Would you want your kid to grow up bilingual?

[Slant]

would you want your kid to grow up bilingual? what benefits do you think there is to growing up bilingual? or do you think it's a disadvantage?

Studies show that growing up bilingual helps with brain development. So yes, no question about it. Unlikely in my situation, but it wouldn't hurt.

You need to make sure that you actually do it properly, half assing that can hurt children's development. Also, speech impediments may be more difficult to treat, I'm told. Better to focus on one way to use your mouth instead of emphasizing bad habits. So, it has dangers, but when done right, it's bloody awesome.

Btw, I know this from first hand, my brother grew up bilingually (in a half assed way kinda) and had a shitton of problems, not speaking either language as well as I could when I grew up with just one language.

[Lord Pebbleton]

Even trilingual if possible (Italian as national language, English as second, well established language because it's too useful, and a bit of Russian for better survival out there).

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I wouldn't be opposed to it or care but I prefer they'd speak English. That's about it.

[enragedgorilla]

As many as they could handle....Languages open so many more doors than just being able tyo order take out in the native tongue.

[Shakadam]

Make one language primary, another secondary. We think in one language. I can not imagine how it will be thinking in two different languages. Then there is the problem with accents. My indian accent limits my expression in the U.S.. etc.

No we don't think in one language, it just depends on circumstance and what you're used to. (I'm actually pretty sure we all think in images and "concepts"). If you're bilingual you'll simply think in whatever language you're currently using. I'm not bilingual but even I think in "2 languages" if you wanna call it that considering I'm also fluent in English as well as my native Swedish.


There are no reasons whatsoever to not teach your children 2 (or more!) languages if you have the means to do so.

[Cyberowl]

Sure, why not?

I grew up bilingual and learning English and Latin was very easy for me. Spanish is next, due to the vocabulary sharing many words with 3 languages I already know.

My plan is to leave university with 4 languages not counting Latin.

I never noticed any struggle in my childhood with 2 languages, it comes natural. A "free" language on your resume doesn't hurt either. Heck, in Europe some people may judge you if you only know 2 languages (native + English/something different for the British). Things are differently in the US, but knowing another language is a big plus there too, considering how relatively uncommon it is.

[unbound]

have had some discussions with my gf about how we should raise our kid when it's born and she wanted us to raise it bilingual, english and korean, korean because her side of the family is korean so it would make it easier for him or her to communicate with that side since most of them are not that good at english. I was against it first but she's made me change my mind over time.

would you want your kid to grow up bilingual? what benefits do you think there is to growing up bilingual? or do you think it's a disadvantage?

Why not? Seriously, whether you believe their are benefits or not, there is simply no reason not to encourage it in a household like the one you may be in.

[Skroe]

Then English must be super duper weak considering that pretty much every word with more than two syllables is French or Greek in origin.

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French, actually. You'll find there's more Greek loanwords than direct Latin ones.

Yes of course. And French and Greek (as you said) and Germanic languages as well. It's composite source is well known. But that was centuries ago. We're talking about today. In today's world. English, as the de facto lingua franca, as the language of trade, the most important parts of the internet, and science, is the only language that matters beyond a cultural level.

I mean we've played this game before. 25 years ago "learning Japanese" was the trendy thing. It went nowhere. Just under a decade ago, it was Chinese. That too, went nowhere.

Before I make my kids bilingual, I'd have my kids be the best damn English readers and writers they possibly can be, given that most people in the world can't write worth a shit. Put even then, I believe the people who speak the language of computers, which is not a natural language, are the people best suited to thrive in the global economy.

If computers are going to run the world with us in a kind of symbiotic relationship, literacy and communication ability with them, on their terms is every bit as important as being able to communicate with other human beings. Otherwise you'll rely on an intermediary.

[Slant]

No we don't think in one language, it just depends on circumstance and what you're used to. (I'm actually pretty sure we all think in images and "concepts"). If you're bilingual you'll simply think in whatever language you're currently using. I'm not bilingual but even I think in "2 languages" if you wanna call it that considering I'm also fluent in English as well as my native Swedish.


There are no reasons whatsoever to not teach your children 2 (or more!) languages if you have the means to do so.

This is correct. We don't think in actual words until we begin to phrase sentences in our heads. True bilinguals, like German-Turks for example, actually told me they'll use whatever word is most convenient for the meaning they want to use amongst themselves, even subconsciously. They aren't even aware of it all the time, they just start blabbering and stuff comes out, much like monolinguists would. It seems they are far more comfortable speaking to other German-Turks being bilingual than even with their parents who may only speak Turkish.

[icausewipes]

Si

#biracial

[Mihalik]

Yes of course. And French and Greek (as you said) and Germanic languages as well. It's composite source is well known. But that was centuries ago. We're talking about today. In today's world. English, as the de facto lingua franca, as the language of trade, the most important parts of the internet, and science, is the only language that matters beyond a cultural level.

I mean we've played this game before. 25 years ago "learning Japanese" was the trendy thing. It went nowhere. Just under a decade ago, it was Chinese. That too, went nowhere.

Before I make my kids bilingual, I'd have my kids be the best damn English readers and writers they possibly can be, given that most people in the world can't write worth a shit. Put even then, I believe the people who speak the language of computers, which is not a natural language, are the people best suited to thrive in the global economy.

If computers are going to run the world with us in a kind of symbiotic relationship, literacy and communication ability with them, on their terms is every bit as important as being able to communicate with other human beings. Otherwise you'll rely on an intermediary.

Speaking multiple languages is not in any way detrimental. Again I'm Hungarian-Greek, born in Austria (native speaker in Hungarian, German and English), mostly raised in the UK and US. Geologist by trade, before settling in Spain (where Spanish is essential for my business, tho our operating language is English, I'm a proficient speaker of it now) I've worked in over 7 countries, the ability to speak second and third languages and the ability to quickly pick up local terms and expression was many many many times useful.

Arabic is one of the languages that I for very long wanted to learn and in my business area would be VERY HANDY, tho not essential, it would still give me a competitive edge. The solution I've found for the time being was hiring a Spanish girl at our company who is fluent in Arabic having studied classical Arabic.

If you never intend to leave the continental US, then speaking a 2nd language perhaps has little benefit. If you intend to travel and especially work abroad, then it's a different deal.

The point is that while it might not be an imperative necessity, it is a practical advantage.

[Forgettable]

Importing English words and structures into Spanish is a very specific Latin American phenomenon.

"Computadora" in Castillian Spanish (European Spanish) is ordernador. I've also noticed this phenomenon when I lived in the US.

I was watching one of those teleshoping channels in Spanish on US cable, and there was a sales woman pitching a vacuum cleaner. She said and I quote-

"Y ahora vamos a vacunar la carpeta."

That literally makes no sense in Spanish.

Vacunar in Spanish means vaccinate.
Carpet in Spanish is alfombra.
Carpeta in Spanish is folder.

So in Castillian Spanish she said, "And now we'll vaccinate the folder".

But again. I learned Spanish in Spain, which really doesn't use that many loan words from English.

There are terms like hamburguesa which is a loan word from English, but considering it's more like a product name if anything it's not surprising.

I'm learning Korean and they have a lot of "loan" words from English as well. 검퓨터 (Computer) and *션 (Lotion) being two examples that come to mind quickly.

[Mihalik]

I'm learning Korean and they have a lot of "loan" words from English as well. 검퓨터 (Computer) and *션 (Lotion) being two examples that come to mind quickly.

Lotion is a straight rip out of Latin via old French into English. The word lotion is shared by Spanish, Italian (written as Lozione, as the "zi" is pronounced very similar to as the "t" is pronounced in English in the word), German. So it's more like a loan word from European languages in general, via English.

Computer is also really Latin from the noun "computare" via English. So it's not really surprising that it entered common use in many languages.

Really the distinction between ordenador and computer is that ordenador in Spanish literally means "information ordering and storing machine" and the verb computar means to reckon or count, like "counting" the surface area of something, for calculating something they would use the word calcular.

[drwelfare]

I do not like the idea of it being required.

I see uses, I would like to be bilingual but I am not good at things like that.

[cubby]

have had some discussions with my gf about how we should raise our kid when it's born and she wanted us to raise it bilingual, english and korean, korean because her side of the family is korean so it would make it easier for him or her to communicate with that side since most of them are not that good at english. I was against it first but she's made me change my mind over time.

would you want your kid to grow up bilingual? what benefits do you think there is to growing up bilingual? or do you think it's a disadvantage?

There is NO disadvantage to being bilingual. Do you think there are disadvantages? What are they?

[Nanaboostme]

I don't see any disadvantage of knowing more than one. Learning multiple languages earl on is good for the brain

[Time Sage]

It's not a bad thing at all. So... yes? Why is this a question?

[Chirri]

Of course I would. I have a hard time imagining why anyone would be against it, save out of fear.

[Caerule]

I'm Dutch and they force us to learn way too many languages. I wish we had the option to just be bilingual. I never wanted French and German.

But yeah, my kid will learn English for sure. And most likely Dutch. Depends a little where the future takes me.

[Xeley]

Yes! I desperately wish I had paid more attention during German, French and Japanese classes. As well as learning my mothers original language (Korean). Now I only speak two languages, English and Swedish (English not even counting as a second language in Sweden as everyone speaks it fluently pretty much.)