By Helen Marjan

The idea of raising a bilingual child is becoming increasingly desirable for more and more families these days; growing up able to speak more than one language is certainly an advantage in today's society.

Yet bilingualism does not just simply happen: raising your child to speak more than one language requires careful thought and planning, and involves a myriad of decisions about the home and school environment in which your child will be raised.

Different types of bilingualism

There are essentially two types of childhood bilingualism. The first is where the child learns two languages simultaneously, usually from birth.

This is called simultaneous bilingualism. Many Singaporean children are simultaneously bilingual.

The second type of childhood bilingualism is called sequential or successive bilingualism. This happens when a child has one established language before learning a second language, whether in pre-school or later (the age of three usually separates simultaneous and sequential language learning).

Planning for bilingualism

Some families plan which languages their children will learn, whilst for others the languages their child uses can simply be the result of circumstances. Families who take the time to discuss their goals for their child's language development often witness the child acquiring higher levels of language skills.

If you wish to raise your child bilingually, it is useful to talk about how this goal will be achieved early on in your child's life, and to consider what languages will be spoken by each parent and carer, what sort of pre-school can meet the language aims you have for your child, and what aspects of language may need to be emphasized or reinforced outside of school.

Will my child become confused learning two languages?

Children have an amazing capacity for learning languages and seem equipped with the skills to learn many languages simultaneously. However, certain strategies can assist in this process.

Experts stress separating the two languages so that children instinctively learn to distinguish between different language systems, thus making language acquisition easier for children.

Thus working out the boundaries between the languages is useful: for example, having one parent consistently communicating in the same language and not switching to another, creates a genuine need for the child to communicate with that parent in the target language.

Another way of establishing boundaries between languages is when both parents speak only one language in the home, and the second language is used at school.

Children's language development is strongly influenced by their peers, and many children pick up an additional language because they have a genuine desire or need to communicate with their friends.

A third possibility is for one language to be spoken both at home and at school, and the second only with another group of people, for example the child's grandparents.

However, for this strategy to be effective, the child needs to have regular contact with the grandparents and they, in turn, need to communicate freely with the child in the target language.

Consistency is key

Consistency is a central issue in early language learning. If you mix languages in the same conversation, young children will experience difficulty separating vocabulary and grammar into the appropriate language.

The child may learn the 'mixed' language as one hybrid language. An example of this is children who speak 'Singlish' and who struggle to make themselves understood to either native English speakers or native Chinese speakers because of the adoption of this pidgin language.

Striking a balance

It is important to try and strike a balance between the languages you wish your child to speak.

If a child attends school in one language all day and has only a short time to hear the other language at home, it's likely the school language will develop much more easily than the home language.

Thus it is important to plan for additional time spent using the home language in a variety of situations and with a variety of speakers. Rich language experiences in both languages are essential for good bilingual development.

Language quality

The quality of language interaction is also very important. The language used with young children should not be too complex and should focus on developing language skills for genuine communication, rather than on meaningless drilling or rote learning.

New words and phrases need to be reinforced through stories, songs, rhymes and general conversation, and lots of encouragement and praise should be given to the child for his / her efforts at communicating.

As a parent you need to be a good listener and provide good language models by using a rich vocabulary and by engaging your child in conversations. Providing books, music, and even videos in both languages is a great way to stimulate language development.

Children are individuals

As a parent, it is essential to be aware that all children are different. Each child learns language at his or her own speed and in his or her own way. Some children appear to have a greater natural aptitude for language learning than others. This is thought to be due to a variety of factors, such as:

• Stability and mobility

  A family that remains in the second language community for a longer period of time will increase the chances of the child retaining the second language.

• Relationships within the family

  Interfamily relationships do affect bilingual language development. For example, if the father speaks a different language from the mother, but frequent trips take him away from home, the child will not learn his language as easily as the mother's.

• Attitudes towards the target language

  A child needs to understand and feel that the languages spoken by his family members, in his school and in his community have a sense of worth. Children are more likely to willingly communicate in a language if they perceive the language as positive and meaningful.

Knowing two or more languages can be a distinct advantage in life. Bilingualism enables children to communicate with a wider variety of people, and exposes them to two or more cultures. It can open up more job opportunities later in life and research indicates that earning two different language systems can enable a child to have advantages in thinking skills.

However raising bilingual children involves some important decisions that involve the child's identity, self-esteem, schooling options, as well as social factors. These are key decisions in your child's life, and ones that will require careful consideration.

The writer is the Joint Managing Director and Director of Studies of LWSC.