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You are so lucky that your child has the opportuity learn 3 languages. I agree with the other posters that little kids very easily learn languages. Just make sure he is fluent in English before he starts school. Once he is in school, then concentrate harder on the other two languages, because the english will take care of itself.
My son's father speaks one language and I speak english. We each speak to him in our language and it has been consitently that way. He is now 2.5 and he speaks both.
Now, the tricky part was that he was behind in his words at whatever age it was, and his doctor was concerned, I reminded her that he is learning 2 languages, but she insisted on an evaluation, I don't blame her, that's her job. Long story short, he was fine. My point is that speech will ultimately be delayed, and our society is ignorant to this because we are not like other countries that learn many languages, as you know. So just consistently speak the language, and don't freak out when the child is not running on our socitety's schedule.
Great gift to give a kid!
Both my girlfriend and I are Bilingual. We both know English and another language, because from our different backgrounds and where we were born. Some of my family and some of her family know some English, and others struggle with it. So I thought it be nice to have our future kids to learn all 3 languages from an early start. I heard kids can learn very quickly.
But I don't know how to precede. I am just concern if we do it the wrong way they might get all confused and even be behind when it is time for them to start school.
Is there anyone here who has gone through this before or anyone for that matter, who can inlight me?
I can tell you though kids learn fast they tend to reject the less dominant language, they may end up learning the language just by listening but may never speak a word of it. You do need some positive reinforcement, the best is having them speak a different language at home. For example children of recent immigrant Mexican families almost always speak Spanish at home yet are required to learn English at school. A third language is the same, to speak to mom in one language and dad in another, but their level of all three languages will never be the same, that can be further reinforced in later life by traveling abroad or studying abroad. A friend of mine was the son of an ambassador and spoke 6 languages because when he grew up til he was 16 he split his life between 6 countries and was further pressured to learn the language as a necessity. There are also language programs, CD interactive, schools and afterschool programs to reinforce the second language inherent within them. My dad was a language analyst in the military and later life in educational development, he learned to speak 5 languages to a good level but not having used it in his later life he also lost many of his language abilities, I personally as well learned 5 languages while traveling abroad and will always remember the basics of all 5 languages but if you don't use it, you will lose some grammar and more difficult words as well as reading/writing if the languages aren't in the same system such as ABCs.
Both my girlfriend and I are Bilingual. We both know English and another language, because from our different backgrounds and where we were born. Some of my family and some of her family know some English, and others struggle with it. So I thought it be nice to have our future kids to learn all 3 languages from an early start. I heard kids can learn very quickly.
But I don't know how to precede. I am just concern if we do it the wrong way they might get all confused and even be behind when it is time for them to start school.
Is there anyone here who has gone through this before or anyone for that matter, who can inlight me?
Not I but a friend has a mother from Italy and a father from Costa Rica while he himself was born in the States. Spoke English, Spanish and Italian perfectly. As I recall, he was spoken to in all three in equal increments from day one.
i agree about starting with the foreign language first.
the english comes and when it does its like a flood.
kids are amazing and very smart
i only speak spanish to my friends kids and one of them, at age 3, told me: "you only speak spanish to me, why?" she was trying to figure out why with her parents i spoke english, but with her spanish.
the fact that she recognized my bilingualism and even hers, was amazing!!!
I think having you speak one language, your girlfriend speak another, and yet someone else who will be interacting with your children often speak a third. It will take a little while, but eventually your children will be trilingual. I know a family who did this. The parents spoke English. The children were dropped off with the grandparents during the day. The grandmother spoke Taiwanese only, and the grandfather spoke Japanese only. I don't know about the 2 younger ones (twins) but I know the oldest one could not only speak 3 languages, I think he would only speak a specific language to each person. Quite amazing, but it worked because he was exposed to it every day.
If you don't have a third person interacting with your children daily, I'd suggest one language for you, one for your girlfriend, and expose your children to English by attending playgroups or classes or something early on.
My oldest is 32 months, and my youngest just turned 1. The oldest is already speech delayed, but is in speech therapy and is starting to catch up. Her level is probably equal to a 2 yo. Would it be too confusing for me to suddenly start speaking to her in Taiwanese? My parents, who we see once a week, speak a combo of English and and Taiwanese to the kids. I am in the habit of speaking English with them but I could start speaking in Taiwanese if I had to.
What do you think? Would she freak? What about the 1 yo? She still hasn't said any words yet, and is just starting to appear to understand what what we say to her.
im also in the same situation. I'm half italian half egyptian, and italian and arabic are both my native languages that i use when i speak mixing them together. now, my husband is german and we both speak english together. i think that our baby should also be learning english cause its the language the unites me and my husband so that we can all talk together. if i speak to my baby my language(s) and my husband his own, then what happens win the three of us want to have a conversation together?! 4 languages is a bit difficult for a baby or what?
I agree with the other posters... I have a few bilingual friends, and they speak only their respective languages at home to the children. They pick up English so quickly in school with their friends, so it's important they hear the other language at home. In fact, two friends of mine, their kids only spoke a foreign language until they went to school at 3 years old- within the next year, these two kids only wanted to speak English, to their parents' chagrin, because that's what all their friends were speaking.
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when is it too late?
