Language development

Dadadaaaa 

This is particularly interesting to us because currently we have three languages in our environment. It might mean that the babbling phase may be a little delayed. When I wrote in an earlier post that the Monkey isn't saying individual words yet, and in fact seems to have regressed slightly, I am aware that multilingualism is most likely the cause for this. Although of course I would prefer seeing some sort of verbal communication develop, I appreciate that it is a lot to take in.

At home we speak German and English. Our environment is Spanish speaking, which is becoming even more relevant now that our son is going to nursery two afternoons a week. This is bound to cause some confusion at some point. But we are using the One Person One Language (OPOL) approach, and I feel confident that, with time, our Monkey will work out which sounds belong to which language. 

I do find it fascinating to see that he can understand "Give this to Papa" and "Gib' es der Mama". It will be interesting to see which languages will stick. A child, so I have read, may go the way of least resistance with his language. So he may well end up speaking Spanish and English, with German being the minority language. 

Because I enjoy reading, the following books are currently spread around the house, so I can sneak in a quick read at nap time or in the evenings. Be Bilingual by Annika Bourgogne is, so far, an interesting read. She explains how it works in her family, but also references other books and research. I quite like her practical tips, and look forward to trying them out over the following years.

Another interesting book although it feels not quite as scientific as I would like, is Small Talk by Nocpla Lathey and Tracey Blake. The author is a speech therapist and draws on years worth of experience which means that there are plenty of case studies and examples. Her practical ideas on language development are really easy to integrate into the day.

I appreciate that it may not be as easy as I envision it now.... But whatever happens, our son has the amazing opportunity to be exposed to several languages and this in itself will help language acquisition even at a later stage.

If you're raising your child bilingual, let us know your thoughts and tips. It would be fantastic to hear of other families' bilingual journeys.