It takes two to talk
Although your baby can’t speak at birth, language development
begins in infancy. “Motherese”, the exaggerated way we speak to children with
changes in pitch and rhythm, has been proven to be the key for children
understanding and creating sentences of their own.
When my 7 week old baby and I interact, we are clearly having
a dialogue. When I make eye contact, smile, and talk to him about what I’m doing
or thinking, he smiles and begins cooing and babbling back to me. I pause to
give him the opportunity to make sounds and then I respond with words. This back
and forth banter of silly sounds is baby’s first “conversation”. Many parents
have confided in me over the years that they feel uncomfortable talking to a
baby that obviously doesn’t understand them. Mom and Dad- stop being shy about
talking to your baby in private and even in public! You are laying the
foundation for language comprehension and usage. When parents speak with their
children they are modeling for them how a sentence begins and ends, the
difference between a statement and a question, that changes in tone indicate
changes in mood, all while building basic vocabulary skills.
According to the American Speech and Hearing Association,
between the ages of one and two years old, a child should be able to point to
most body parts, point to pictures named in a book, put together 2 words to make
a simple sentence or question, follow simple commands, and add new words to
their vocabulary every month.
To most of us, all this comes naturally and typically
developing children learn their first language easily and without direct
teaching. For the handful of children with a language delay, intense therapeutic
intervention before 3 years of age can make an impact in reaching age
appropriate norms.
What if the language spoken in the home is not the language
spoken outside the home? What if your child is developing two languages
simultaneously? As Olim, the majority of us are speaking English as the primary
language in our homes and between family members while Hebrew is the reigning
language at school, work, and on the playground. Parents want to know if this
situation will cause “confusion” or a delay in which the child is trying to sort
out meaning in everyday conversation.
Children all over the world learn more than one language
without developing speech and language problems. Bilingual children develop
language skills just as other children do. Most children learn both languages
with ease. A few may know one language better than the other. This is known as
the dominant language. The process of learning a second language is not a
language disorder.
There are things you may notice as your child is acquiring a
second language. They may mix grammar rules or use both English and Hebrew in
one sentence. A great example of this is when my five year old told me about two
“snakim” instead of using the word “snakes.” He used the plural rule for Hebrew
rather than English. Sometimes when a second language is introduced, children
may go through a silent period and not talk in certain situations. Again, this
is typical of 2nd language learners and will usually resolve itself.
It is always best to talk to your child in the language you
are most comfortable in. Parents must provide a strong language model. If you
don’t know the language well you should not be teaching it. It is recommended
that one language be used at home in a natural setting since they will develop
the second language in school. In other words, if English is your primary
language at home, don’t call water “mayim.” Your child is guaranteed to learn
that word in school but may not learn the word “water” since you are the
language source at home. Second language learners may mix two languages in one
sentence but you certainly shouldn’t. Remember, you are modeling correct grammar
and vocabulary.
There are ways for parents to promote bilingualism at home.
Read books to your child in both languages to introduce them to different
vocabulary, such as colors, shapes, animals, items around the house and various
other categories. A wonderful way to enhance your child’s language development
is through songs. Music is an excellent way of learning through play so CDs and
DVDs of children’s songs and games are great exposure. Making language use fun,
such as only speaking Hebrew during dinner or homework time, is a great way to
encourage second language use (but only if you have a strong command of the
language in order to model correct usage). If you have limited skills in Hebrew,
you may tell your children that you will be making mistakes and they need to
correct you (but I recommend only doing this with older kids who have had more
exposure and not with beginners). If your child is having difficulty
communicating, there is no need to stop exposing them to a second language. Just
stick to using a consistent language at home. If your child is showing trouble
communicating in both languages, consult a licensed speech language pathologist
(Klinait Tikshoret) for an evaluation to determine if there is a language
delay.
Article written by Chani Ugowitz, M.A., CCC-SLP. Chani is a
New York State licensed speech language pathologist and is currently in the
process of getting licensed here in Israel. She made aliyah to Efrat from
Brooklyn, NY with her husband and 3 sons in August 2010. Chani gave birth to her
first Sabra in March 2012, and hopes he will have an easier time acquiring
Hebrew as a second language than his 3 older brothers. She can be reached at sugowitz@gmail.com and is
available for private speech evaluations and therapy in English.
