Raising Multilingual Children

In today’s world knowing two or more language is a huge advantage. Being able to communicate in a global environment often requires speaking to people who are native English speakers, or might not know English at all.

Parents want to give their children every advantage possible, and many recognize that second language could benefit their children, but they have questions about teaching their children multiple languages.

Will it affect my child’s development? How many languages can a child learn? When is the best time to start? How much exposure does it take for a child to learn a language? These and other questions need to be considered before deciding whether or not to raise a multilingual child.

Studies have shown that children who learn multiple languages at the same time as their first language often take a little longer to speak. However they also show that after the child begins speaking he/she learns both languages without any problems and can become fluent in both.

In order for children to become fluent in any language they must be exposed to the language often. In order to learn a language well, children need to hear the language roughly 30 percent of the time they are awake. Children can learn as many languages as their parents can arrange to have adequate exposure.

When teaching a child any language, even if it is the only language they learn, the more varied exposure they receive and the earlier it starts the better they learn. Listening to music, hearing and interacting with multiple people all make it easier to learn the language. The more natural the exposure to each language is the better the child will learn them.

http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3651
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/may09/bilingual.kids.sl.html
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/language/teaching-second-language/

Sonsorol Islands

Ramari Dongosaro

Emaho nimarieri

One of the sixteen states in Palau, Sonsorol is located in western Micronesia above Australia. Sonsorol is part of Palau, but the language and culture resemble that found in Yap and Chuuk more than that of Palau.

While the Sonsorolese language is recognized as an official language of Palau there are only a few remaining speakers of this language. With fewer than 2000 speakers worldwide, only 600 or so live in Palau and roughly 60 in Sonsorol.

Never heavily populated the Sonsorol islands shared the same fate as many pacific islands did during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. During early encounters with explorers many Sonsorolese were taken from the islands to work in copra industries. Many of their descendants were brought back to Sonsorol in the 1950s. The islands also suffered from natural disasters and were occupied during World War 2.

Today many most people who speak are bilingual, also speaking either Palauan or English. Many of the younger generation mix English phrases with their Sonsorolese, causing the language to change from how it is spoken by older generations.

In addition to gaining words from English, Sonsorolese is also slowly merging with another nearby language, Tobian. Closely related to Sonsorolese and found on the nearby island of Tobi, the two languages are slowly forming a language called Echangese.

http://www.sonsorol.com/

Second language acquisition

Many people feel that learning a new language would be too hard for them. Perhaps the difficulty is not in learning a new language; instead it is in the method used.

Often people attempt to learn a second language for the first time in a classroom setting. There the instructor often gives the students vocabulary lists and grammar rules that the student needs to memorize. Studies have shown that this method is frequently ineffective. Perhaps the struggle many students go through with this method is what leads so many to decide that learning a second language is too hard.

Researchers in Applied Linguistics distinguish between language learning and language acquisition. Language acquisition is the process young children use to learn a language. In language acquisition the learner gains the language through natural communications. A child learning a language learns by gaining a feel for the language through listening and practicing with adults.

In language learning the student learns by studying the vocabulary and the grammar rules of the language. Students learning this way often gain a good understanding of the rules of the language, but might struggle to carry on a conversation in that language.

As children grow up they use a mixture of both methods to learn their native language. They constantly learn the feel of the language through natural communication and they study the grammar in school. However as we grow older and later try to learn a second language most people rely mostly on language learning rather than acquisition.

Perhaps the best way to learn a new language is to follow the example of our children and combine both methods. Moving beyond a study of the grammar and vocabulary and seeking opportunities to use the language and interacting with others will increase the ease and effectiveness of learning a second language.

Learning a language takes time, and trial and error. Children learn of the course of time and through many mistakes, perhaps adults would benefit from their example. 

 ‘Small drops combined form an ocean.’
- Marshallese proverb

Language benifits
http://www.omniglot.com/language/why.htm
Longer list
http://www.ncssfl.org/papers/BenefitsSecondLanguageStudyNEA.pdf

http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_acquisiti_vs_language_02033.php
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050615060545.htm
http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html