What Languages Do Your Kids Speak?

[frenchFARANGbkk]

My 14 year old step-daughter was raised in village (since we were living oversea) until about 3 years ago. We weren’t very fair to her and placed her into boarding at a big international school when she was 11, straight from village. This was something of disaster, but she did learn to understand English some. Today, she understands me fairly well, but still doesn’t like to speak it much and pretty much only does so when forced into it. She still attends a Thai boarding school and does not live with us full-time (another story)

I remember a few years back living China we meet a Danish-Thai couple with 2 girls about 7 and 8. They had lived in China most of their lives and went to an American school. They spoke English with a mid-western American accent to me, Thai to their mother, Danish to Father, and Mandarin to the maid and any other Chinese person. They could shift practicality in mid sentence, and seemed to instinctively know which language to use depending on who they were speaking to. I asked them what language they thought in, they weren't sure and said it must be whatever they were speaking at that time. Thai was the dominant language since that is what they used to each other. Danish was the weakest and their father moaned about their pronunciation. All in all, I found it pretty amazing.

TH

Does she speak Isaan ?

And I was wondering if some of you can accept to have small children who speak a language that you can't speak yourself?

[meadish_sweetball]

I have always read bedtime stories to my daughter and still do (in English of course). My wife has never ever done this and as my daughter has become a teenager has voiced open opposition to what she sees as a babyish habit. I see it as a vitally important link between us and also a wonderful way to use language that would never occur in our everyday interaction.

I think that is a great way of bringing about closeness and an interest in reading. Naturally it will be great for vocabulary and language development in general as well. Kids who are never read to will not develop a feel for written language and are far more unlikely to enjoy reading themselves when they grow up. Whenever I have kids I will make sure to do the same.

[Neeranam]

Reading bedtime stories is a perfect way to improve your childs language.

There is no reason why I can't read one for 1/2 an hour every night I'm home.

I often read Thai kiddies books translating as I go along. This has really improved MY reading skills.

My daughter is now 3 1/2 and can help me with translations and words I'm not sure about. I think it is great the way we do it, discussing what the English word will be. Also I make sure she reads the word, or looks at it anyway.

[thaihome]

Does she speak Isaan ?

And I was wondering if some of you can accept to have small children who speak a language that you can't speak yourself?

She speaks Lao only with the family in the village, but her mother insists she speak Thai to her and it is Thai at school and with her friends there.

It is indeed a problem if you cannot communicate with a step child, but over the past 3 years as her English comprehension has improved we have become much closer (also helps that are are living in Thailand now). She likes me better since I am much nicer then her mother.

TH

[chanchao]

For some reason I find myself speaking Thai with my kid when I'm correcting her about something. I don't know why, it just comes out that way when it's urgent because she's attempting something dangerous or harmful.

I don't do this intentional, but I guess it's not bad to have a uniform vocabulary that's used by all parents (& grand parent) for urgent communications.

Other than that I think the kid is on her way to become quad-lingual. (When counting Muang (Norhtern Thai) as a language. )

[thaihome]

For some reason I find myself speaking Thai with my kid when I'm correcting her about something. I don't know why, it just comes out that way when it's urgent because she's attempting something dangerous or harmful.

I don't do this intentional, but I guess it's not bad to have a uniform vocabulary that's used by all parents (& grand parent) for urgent communications.

Other than that I think the kid is on her way to become quad-lingual. (When counting Muang (Norhtern Thai) as a language. )

That's an interesting comment that reminded me of couple we know with daughter about 4 years old now. Mother speaks fluent English, as she lived in UK for number of years and now lives in Australia. Anyway, she normally speaks English to her daughter, except when she is scolding her she uses Thai, as you say. Problem is, the daughter is very reluctant to speak Thai or often to even acknowledge she understands it to strangers (she is very vocal and not shy in English). I believe it is because she associates Thai with getting into trouble. Pointed this out to the father once when we vacationed together last year, and he said that was probably true as at home the only Thai she usually hears is from her mother when she is angry.

TH

Edited August 29, 2006 by thaihome

[cnxpat]

Our daughter just turned 3, and "speaks" (knows) 3 languages, Thai, English and Dutch. None fluent at all, but we stayed in Holland a few months over a year ago year (her age 1,5-2) and for some reasons she still remembers some words, even though I never speak dutch to her.

She also has the amazing ability to mix all 3 of them in a 3 word-sentence, as in "No Ao Eten (=dutch for "to eat")".

Apart from those few months in Holland, we've always lived in Thailand, my daughter was born in Bangkok.

Interesting enough also my wife (Thai) turns to Thai when she's angry, probably though because it is easier for her to express herself emotionally and spontaneously in her native tongue. My Thai is average, and I wouldn't be able to spontaneously say something like (For F**** Sake - not that I ever get that angry towards my daughter though, but my wife seems to do more often). I actually don't in Dutch either, I never speak dutch, haven't done so for years, so sort of bi-lingual myself, I think in English.

I know many mixed (Thai-Farang) couples, with kids, and in general they all said that the kids will take longer to start and speak, but once they do, they will be able to communicate in both languages. At the early years, their "language learning sensors" seem to be wide open.

Another very interesting point someone made to me, is that WE as parents or caretakers (and from our point of view) tend to worry, (well, I did!) as in "it must be confusing for a baby/toddler, two or maybe even more different languages". However, the baby/kid doesn't realise these are two languages (in our definition, a language that consists of grammar, spelling, tones etc)!

It is not confusing, it is absolutely normal. We're producing sounds with meanings, we communicate, and it will all fall into place. To my wife's parents our daughter already knows that she has to use Thai words (Kin Kao), to me she will refer to it as "to eat".

I am already jealous at my daughter, as she already gets the Thai tones spot on. She is improving my Thai as well.

[shadowy]

Hello, well maybe my son is amazing. He is 5 and speaks thai fluently like a thai kid and also his english is good for his age compared to kids back home.

He has been in a thai school since 2 and a half now he will go to a bilingual school so he can improve his English writing now he is good in thai.

[Nepal4me]

My wife is Thai, her Father is Chinese and I am English. We live in Thailand and my Son and Daughter both speak read and write English, Thai, Chinese and French. My Son has started learning Spanish now also. My Son is Nine years old and my Daughter Seven this month.

They are really young to be able to write 4 languages, can you explain what is the language you speak at home and how you managed to teach them 4 languages?

I read somewhere that speaking more than 2 or 3 languages with young kids can confuse them forever.

They learn all four at school. I speak both English and Thai with them but mostly English, my wife will speak to them in all four languages and they know when they are using each of the different languages no problem, also like i said my son is also starting Spanish.

Your point about the confusion was infact my concern also, though they seem to be ok. My wife learned four languages at an early age in a simmilar fashion, she is now fluent in six, so i guess it's ok if you keep an eye on it.

I have a friend here in Bangkok and his son is 12 years old and already pretty much fluent in five languages.

I wish i had the same options when i was a kid.

Does anybody have more information on problems with teaching a child multiple, as in 3 or more languages? As the above states, there is concern about that. I would like more details.

My wife speaks Thai and I speak English to our infant, he's not old enough yet to make words. We have discussed the value of giving the gift of language to our child(ren) and are trying to consider our options to provide more languages. When they go to school, I am hoping they can study Mandarin and we're thinking of getting staff that speak another language such as Tagalog or possibly Burmese. Not that those 2 languages are particularly useful, it's just that (and I don't have formal data on this, I've only heard 'people say') if the kids learn more languages early, they may forget them but it's easier for them to learn different languages in future as their brains just get developed that way. Additionally, it's just good brain development at an early age. I think of all the people I know that were bi-lingual from an early age and they seem to be pretty smart people.

Any thoughts on benefits or detriments of multiple languages?

[chatette]

This is a great thread! My 8 year old spent the first half of her life in Bangkok and the second half in Belgium. She now is fluent in spoken Thai, English and French. Her first languages were simultaneously Thai and English. We spoke the latter exclusively at home, mainly because my husband always forgot to speak Thai and there's only so many times you can remind someone....She spoke Thai at nursery before going to an English lang. preschool, where most of the kids spoke Thai in the playground even tho they weren't supposed to. She was dropped into a French language school on Day 2 in Brussels. She went to a 3 wk English literacy program from Day 2 in Bangkok when we got back in July and is now much more comfident reading and writing and spent the rest of the summer holiday taking Thai literacy classes and can now read basic kiddy books. She's in the French school here and it takes teaching English and Thai literacy seriously, so she's coming on well on all fronts. And she loves it because of all the friends she can make!

[JacknDanny]

I was wondering.. (Three parts to this)

Those of you who have children in a mixed Thai/Non Thai marriage - What language do your kids speak?

And what is the mother language of the child's mother?

Finally, where do you live? (ie Thailand - The UK etc)

So if you are a Frenchman married to a Thai, do your children speak French or Thai (assuming that your wife speaks Thai - not all Thais do, for example expat Thais).

Alternatively a Frenchwoman married to a Thai, do your children speak French, Thai, both or another language.

I'm interested to hear if people teach their children both languages in mixed langauge marriages and if so is this more likely where the mother passes her language or more likely where the father passes his language.

I have a 5 yr old son, whose mother is Thai and I am from UK. Living here in Bangkok, seperated from his mother but my son lives with me.

He attends International school, and speaks both English and Thai equally well. He tends to speak mostly English to me, although he does teach me some Thai words from time to time. He speaks mainly Thai to my girlfriend and to his nanny, although he likes to correct their English from time to time!!!

Kids are really amazing and the progress in the last 12 months is unbelievable!!

[helicoptor]

I was wondering.. (Three parts to this)

Those of you who have children in a mixed Thai/Non Thai marriage - What language do your kids speak?

My Partner and I are both from the UK and are arriving in LOS next month with our 7 month old son, he is just starting to speak (dada, mama etc), naturally we only speak English to him as we do not speak Thai, but would expect him to learn Thai due to the environment.

Maybe then when he is 5 years old and (hopefully) we are still in Thailand he will help his mum & dad with their Thai!

[JacknDanny]

I was wondering.. (Three parts to this)

Those of you who have children in a mixed Thai/Non Thai marriage - What language do your kids speak?

My Partner and I are both from the UK and are arriving in LOS next month with our 7 month old son, he is just starting to speak (dada, mama etc), naturally we only speak English to him as we do not speak Thai, but would expect him to learn Thai due to the environment.

Maybe then when he is 5 years old and (hopefully) we are still in Thailand he will help his mum & dad with their Thai!

Your son has one HUGE advantage. His father supports ManCity!!!