How to help children learn their ancestral language

How to help children learn their ancestral language: What parents and caregivers can do Dr. Marina Sherkina-Lieber Memorial University of Newfoundland/ Carleton University/ York University marina. lieber@gmail. com

Who am I to tell you this? - Author of a Ph. D. dissertation and several articles on adult heritage speakers of Inuktitut - Linguistic consultant for Labrador Inuttitut Master Apprentice Program - Author of a study on children’s learning of Russian* in Canada as a heritage language - Teacher of Russian as a heritage language for children in Canada (Toronto) - Mother of two fluent Russian-English bilinguals (*Why Russian? Because the same principles work for all languages!)

Goal: Raising a fully bilingual (or trilingual) child who is able to communicate fluently in both (or all three) languages Each language is an addition, not a replacement

How to help a child to grow up as a fluent bilingual (or multilingual)? Young children learn languages from people around them To learn and keep a language, children need to hear it and speak it regularly and sufficiently, throughout their childhood Most important – role of the family members The same principles work for any language and any combination of languages

Models of a bilingual/multilingual family 1) Ancestral language at home, majority language elsewhere Both/all caregivers speak ancestral language to children. People outside of home speak English. 2) One person – one language (OPOL) One caregiver speaks the ancestral language to children. Another caregiver speaks English. 3) A trilingual model: OPOL + majority language One caregiver speaks one language, another caregiver speaks another; English when both

What if the parent is not fluent in the ancestral language? Speak anyway and learn together! - The need to speak to your child is great motivation for you to learn more! - Studies show children can learn from imperfect input too, and make it more native-like as they learn

Age and language learning Before birth: listens At birth: recognizes mother’s language 0 -12 months: learns to pronounce sounds (full mastery takes up to 4 -7 years) 1 year old: first words (speaking, understanding) 1 -4 years old: learns to put words together in sentences

After age 4 ALREADY MASTERED: - Most or all sounds - Basic vocabulary - The core grammar STILL NEEDS TO LEARN: - New words (we learn new words all our lives!) - More complex grammar structures - Low-frequency irregular words - Different styles (e. g. academic, ritual, literary)

Age: learning and forgetting languages (Montrul, 2008) 0 – 3 -4 years old - easy to learn in immersion – native language - easy to forget when immersion stops or is reduced – up to a complete loss - nearly impossible to learn in a classroom setting

Age: learning and forgetting languages (Montrul, 2008) 3 -4 to 8 -10 years old - slightly harder to learn in immersion – child L 2 - slightly less dramatic forgetting - still difficult to learn in a classroom setting

Age: learning and forgetting languages (Montrul, 2008) 8 -10 years old and up – same as adults! - less successful learning in a pure immersion setting - retention of at least the basics of a language already learned - learning in a classroom setting – similar to adults

Do not isolate children from English - Children need to be fully bilingual, English should not lag behind and create difficulties - Bad news: Being monolingual in ancestral language during early childhood does NOT prevent its forgetting - Good news: Providing continious input and opportunities to speak the ancestral language helps to maintain it, regardless of what happens to English

Myths and reality - Yes, children can learn two or three languages - No, they won’t be confused - No, they don’t have to have special talents - The success depends mostly on what parents and caregivers do – not the child - No, it’s not the child’s choice whether to speak the ancestral language (the child doesn’t understand the consequences) - The child may resist – but the parent can and should persist - No, you cannot stop speaking your language to

If the child doesn’t speak enough of a language: properties of a weaker language - a large gap between understanding and speaking; may avoid speaking - slow speech, many long pauses - possibly an accent and/or unusual intonation - limited vocabulary (especially active) - “kitchen language” - missing or incorrect grammatical morphemes - incorrect word order - often cannot express themselves and switch to English

Helpful properties of child-directed speech around the world How do people speak to babies in your culture(s)?

Helpful properties of child-directed speech around the world - Clear enunciation - Slow pace, sometimes stretched-out sounds - Exaggerated intonation - Short sentences - Lots of repetition -- Saying the same word in many different sentences (This is a ball. The ball is red. Kick the ball!) -- Saying the same structure with many different words (Take the cup. Take the cookie. Take the

What is the most important thing to do to help a child learn a language?

What is the most important thing to do to help a child learn a language? . . . talking to the child! More talking = better learning! Even in monolingual children! Studies show better language development when: - the child is first-born - the mother has higher education - the daycare teacher talks more --> all this means “with more talking”!

Speaking and understanding If children only listen (including overhearing), they learn only to understand In order to learn to speak, they need to speak They need to be put in situations when speaking the ancestral language is obligatory (Hint: parents can arrange these situations)

When and where to speak? Any time and place when you are together except: - when doing English-language homework - around people who don’t understand your language You can agree on a signal to switch languages

Make a list of times/places when you would speak your language to your child

How to speak?

Speaking with a child who is fluent for his/her age - speak according to his/her age - speak about different things (not just everyday activities and terms) - use many different words; no need to “teach” (unless teaching the concept), the child will copy you - use full sentences with various grammatical structures; again, the child will eventually copy you, without teaching - lead the conversation so that the child speaks too; ask open questions, ask for elaboration

Make a list of questions you would ask your child to keep the conversation going

With a child who is NOT fluent - use short immersion periods (start with 5 minutes and gradually make them longer) - do not mix languages in one sentence - use gestures, toys, props, pictures to help understand - use shorter, simpler sentences - use direct word order if possible - use mostly familiar words - teach key words before the immersion period - repeat new words or constructions many times in many ways

Learning new words - Introduce new words frequently - Introduce a new word naturally in a conversation or when teaching your child the concept that it stands for - Ideally, let the child experience, hear, see, touch, smell and/or taste the word! - Introduce only a few new words at a time (not too many)

What if the child does not want to speak the ancestral language?

What if the child does not want to speak the ancestral language? - Try to prevent this by making it positive and pleasant, associated with family - Explain why it is important - Explain that it is much easier to learn as a child - Let the child know it’s obligatory, and be firm - Praise your child even for little successes - Avoid any negative words or actions regarding the child and the language - Connect with other child learners of the language

If the child replies in English What can we do?

If the child replies in English or mixes languages DO NOT ACCEPT IT! (with some exceptions) - ask to say it in your language - pretend you don’t understand - reply in a language the child doesn’t understand - translate for the child (and ask to repeat, if possible): “You wanted to say: . . . ” (especially for the child who is not fluent)

When NOT to insist on speaking the language - When the child is sick, tired, hungry, stressed or arguing with you - When the child is telling you something important for him/her, especially when excited or asking for help with a difficult problem - just listen as it is. - When you sense it is going to backfire

Should we correct mistakes?

When should we correct mistakes? If a child is fluent and makes few mistakes: Correct every mistake If the child makes many mistakes: Correct only the worst ones and those that change the meaning If the child speaks very little and makes mistakes all the time: Do not correct yet, just encourage to speak more

How to correct mistakes - Be positive and encouraging! - Do not make the child feel uncomfortable: no shaming, no scolding, no laughing (laughing is OK sometimes)

Ways of correcting mistakes 1) Give the correct form Good for kids who make few mistakes 2) Give the correct form and explain Good for recurrent mistakes and for mistakes caused by English influence 3) Repeat the child’s utterance, correcting it Good for all kids but especially for less fluent ones; less annoying than a direct correction

If the child cannot remember a word (switches to English, uses a general word like ‘thing’) STEP 1: ask to try and recall the word IF DIDN’T WORK STEP 2: give the first sound (e. g. “it starts with S”)/the first syllable/the first half of the word IF DIDN’T WORK STEP 3: say the word and ask the child to repeat. Try to use this word several times later.

What else can you do, besides talking?

Reading and writing Studies show that literacy helps to keep the language and develop it further What can your child read and write several times a week?

Reading and writing - books, stories, any printed material - any reading materials on the Internet - shopping lists - notes to each other - letters, emails, text messages - creative writing (stories, poems) - diaries - scavenger hunt

Stories Read or tell stories to your child - Stories are interesting and engaging - Stories contain words that are not said every day - Stories with repetition help to remember whole phrases Create your and your child’s own stories - about your child and his/her experiences - based on a wordless picture book - anything the child comes up with

Songs -Sing songs to your child -Help your child learn songs -Sing songs together with your child (and other people) -Make up your own songs - Songs create an emotional bond - Rhythm (and rhyme) help to remember the lyrics

Games Any games that involve speaking can be played in any language - Role-playing games - Board games (Candyland, Catan, Monopoly, etc. ) (one who says an English word misses a turn!) - Card games (Memory, Go Fish, etc. ) - Games with movement (Duck Goose, etc. ) - Party games

Games Any games that involve speaking can be played in any language - Role-playing games - Board games (Candyland, Catan, Monopoly, etc. ) (one who says an English word misses a turn!) - Card games (Memory, Go Fish, etc. ) - Games with movement (Duck Goose, etc. ) - Party games What games would you play?

Language games - Charades - Guessing games - List games - Literacy games: Hangman, Scrabble, etc. . what else? Be creative and come up with your own games!

Enriching the language environment - Talking to other speakers - Family and community gatherings - Group activities with other child learners - Language contests and games in the community - Immersion camps - Visits to other communities where the same language is spoken. . . or any new times and places to speak the language

Thank you! Have questions? Need consultations? Need a plan for your family or community? Want a workshop in your area? Email me: marina. lieber@gmail. com