How many languages can your kid speak?

When Pakistani expat Mariam Navaid Orrimofiore was 19 years old, she left her hometown of Karachi with a one-way ticket to Boston. Since then, the author, researcher and economist has lived in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Ghana and is married to a German-Italian expat. It's little wonder that their two kids - born in Singapore and Dubai and aged seven and four respectively - have picked up multiple languages.

"They usually speak German with their father, Urdu with me, and English remains their primary academic language which they use to communicate between themselves. Their secondary languages are Italian to speak with their grandfather and Arabic and French (both learnt in school)," says Mariam, who lived in the UAE for four years till last year, when she moved to Ghana.

In today's day and age, families like these are commonplace. But while one would imagine that travelling makes it easier to raise multilingual children, that isn't necessarily the case.

TALKING THE TALK: Martino is German-Italian while Mariam is from Pakistan. Their kids speak English, Urdu and German
 
"Parents need to create a need for their child to speak a language," says Mariam, whose recently-published book This Messy Mobile deals with raising multilingual kids. "Passive knowledge, when a child understands the mother tongue, is easier to learn but active knowledge, where a child speaks or responds in the mother tongue is much harder to achieve."
WHY MULTILINGUALISM?
During the first half of the 20th century, many believed that bilingualism put children at a disadvantage. However, research and studies have not just disputed this myth but proved that it's actually quite the opposite. Being able to switch between languages helps children effectively manage their cognitive processes (like problem solving), leading to what some people call the bilingual advantage.

"There are several benefits to being bilingual or multilingual," says Dr Vandana Gandhi, founder and CEO of British Orchard Nursery in the UAE, which has introduced languages such as Arabic, French and Mandarin into their syllabus. "Studies show that children who learn more than one language are better at multitasking, more focused, start reading earlier and have better cognitive skills."
THE RIGHT AGE
UAE-based linguist Katya Ensari agrees. But it's not as simple as deciding to teach your children languages, she adds - it's also about the age at which you teach them. "It is scientifically proven that the younger the child, the easier it is for him or her to learn a new language. The most sensitive period to learn sounds of languages is the first year of a child's life. The most sensitive period to learn words is the second year," she says.

BREAKING LANGUAGE BARRIERS: Katya Ensari, a Russian linguist, with her husband who is from Turkey; their children are also multilingual
Hailing from Moscow, Russia, where she taught English to Russian students, Katya practises what she preaches. Her elder daughter Mira, aged five, speaks Russian, Turkish (her father is from Turkey) and English and studies French and Arabic in school. Katya's younger daughter Maya started speaking Russian, Turkish and English when she turned two years old.

"Although learning several languages at the same time is natural for kids, parents need to put in effort," says Katya. "It is very important not to mix languages. Parents should not use words from different languages in one sentence; when I am speaking Russian to my daughters, I never use English words. It is also very important to spend quality time even with newborn babies. I started reading books to my daughters in Russian when they were just three months old, as it is our tradition to read to them before they go to sleep. I have never simplified my speech for them."
 
DIFFERENT METHODS
Another way to naturally get children familiar with multiple languages is the 'One Person, One Language' model, which Mariam subscribes to. Her husband Martino, a bilingual German and Italian speaker chose to speak to the children only in German while Mariam would speak to the kids only in Urdu.

"English is easy to learn in schools, but I felt like if I didn't speak to them in Urdu, they might not have a chance to learn it from anyone else," says Mariam. "If you are looking to raise your children with different languages, I think it is best to have a strategy, chart out family goals, and read as much as there is on the topic."

"That being said, we did find the 'One Parent One Language' policy a bit rigid. My husband still speaks to the children in German but I will often sing childhood songs to them in Italian," the multilingual mum adds. "I drove myself crazy trying to speak only Urdu to my kids even though, in Pakistan, we mix and switch up our language a lot. So, today, if I can't think of the Urdu word, I'll insert an English word in. I worry less about consistency for the sake of consistency and more about teaching my kids social cues to be multilingual."

Mariam adds that there are other ways to get kids to learn their mother tongues in a more fun way. "A Japanese friend of mine living in Dubai asked her mother living in Japan to send a big box of Japanese books, puzzles, toys and music to create an interest in her kids to learn Japanese. You can always get creative!"
SHARING CULTURES
Learning multiple languages may have more than just educational benefits. According to Amy Thompson of the University of South Florida, it can also help make people more tolerant. In an article in The Conversation, she wrote that "it opens people's eyes to a way of doing things in a way that's different from their own, which is called 'cultural competence'."

Vandana, who notes that most of her students here in the UAE speak two languages on an average - English and their mother tongue - agrees with the sentiment. "Speaking more than one language gives children an edge at socialising in multi-cultural environments. Encouraging cross-cultural understanding inevitably leads to better comprehension of other cultures and promotes tolerance within a society. 2019 is the year of tolerance in the UAE and what better way to contribute to this than to encourage your kids to interact in multiple languages?"

The UAE certainly is a melting pot of cultures and languages, making it a great place for multilingual children to grow up in. "People from all over the world live here and the society is very tolerant," says Katya. "A parent will never feel shy about speaking his native language to the kid outside even if it is different from English or Arabic. More than that, the idea of maintaining your own culture is very much nurtured here."

That isn't to say that growing up in the UAE doesn't come with certain linguistic challenges for the young ones. As Katya points out, one of the biggest issues can be maintaining one's multilingualism. "As soon as children join kindergarten or school, the language of education and socialisation, which happens to be English here, starts dominating. At this point, it is very important for parents to continue to speak native languages at home and not switch to English."
STAYING TRUE TO ONE'S ROOTS


CROSS CULTURAL HOUSEHOLD: Alexis is from France while Mena is from Egypt. Their kids speak Arabic, French and English 
 
For many parents in the UAE, teaching their little ones their mother tongue isn't just about the emotional and educational benefits of multilingualism but about staying connected with their values and cultures while living in another country. Take the case of Alexis who is from France and Mena, from Egypt. The parents of two have been in the UAE for over 15 years and, when they met, they spoke primarily English. But they've actively made it a point to teach their sons their mother tongues, with Mena speaking to the children in Arabic, and Alexis speaking French.

"What comes to me easily is English," says Mena, a UAE-based entrepreneur. "So, I had to make a deliberate effort to speak to them in Arabic. I think Arabic was the language they struggled with the most as Egyptian Arabic is different from what they study. But it would be silly not to teach them. First of all, it is such a beautiful language. Secondly, it is a part of their identity and for them to lose that part would be awful."
Meanwhile, teaching the children French came with its own benefits - since Alexis' parents only speak one language, it's the only way for the children to communicate with their grandparents.

"Once you have made that decision to learn a new language, it is easy to do so," adds Mena. "Here in the UAE, you can make friends with someone from a different country and it's easy to pick up a language through them."

Vandana notes that students in the UAE, including those at British Orchard Nursery, often belong to several nationalities from various multilingual backgrounds which indeed helps them pick up new languages. "Parents can further nurture these friendships by organising play dates for the students outside school," she says.

It may be one of the many ways to make learning a new language fun. "That's not to say that people should go out there, absorb different cultures and forget their roots," adds Mena. "Take from other cultures, and give back as well."
janice@khaleejtimes.com