Shannon,
I missed where you said how old your son is now.
(Either you didn't say, or I've already trimmed that
part of your text.) I know he's at least two, since
that's when you left Japan.
> The problem is that he always responds
> to me in Spanish!
Considering that you're about to move to the US, that
sounds like an advantage, not a problem. It means he
has a strong rooting in Spanish which will help him
keep that language once he has moved.
One thing I will say is that we had a problem when my
son was small that some of the grandparents would make
stern comments like "say it in English" or "I don't
speak that language." (This last comment was made
right after my son said something in English!) What
I try to say when a child speaks to me in a language
which I don't understand is "those are all wonderful
words, but I'm really sorry honey, but I don't
understand them."
It also varied from family member to family member.
Some just turn their ears off when they hear another
language. Others strain their ears and pull in any
obscure knowledge they can in order to catch the
drift of what is being said -- and even jump in on
the conversation.
Kids are all different and situations are different.
I think someone has responded that their kids switched
languages in the airport. Last summer, my son (then
4) took a few weeks to switch over, and then some time
to switch back.
I would let your parents know that your son *does*
know English. There is little difference between
"active" and "passive" bilingualism at this stage.
Your son is used to answering in Spanish and he may
(or may not) continue this pattern with your parents.
It's important that they listen to what he is saying
but continue with speaking English. I would ask
them not to tell him to say it in English, but simply
to let him know when they have not understood.
> And I'm sure he'll be fine within a few weeks of
> arrival, but how can I get him to start responding
> to me in English now?
I wouldn't even try. The move will be stressful
enough as it is. You can't hasten the growth of a
flower by pulling on it. What's important is input
input input. Water and fertilize that flower of
English and it will bloom.
Pretty soon it will take over your garden.
> While I'm at it, any ammo I can get for convincing
> my parents that he really *will* talk well soon in
> English and that it will all be SO worth it once
> he's totally bilingual would be useful. I'm sure
> they're going to rail on me when he can't talk to
> them, so I want to be ready!
Ask them in advance to rail on you when the other
members of your family are not around.
The fact of the matter is that understanding a
language is a very complicated task. If you can do
it, it means that you do "know" that language. From
there it is just a small step to speaking that
language. Up till now, there has been no *need* to
speak English. The move will create that need. When
it happens, it will be like a switch was thrown.
The biggest thing is not to make a big deal about it.
Regardless of whether your parents are convinced,
their role is the same. They should make sure your
son feels welcome and accepted and that he hears
a lot of English from them.
=====
Amike salutas,
Thomas/Tomaso ALEXANDER.
www.NightinGael.Net
---Anything below this line is not from Thomas ---
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources
often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/KZzaMD/.WnJAA/HwKMAA/W_NqlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/multilingualmunchkin/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
