Bilingual families

In countries such as the United States, there may be a dominant language; i.e., the one used by the government, schools, and the community. With this in mind, parents who speak an additional, "heritage" language may face a dilemma: Should we teach our children only the dominant language or should we try to raise them bilingual? Although it's important to learn the prevailing language in the country where you live, for many people it's also important to have their kids learn the language of their parents, grandparents, and older siblings.

Deciding whether to teach your kids one or more languages is up to you. You may think they need to "start over" in a new country and that they only need to learn the dominant language. However, there are some advantages to raising bilingual kids.

What Bilingual Means

Being bilingual means understanding and expressing yourself in two languages, and being able to convey your thoughts clearly in both. Being plurilingual means having these skills in more than two languages.

Many people think English is the official language in the United States. This is not really so; whereas some countries have official languages, the United States does not. In fact, in 2004, the United States had around 336 spoken or recorded languages. Some U.S. states, though, are officially bilingual. For example, in Louisiana, English and French are the state's official languages; in New Mexico, the official languages are English and Spanish; in Hawaii, they're English and Hawaiian. So, being bilingual in the United States is not new.

Advantages of Being Bilingual

Some research shows that kids exposed to several languages are more creative and better at developing problem-solving skills. Other studies suggest that speaking a second language, even if only during the first years of life, helps build cognitive abilities so that a child will have an easier time learning other languages in the future.

Some experts say that if parents and kids don't speak the same language at home, communication between them may suffer. As a result, parents may lose some control over their children and, over time, kids might turn to negative influences, such as gangs, to regain the sense of belonging they no longer experience at home.