My Husband’s famiy speak Spanish, and I only speak English. They alwas speak spanish to our son, and I’ve read that a child speaks the language that they are most exsposed to. We live with his mother and she always talks to our son in spanish although she can speak English. I just want to understand my son when he starts to speak.
Talk to your husband about this, encourage him to talk in English to your son and you speak and read to him in English.
Speaking both languages will confuse him, He will be saying half a sentence in English the other half in Spanish!
Good Luck!
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Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
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June 16th, 2010 at 12:41 am
Talk to the people who are speaking spanish to him and ask them to speak english to him because otherwise he might be confused
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June 16th, 2010 at 12:50 am
I would discuss it with the family…If they can’t respect your wishes maybe you need to find a way to move.
Because if they don’t respect you in front of your child…What language he’s speaking is the least of your worries.
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June 16th, 2010 at 1:14 am
Speaking two languages is a plus this days, let them teach him spanish too, it will not confuse him and his english will perfect once he starts school, all three of my boys learned both languages at once and speak it and write it beautifully.
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June 16th, 2010 at 1:19 am
After showing concern about this to your husband, he may be willing to speak English more often. I know a 2 year old who is exposed equally to French, Spanish, and English, and is steadily developing speaking skills in all three. That being said, as long as you are speaking to him in English (so that he is exposed to it in some way), he should be fine.
Buena Suerte : )
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June 16th, 2010 at 1:58 am
That would be a great way for you to learn Spanish. Don’t worry about the kid, He will sort it out. Berlitz grew up speaking like 7 different languages. You need to spend a lot of verbal time with the kid, read to him, talk to him, don’t panic if he throws in a couple of Spanish words, and certainly don’t punish him. (that could seriously delay his language skills)
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June 16th, 2010 at 2:38 am
Music, cartoon,and speak english all the time…my cousin has 2 boys …we speak english and portugues but they speak english better….
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June 16th, 2010 at 3:26 am
Kids at that age are amazing to pick up info. It shouldnt matter what language you speak to him in, he will understand it all in time and by the time he’s in kindergarten, he will be able to speak in both languages fluently.
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June 16th, 2010 at 4:05 am
It is good that your child is being brought up in a bilingual home. That is the best way for them to learn multiple languages.
I am an English speaker, and I speak very broken Spanish and Czech.
My fiance is Czech and she speaks English, Czech and French fluently.
According to the pediatric psychologists and physicians we have spoken to about how to raise our children, it is best if I speak only english to them and she speaks only Czech. To have multiple people speaking multiple languages would be more confusing.
I understand your desire to understand your child when he begins to speak, but he is going to say what he is going to say. I think your best bet would be to learn Spanish yourself, and to get some more English speakers around your son…
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June 16th, 2010 at 4:34 am
You haven´t said which country you live in and therefore which language your child will learn at school or when out playing. Help his English by always using it when you speak to him. Encourage both languages and he will have an advantage in later life
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June 16th, 2010 at 4:59 am
Dont worry kids at that age are like heavy duty sponges…
they can pick up somewhere 20 languages before startin school.
Think about us Indian kids most are fluent in atlest 4 languages by the time we start preK.
If your still worried jus read to the kid they can understand this eversince they sed to be a fetus…
Good luck!
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June 16th, 2010 at 5:04 am
I took a linguistics class, and I learned there that a child can easily learn all the languages he’s exposed to. (If exposed properly) I have the documentary to prove it.
So it’s not really a problem him learning spanish while learning english, but in his current environment, I think it is likely that he will be speaking more spanish than english.
All it really takes is for him to be exposed in both an english and spanish environment, and he’ll be okay. There shouldn’t be any confusion, not unless a certain language came up as a shock. Should be a gradual and continuing process of language acquisition.
My proof is my nephew, who grew up in a Hiligaynon speaking environment (a minor language in the Philippines). He is exposed mostly to this language, though we do speak to him in English as well. But I believe his biggest exposure is the TV. Because he speaks very good english, and even with an american accent. The kid’s the life of the party.
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June 16th, 2010 at 5:30 am
Talk to your husband about this, encourage him to talk in English to your son and you speak and read to him in English.
Speaking both languages will confuse him, He will be saying half a sentence in English the other half in Spanish!
Good Luck!
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June 16th, 2010 at 5:35 am
don’t fear! in my family everyone speaks spanish at first, and then by age 2 and a half they forget it completely. knowing spanish in my early years only enhanced my english skills.
you should encourage your son to become bilingual. this is the age where he can learn best without worrying about him being confused.
i’ve seen studies where experts encourage one parent to speak the foreign language exclusively while the other parent speaks only english. as long as you speak english to him he will understand. english will stick, no matter what. my boyfriend’s nephew speaks mostly english even though his parents don’t speak it (at only 2yrs of age he speaks two languages)
babies are smarter than they get credit for.
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June 16th, 2010 at 5:50 am
Just keep talking to him in English. He’ll learn. Children pick languages easier than adults. My husband family is from the USA, they don’t speak Spanish, I’m the only one and my children are bilingual. Don’t worry about it.
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