Jackie Muirhead
Santiago and Gabriela’s mom &
Spanish Instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical
College, muirheaj@matc.edu
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpqy4C6
z4J4
I. Intro: Objectives and Terminology
II. Getting to know each other
III. Common myths
IV. Why start before birth?
V. A deliberate plan to re-visit over and over
VI. Factors for success
VII. Final Comments and Questions
1. Share research and anecdotes, exciting you
to possibility of raising bilingual family
2. Offer suggestions
3. Encourage you to celebrate and instill pride
in those that have made commitment to
bilingualism. Dismiss the myths. Share the
benefits. Convince students that bilingualism
should always be seen as a positive.
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-Not clear
-Teachers strictest in their defn: balancing
two languages equally, being able to move
back and forth seamlessly, without accent.
This is almost NEVER the case… one
language is usually stronger, maybe even be
illiterate in one
-Most commonly accepted defn: USING 2 or
more languages in their everyday life.
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Different Language Systems
OPOL – One Person, One Language
ML@H - Minority Language at Home – target
language spoken at home by all family
members and the majority language
elsewhere
T& P Time and Place/ Accidental Bilingualism
due to family transfers to different countries
Show of hands… raised bilingually, OPOL,
ML@H, multilingual, started language study
in high school or later
My husband, Pablo,
and I in 1995, both with
Spanish Ed majors.
P-bilingual, I started
at age 14
Considered OPOL, decided ML@H with the
help of Pablo’s parents who live within blocks
First six weeks as
parents was spent
in Bogota, Colombia.
More about my family
Exposed Santiago &
Gabriela to books,
music and trips, in
addition to day-to-day
conversations.
Sought out Spanishspeaking babysitters.
Made up our own
songs. (Te quiero
tanto, Cuando
compartimos)
And one last slide…
Currently both
Spanish dominant,
plus “French toast”
for Gabriela
SABBATICAL IN PERU, AUG 2012- MAY 2013
Bilingual children begin to speak later than
monolinguals.
Bilingual children are behind in their language
skills when they enter school and, although
they’ll improve, they’ll never catch up.
Young children acquire language without a
problem. They just soak it up.
As a non-native speaker, I’ll pass on my nonnative accent and errors with my children.
After a month of your child refusing to speak
with you in the minority language, the
student is no longer benefiting from your
efforts.
Bilingual children mix their two languages out
of confusion.
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No scientific research that supports the idea
of language delay.
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They may start out with less of the
community language, but they tend to have
faster growth curves than monolingual
classmates.
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Also, a child can learn languages well beyond
age 5.
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True that at this age language is caught, not
taught and that they pick up accurate
pronunciation quickly.
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However, we can’t underestimate their need
of a variety of quality input and opportunities
to have two-way communication. Nor can
we expect them to understand and produce
‘perfect’ language from the beginning.
This could potentially happen but only if you
were the only source of the minority
language your child hears.
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No matter the cause, the literature says to
continue speaking to them in the target
language because they continue to store this
language. Passive bilingualism can convert to
active bilingualism when the need arises.
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Child may refuse due to emotional or
developmental reason or because doesn’t see
the value of learning the language.
Language mixing is an expected step when
one learns multiple languages.
These children are pragmatic in conveying
meaning, demonstrating cognitive,
linguistic and social aptitudes, knowing it’ll
‘work’ with other bilinguals.
May do it for a variety of valid reasons. (parents
do it, to elevate status, to share a secret or as
symbol of bilingual pride.
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“It is important to view within- and betweenlanguage mechanisms (overgeneralizations,
simplifications, interferences, and so on) as
strategies employed by children in their effort to
use their weaker language.” (Grosjean, 193).
“Each language modifies the other, crossbreeds
with it, fertilizes it. Like everybody, I am the sum
of my languages.” Eva Hoffman, Lost in
Translation
Code-switching: alternate use of 2 languages
Interferences/ Borrowing: Integrating one
language into another’s system
Wir muessen die Kinder convencieren.
I have three. Three dogs? No. (I am three.)
Carp for tent/carpa, traps for washclothes/trapos
I can go to your house?
I can’t go why I’ll be in Wausau. (why and because)
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/1603718
Children can pick up sounds even BEFORE birth
from both the mother AND the father.
Language is so intertwined with identity that I
find it awkward and artificial to change a
relationship that started in one language to
another. Deliberate choice to start
relationships in Spanish.
It’s doable, fascinating and we are trained!!
The Natural Approach
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Flooding of input
Low anxiety
Allow for silent period
Enjoyable and in-context… pleasure and purpose…
although ok to teach vocab families like colors/ days
of week, most input should be in context (as when we
read a book or when we communicate in a
conversation)
Deliberate exposure to variety of
 language materials
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Books
Music
Nursery rhymes
DVDs, TV shows… but don’t over rely on this passive
medium
domains and speakers
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Language Camps
Cultural Fests/ speakers
Babysitters
Friends/ playgroups
Daycare/ horseback riding/ cooking
What language will you speak in the presence of
English speakers? Think car-pooling, playdates,
cheering at soccer games.
How will you nurture the minority language once
school starts? Perhaps need to ‘up’ the
need/value. For us, its meant…
 Buying Star Wars readers in Spanish
 Going to Peruvian picnics
 Concerted effort to get together with Spanish-
speaking friends
 Trips … In an immersion experience, a passive
language often becomes active (Naomi)
How do you plan to move from bilingualism to
biliteracy?
And beyond just language, biculturalism…
That’s my French side. That’s my American
side.
Amount/ quality of input
Maintaining consistency with language “boundaries”
Availability to print materials
Access to the language outside the home
“Need” for the minority language (to speak to
relatives or caretakers, to watch TV, to travel, etc.)
Continuous encouragement for the child’s langrage
ego.
Attitudes toward the language and culture and
bilingualism … Children pick up on perceived status
and prestige of language
Additive: When you are learning a new
language when you already know the
dominant (prestigious) language.
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Subtractive: When someone is expected to
learn a second majority language to the point
that it becomes stronger than or, perhaps
even, replace the first.
1. We as language teachers have tools to
do it! We believe in bilingualism and all
of its benefits. Why not give the lifelong
gift of another language?
 The most difficult language you'll ever
learn is your second one. So why not
skip that altogether, and learn two
languages from the start?
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2. We, as language teachers, need to
encourage and celebrate other
families that have made the
commitment because there are times
when doubts set in, especially those
who may be experiencing subtractive
bilingualism. Be the VOICE OF
SUPPORT and ADVOCACY.
3. Instill pride in your bilingual students (stroke
language ego) & promote idea that not only
is bilingualism the way of most of the world,
but it’s cool!
Sofia, 8 year old from Milwaukee, raised in
German at home: “(Being able to speak
German) makes me feel happy! … to be
special! I’m the only one in my school that
can speak German.
Above resources from Jan. 2012 edition of The
 Language Educator. p. 52
Baker, C. (2007). A Parents’ and teachers’ guide to
bilingualism, 3rd ed. Multilingual Matters: Clevedon,
England.
Grosjean, F. (2010). Bilingual: Life and reality. Harvard
University Press: Cambridge.
Steiner, N. (2009) 7 steps to raising a bilingual child.
AMOCAM: New York. (Offers step by step worksheets
for creating a Bilingual Action Plan.)
Podcasts such as Bilingual Smart, go to iTunes and type in
Bilingual Families
Google chats