How children become bilingualNayr Ibrahim

"I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse."

(Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, 16th century)

Milan

22 March 2011

“We need to work with their genius not against

it.” (Bloch, 2003)

Bilingualism is complex and multidimensional

“I have no opinion of why I speak does (those) languages. Comes naturally.” (BL10)

“I don’t think speaking two languages is so extraordinary, but on the other hand, speaking only one language must be a bit odd, like only seeing with one eye: you’d somehow lack the depth and perspective.” (2003 Harding-Esch & Riley)

Becoming bilingual

Home

Individual

Community

Education

NEED for

Communication

Context-specific / Language contact situations

Intermarriage : mum is French and dad is Italian OPOL (one person, one language approach) Mom, why are you speaking to me like that: with you

it’s EnglishMigration (professional, immigration, political)

ML@H (minority language at home approach)Education:

Bilingual education: community schools, private schools, international sections in France

Bi- or multilingual communities, e.g. Switzerland, South Africa, India

(Cummins 1980)

Simultaneous bilingualismWhen two languages are learnt simultaneously from

birth / very early in childhood

I speak two different languages: French and English. I started to pronounce these two languages when I

came out of my mum’s tummy. (BL11)

Stage 1:

Child does not differentiate between languages

“pickle + cornichon = pinichon” (Grosjean, 1982)

Stage 2:

Increased differentiation between languages

Mami vuole Stickzeug, vuole Arbeit si? (Mommy wants knitting, wants work, yes)

(Grosjean, 1982)

Stage 3: Child can differentiate languages at

lexical and grammatical level

Dov’è Kitty? (Italian friend)Wo ist Kitty? (German mum)

(Grosjean, 1982)

Bilingual First Language AcquisitionBFLA

Development of two languages in young children who are in contact with these two languages from birth

Bilingualism as a first language

“The general patterns of bilingual development for children regularly addressed in two languages from birth are identical to those for monolingual children” (De Houwer, 2009)

Consecutive / sequential bilingualism

When the second language is acquired at a later stage through street, nursery / school or the community (in

a natural setting).

I continue to learn Chinese because I begin to learn it when I was 5 years old. (BL9)

Code-switching /Language mixingLanguage mixing is a characteristic of bilinguals throughout

their lives

“I also use some expressions (in English) when I am angry or when they fit in French discussion” (BL11)

It depends on whether they are in bilingual mode or monolingual mode

Code switching isn’t haphazard: it is always meaningful / a deliberate choice

“Marie Claude was ravished” (‘ravie’ = pleased)

It isn’t a sign of confusion or incompetence, but rather an enhanced and sophisticated communicative competence

“ I speak English at home to exercise or just to dialog.” (BL11)

Bilingualism is not a 100-metre race.

It is like long-distance running.

real, rich, stimulating constant, long-term, positive interaction with people in structured contexts and environments

Maintaining bilingualism

Bilingualism is a matter of degree

(Harding-Esch & Riley, 2003)

“There are chunks of life that bilinguals have only experienced in one or other of their languages”

(Harding-Esch & Riley, 2003, p34)

“I talk to my mom in English about how to have a baby. I talk to my dad about if we will buy a

baguette.” (BL7)

“I’m better in one language: French than English – I prefer French for all things” (BL10)

Bilingualism is a ever-changing, shifting phenomenon

“Because when I was 2 I lived in London and I spoke very good English but when I came back to France I lost all my English words so I came here (British Council Bilingual Section) to speak

like I spoke in the past” (BL9)

“If we do not speak English daily in about 3 months I will lose my English” (BL11)

La = FrenchLb = English

François Grosjean: bilingual linguist

François Grosjean’s life-long language plotting

Becoming bilingual must be a pleasurable experience that allows

for positive attitudes“One of the advantages of a bilingual child and adult is

having two or more worlds of experience.” (Baker, 1996 p.4)

“It is interesting because you learn the same world differently.” (BL11)

“When I grow older and I want to find a job, being bilingual is a quality which is very researched. (BL12)

“I like being bilingual because I have a priviledge.” (BL10)