BLOG #7 Interest and Opportunities

The amount of people interested in their child becoming bilingual was astounding, 100% of people were interested!! Everyone was on board- parents who spoken multiple languages, parents of children who were already taking a second language at school, parents who didn't speak a language other than English, and parents of children whose schools didn't have effective or any language programs! This was very good news to hear! If only resources were made available, such as language learning classes and programs, people would take advantage of them. 

Are you interested in your child becoming bilingual? 

Why or why not?

  

Opportunities

• job

Competitiveness with interviewing, resume content, and in job searching. Makes you more marketable. More career choices are made possible. Able to compete on a global scale in future jobs. Future career choices around the world. Working as a translator or at am embassy. Being an ambassador in the future. 

• educational

Knowing a second language makes it easier to learn a third and fourth language. Have broader views of the world. Become fluent! Be more knowledgeable. Adds depth, character, and intelligence to life. Understand other ways of thinking. Appreciation for language. School opportunities such as attending bilingual schools abroad. Being able to successfully attend Second Language School. Being able to translate for others. Breaking down the barrier and stereotype of Americans mostly only speaking English while the rest of the world speaks a native language and English.

• social

Aids in communication when traveling for both business and leisure! You have more choices where you live in the future. Scheming and sharing secrets with someone without anyone else understanding you is possible :) Speaking with people who speak the same language. Have more friends! Participate in activities and groups such as the Polish Scouting Organization.

Cognitive Benefits 

• improves executive function
• aids in brain development
• improves memory
• helps in problem solving
• increased brain synapses

Culture

• know ethnic background 
• remain connected to family's culture
• be able to read great literary work by Polish poets and authors in Polish
• study a native country's history in native language
• be open to different cultures and people
• be well-rounded
• appreciation of other cultures and languages
• be able to understand, appreciate, and participate in a Holy Mass in another language
• experience traditions and holidays
• my children will be able to pass down traditions to their children one day
• stayconnected to ancestry and heritage
• show pride in ethnicity

Staying Connected to Family  

Most families expressed the importance of their children being able to communicate with their families when they travel their home countries every summer. Parents are happy to be able to speak their native language with their children. 

What is your child's preferred language to speak with parents?

Assyrian

Arabic

English

French

German

Italian

Polish

Ukrainian

29% of children choose to speak a language other than English with their parents

34% of children choose to speak English with their parents

I remember that when I asked parents to list the languages that they are fluent in, the total was eleven languages. But yet, only eight different languages are the choice for the children to speak with their parents. The reason for this might be that children are being taught only one language other than English, by one or both parents. It is interesting to see that children seem to be choosing English as their preferred language to speak with their parents. 

What is your child's preferred language to speak with siblings?

English

French

German

Italian

Polish

26% of children choose to speak a second language with their sibling(s).

61% of children choose to speak English with their sibling(s).

I remember speaking only Polish with my sister when we were little. I also remember switching over to speaking mostly English to her by 4th grade. I still choose to speak English with her. We are able to express ourselves  and communicate with each other much easier in English than in Polish. This is because of the extensive schooling in English we received through elementary school, high school, and at the university level. We participated in Polish School once a week up until high school. Since then, we have kept up with learning Polish through speaking with family and friends. We have also been able to maintain and advance the language through reading Polish newspapers, magazines, and books. For some reason, this question made me think about how I "think" in English. I remember what it was like to think in Polish and French. In a future study or survey, I would like to find out what is the dominant language that people use in their thinking processes. 

What is your child's preferred language to speak with grandparents?

Arabic

English

French

German

Italian

Polish

Thai

Ukrainian

72% of children choose to speak a language other than English with their grandparents. 

27% of children choose to speak English with their grandparents. 

It looks like many grandparents may be immigrants whose native language is still very strong! It is quite an important challenge for these grandparents to not only pass down their native language to their children, but also to their grandchildren.

What is your child's preferred language to speak with friends?

English

French

German

Italian

Polish

19% of children choose to speak a language other than English with their friends.  

79% of children choose to speak English with their friends.

Opportunities need to be arranged for children to be able to speak their native language with other children. This can be done through play dates, attending events, and sighing up children for activities and groups such as dancing, sports, scouting, and language classes. I will talk  more about this topic in a future blog!

Can your child easily switch the use between both languages?

Yes	59	84%
No	11	16%

I wonder what the reasons are behind the children's struggles to switch between both languages easily? I am guessing that it is due to an insufficient amount of practice speaking and interchanging both languages. For me, even today, when I don't speak Polish for prolonged amounts of time, my Polish suffers. My Polish was excellent during the time I was a Polish Girl Scout troop leader for 12 years. I was constantly challenged with needing to read,write, and speak Polish. When my Polish "suffers", I struggle with "finding" words and substitute them with English words.