources; infants; OPOL; trilingualism music and singing See activities for bilingualism in the home National Association for Bilingual Education, 40; 83–84; 141 National Heritage Language Resource Center, 106 National Language Conference, 103; 117 National Language Service Corps, 106–7 National Museum of Language, 173 National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs, 67 National Stutter Association, 14; native languages foundations for, 21 future of, 100–107 See also heritage languages; loss of heritage language; relocation and effects on school-age children negative attitudes and bilingualism, 48; 96; 101–2 See also political attacks and bilingualism Obama, Barack, 96; 101; 142 Obama, Michelle, 101; 142 One Language One Environment (OLOE), 21–22; 150 One Parent One Language (OPOL), 22–23; 29 online activities for bilingualism, 140; 153–56 parent/teacher conferences, 97–100 parents’ advice on bilingualism, 121–136 Pascoe, Robin, 128–129 198 Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages personality types and bilingualism, 35; 72 political attacks and bilingualism, 83–85 preschoolers and bilingualism, 20; 23; 66; 75; 82 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; total immersion programs professional advice on bilingualism, 121–136 public awareness and legislative changes; 103–7 public places and bilingualism, 31–34 See also community-based activities and resources public schools, xiii; 87–88; bilingual education and, 83; 88 dissatisfaction and, 79–80 Heritage Language Initiative and, 106 Latino population and, 102 See also charter schools reading skills, children’s literature and, 25–26, 29 development of, 26–29 encouragement of, 28; 127; 128; 145; 125–26 grandparents and, 25 in native language, 29; 69 strategies for development of, 20; 28–29; 125–26 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; bilingual books; community-based activities and resources reinforcing bilingualism See strategies for reinforcing bilingualism resistance to bilingualism, 60–63 See also discrimination relocation and effects on schoolage children, 37–42; 50; 71–73 See also alienation and depression; cross-cultural adaptation; ESL classes; loss of heritage language; switching languages repetition and language development, 22 Romano, Dugan, 46; 132 SAT (Scholastic Achievement Test) and ACT (American College Test) scores, 112–13 satellite television, 142 See also activities for bilingualism in the home school-age children alienation and depression in, 43 cultural integration of, 45–48 ESL classes and, 42–44 homeschooling and, 79–81 peers and, 51–52 See also relocation and effects on school-age children 199 Bilingual By Choice second language acquisition aptitude factors and, 44–45 school-age children and, 37–41; 48–51 transfer of skills from first language and, 41–42 See also dual-language programs; ESL classes self-esteem, 92–93 See also heritage languages; loss of heritage language semilingualism, 8–9 Sesame Street Around the World, 140 siblings and bilingualism, 44; 58; 64–68 See also twins singing and music See activities for bilingualism in the home Skype, 75; 110; 156 socio-economic groups and bilingualism, 30 Spanish language, benefits of learning and, 43 early skills and, educators/teachers and, 117 home speakers and, 21 immersion programs and, 81–82 increasing usage of, 102 online courses and, 154 public schools and, 88; 102 See also activities for bilingualism in the home; communitybased activities and resources special needs See language delay; language disorders; stuttering and bilingualism spousal support of bilingualism, 63–64 strategies for reinforcing bilingualism, 21–22; 35–36; 74–78 See also OLOE; OPOL; twins and bilingualism Storti, Craig, 128–130 study abroad and travel, 88–89; 126–27; 152; 162–63 stuttering and bilingualism, 13–14 See also language disorders support networks and bilingualism, 20; 34; 106–7; 127–28 switching languages, 7–8; 71–72; 111–12 Taeschner, Traute, 73; 77 teenagers and bilingualism, activities for, 143; 144; 154 college preparation and, 115 family bonding and, 110–11 peers and, 51–52 SAT and ACT scores and, 112–13 sociocultural factors and, 94 See also loss of heritage languages; relocation and effects on school-age children total immersion programs, 82 travel and study abroad, 88–89; 126–27; 152; 162–63 trilingualism, 15; 26; 43; 115; 144 200 Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages twins and bilingualism, 66–68 See also siblings and bilingualism; switching languages two-way immersion programs, 81–82 See also developmental bilingual education programs; duallanguage programs; charter schools See also legislative changes and bilingualism; political attacks and bilingualism vocabulary, 75 See also heritage languages; strategies for reinforcing bilingualism work place and bilingualism, 89; 116–19; 176 United States and bilingualism, 96–97; 103–7; 135–36 201 .. .Bilingual By Choice Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages Bilingual By Choice Raising Kids in Two (or more!) Languages Virginie Raguenaud First published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing in. .. Bilingual by choice : raising kids in two (or more!) languages / by Virginie Raguenaud p cm ISBN 978-1-85788-526-2 Bilingualism in children Language acquisition Multilingualism in children Child rearing... monolingual and bilingual speakers in terms of their likelihood of having stuttering in their life.” (21) 13 Bilingual By Choice UNDERSTANDING STUTTERING First, experts emphasize that stuttering in