Preserving Your Home Language

Hello all,

As a kindergarten teacher, parents often approach me with concerns about their children's language skills in English. This is especially the case for parents who have recently arrived from another country, and who struggle with the English language. These parents will often say that they are trying to speak to their children in English as much as possible to help them learn the language. Many stop using their home language with their children completely. While it is important to introduce children to the English language and to communicate with them in English, it is absolutely critical for parents to continue using their home language. The research clearly indicates the many advantages of bilingualism (and multilingualism) on children's ability to learn English. These studies have shown that when children are fluent in their home language(s), many important language skills (e.g., phonemic awareness, vocabulary, higher order thinking skills, etc.) transfer over and help them learn the English language much more quickly and much more efficiently. 

In addition to helping children learn English, fluency in the home language is essential in helping children preserve their cultural identity. Moreover, as children grow older, their home language helps them to continue to communicate with family members who may not speak English (e.g., grandparents). This is so very important because if children lose their first language, they may potentially risk their relationships with family members. And while it is natural for children to communicate in English once they begin school, parents should still encourage them to use their home language as much as possible. For younger children, it is a great idea for parents to enroll them in classes where they have the opportunity to learn how to read and write in their home language.

Finally, our societies are becoming more and more global and our world is more connected now than it has ever been. Giving children the benefit of learning and mastering several languages (including their own) will enable them to thrive in this society.

Comments

[Syerah]

Good post! I messed up on this front. When my daughter was born, her dad and I continued to speak in English and so the only language she learned was english. That's such a shame because I can speak six indian languages and yet did not think to make any one of them a dominant language during her formative years!

Now, she can understand a few phrases here and there in hindi but she always responds in english. She's learning some sentences (thanks to Bollywood) but it would all have been so much easier when she was little!

[lash]

English has become the language of the world.