Linguistic question

Let's say you're dating someone from another country than yours where another language is official language and you end up having a kid.Would you want the child to learn both languages?Or just the language of the country you decide to live in? Would you yourself also learn your partner's language? And what if no children were involved?Would you then study their language?(as a part of getting closer to their culture)

 

I am a strong believer in knowing your heritage and where you're from. I would absolutely want the father to teach our child his language, by speaking to the child in that language from birth. Something I TRIED to get my ex to do with out daughter, but apparently, speaking spanish to her instead of english was just a bit too difficult for him. :roll: Now I have to find a way for her to learn spanish.

As for me, I'd attempt to learn his language. I think that's a cool thing to share between two people.

 

I think it's important for the kids especially to learn both languages. My ex's family is french and my kids now attend a french school so they're able to learn french seeing as I don't speak a word of it...which makes homework QUITE interesting. Plus I think it's a great learning experience for them to know another language. Problem with this again is I don't speak french so therefore if my children want to speak to each other without me knowing what's being said they go ahead and switch to french...they're six and eight so I'm screwed.

 

Yes, even without munchkins, I would still learn their language and their culture.

 

I know people, who speak 7/8/9 languages. I was always jealous about. My child would learn as many languages as possible, already during childhood.

 

Absolutely. (I have learned to speak fluent Canadian, eh?).

 

Give 'er!

 

Where does those people come from,and what languages are this??? And how fluent are they... I can order food in at least 8 languages.... but when I think about being able to have a real comunication there are only three left, so there are five languages where I can just order food in a restaurant and say hello. That is not realy speaking a language for me.


Back to the Topic.
I raised my self bilingual and I realy like it now. It gives u more variation of thinking and speaking. The only problem I had as a child raising in East Germany, not being realy considerd a real German and in Poland some people called me Hitlers dauther. I never had a chance to feel home in the Polish culture and I was never feeeling at home in Germany. Speaking both languages and traveling between both countries ( espacialy in the very monocultural sitation of both countries during the cold war) made me feel all my life, like I don´t belong anywhere, what actualy made me a free spirit. My family of both side was never a real home to me exept my polish grandfather who died in my early teenyears. I think that this is my real reason for being a kind of a lost soul. I truly belive, that all those things don´t matter when u have a hold in ur family, what I never had.

U have to consider a few things when u want to raise ur child bilingual. Because of the brain structre during the learning process the child will mostly obtain those features wich are alike in both languages. It will not learn both languages perfect. But that is not so much of a problem,since there is always a variation even in a natives speakers fluency of thier own language.
U have to take care that u speak in ur languages and the father with his, the child will have no trouble differ between both. AT vacation time it is good when the child can go and be in the other languages country. As bilingual parents, u should only talk in ur native language with ur child, so it don´t learn a false english or a false german or what ever language itis about.

Ok I hope I did not forget to mention something, I would like to raise my child bilingual ,it is one of the very few gifts my parents gave to me.

 

When I came to England, my mum stopped speaking Russian to me and it's something that she really regrets now. I've pretty much had to learn Russian as a beginner so if/when I have children, I will make sure that they learn Russian and the language of their father.
I agree with Bookworm about knowing your heritage because for a long time I was made to feel quite embarassed about being Russian and I would never want for my child to feel that way. Now that I've grown up, I feel awful for ever thinking in such a way and wish that I'd never stopped speaking Russian at home. There's honestly nothing better than being able to really appreciate your heritage and I'm very proud of my background and want my child to feel the same way.

 

One person I am talking now of speaks german, italian, portugese, spanish,french,english, russian. I cannot find out, how perfect or fluently. But I can see that he is talking to partners, it´s enough to communicate and to understand contracts.

What you were explaining about your childhood and feeling home, I can agree, I could observe it several times...

 

I have the same experience as a few that have posted:
My mother is Swedish and my dad was German - My dad spoke German to me as a kid, but I refused to speak German and responded to my dad in Swedish.
I was never forced to learn German.

As a little kid, all I wanted was to be like everybody else and there was an embarasment to be partly German - I was called a "Hitler kid" (seemed to have been a common term in Europe to use) many times when kids found out I had a German dad so you try to supress that part.

I genuinely regrett that I never learned German.. I have relatives in former East Germany, I cant even speak with.

Its a terrible loss of heritage!!! I would never allow that to happen again if I was blessed with a kid.

 

Ah ok but here u have the italian, portguese, spanish and french wich all belong to a very close family of language.... :mrgreen:

 

Here is a very interesting thing, that the child mostly raises Bilingual when the mother is not a native speaker in the country of residence and if it is the oldest child and when this child is a girl. Here the chances are highest. The younger sibblings understand the language, but avoid speaking it. The funny thing is, I have two younger brothers, and they both don´t speak polish ( but understand). But in my family the reason is, because my mother moved to West Germany in a very early age of them.
My youngest half brother who raises in a binational relationship, understands his mothers language, but disagre speaking it. So he is the oldest child,his mom is not very good in speaking German,but he is a boy....

 

Interresting acctually!
Im the oldest and both my half sister and half brother was raised bilingual - both because by them my dad wised up on enforcing the language and the schools also had by then started a program that allowed you to have free education of your language (starting in third grade) if you were not Swedish or had one parent of another nationality.
Of course in Sweden you have to pick a second or third language in grade 7 but I did not take German!! I studied French instead - to my dads horror

 

Well in East German they told us, that I should not speak german at all. I have trouble writing the correct way and the teacher told my mom,that the reason is that I am bilungual. When i finished school, I found out that I have a light form of dyslexia.

 

Interresting!!!
Btw, my family on my dads side is from Halle (Saale) ... I have big trouble talking to the older ones - with my crappy German and their crappy English.
It gets interresting at times

 

Correct myself I mean speaking Polish... not Germany LOL
My teacher did not wantet me to speak Polish at home....

 

I was living in Halle Neustadt, what is very close, I was there in the Kindergarten.
Don´t care about crappy German or English... u have hands, feets and a face to smile!!!
:smt033

 

Yeah, in person - but over the phone, ugh it becomes a guessing game

 

And just what does that mean????