Winter 2015

BILINGUALISM
Did you know?
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Dr Schalley shares key insights for educators:
CHILDREN ARE VERY CAPABLE OF LEARNING TWO OR MORE LANGUAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY
AND ARE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN LANGUAGES AT A YOUNG AGE.
“For example they realise very quickly that they need to speak German to Grandma, but English to
the teacher.”
FAMILIES OFTEN WORRY THAT LEARNING TWO LANGUAGES WILL CAUSE A DELAY.
“However, research shows that bilingual children acquire language at the same rate as monolingual
children. Some bilingual children may start speaking a bit later than their peers, but then so do some
monolingual children!”
KNOWLEDGE OF A HOME (I.E. NON-ENGLISH) LANGUAGE CAN ACTUALLY HELP WITH THE
ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH.
“Children with a solid foundation in their home language go on to learn English more proficiently and
achieve higher academic success than those whose home language is not well supported.”
This means that it is very important for educators to encourage families to continue to speak to the
child in his/her first language.
MAINTAINING THE HOME LANGUAGE IS OFTEN A GREATER CHALLENGE FOR BILINGUAL
CHILDREN IN AUSTRALIA THAN LEARNING ENGLISH.
“To maintain the home (non-English) language children will need to hear/speak the language about
30% of their waking time.”
CHILDREN IN CHILD CARE GENERALLY LEARN ENGLISH QUITE NATURALLY BECAUSE
OF A HIGH LEVEL OF EXPOSURE TO THE LANGUAGE.
In Dr Schalley’s experience, “There is much unnecessary stress about children acquiring English
quickly and adequately, usually it just happens quite naturally given a little more time and patience.”
IN MOST CASES, THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH LANGUAGES WILL BE BEST SERVED BY THE
PARENT COMMUNICATING WITH THE CHILD IN THEIR OWN STRONGEST LANGUAGE.
Bilingual families often feel pressure to speak English at home in an attempt to accelerate their child’s
learning. However, Dr Schalley says that “Generally it doesn’t help for the parents to speak English to
the child if it is not their first language.”
IT IS QUITE COMMON FOR CHILDREN TO GO THROUGH A “SILENT PERIOD” DURING SECOND
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION.
This is usually not a concern. “In a new language environment children often will become silent for a
while and just observe without speaking,” says Dr Schalley. “In very young children this period may
even last for several months.”
In this situation it is still important for educators to continue to encourage the child’s use of first
language. Communication in the day care environment can be supported by accessing a Bicultural
Support Worker and by encouraging educators and children to continuing to talk to the child as well
as use other non-verbal communication like gestures and flash cards.
The above points are extracted from the work of Griffith University lecturers Dr Susana Eisenchlas and Dr Andrea Schalley who
specialise in bilingualism in childhood. Drs Eisenchlas and Schalley have compiled an excellent list of resources on their website
including translated flyers for families “Should I speak English to my child?” Visit www.griffith.edu.au/humanities-languages/
school-languages-linguistics/research/bilingualism/resources to view these resources. They have also co-authored the bilingualism
information page at the parenting website Raising Children Network. Visit raisingchildren.net.au/articles/bilingual_children.html
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IN THE LOOP