I want my son to speak spanish and english like I do but...?

Question

I don't know how to introduce both languages, I don't want to confuse him he's only eight months old.

Answer 1

Just speak both languages around him. For example: when you hand him something tell him the name in both English and Spanish. He may mix the languages when he starts to speak but when he gets older he'll be able to separate them.

See if you can find a book about raising a child bilingual.

Answer 2

My kids speak both English and French. My husband always speaks French to them and I always speak English, they reply back in those languages and pretty much never get confused, although occasionally the word in the language they are speaking won't come to them. (They're 10 & 7)

What I think can be confusing is if you're speaking both languages and not making a clear distinction between the two. Probably the easiest distinction for a child to grasp is what we do, One Parent One Language. But if always speaking, say, one language at home and the other outside the home makes more sense to you, do it that way.

I would say that if one of the languages is much more common in your area (and even moreso in your home), it's worth making the other "YOUR" language with your baby, because he's sure to pick up the community language.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Just speak naturally to your child. It will not confuse him. Many children grow up in environments where they are exposed to more than one language, and they don't get mixed up. Children are much better at acquiring new languages than adults. In fact, there are many parts of the world where entire communities of people grow up in environments where two languages are spoken. It doesn't affect them in any negative way that I'm aware of.

Remember that your child will also learn language from other people in the environment, not just you. If you live in an English-speaking environment, for example, and you are a native speaker of Spanish, you might be just fine speaking only to him in Spanish, and he could learn English from other people in the neighborhood or at school. I know your son isn't old enough to go to school yet, but don't let the teachers at school tell you to only speak English at home. They don't know what they're talking about.

I think it's fabulous that you want your child to speak more than one language. Children are very sensitive and able when it comes to language acquisition.

Answer 4

"AllpineAli" hit it on the head. It has to do with what's prevalent in the child's general social environment.

The reason my 2 brothers & I speak both Spanish & English is because my parents spoke nothing but Spanish around the house. Since the kids in the neighborhood only spoke English, we picked that up in no time anyway. We became bilingual way before school age.

And it's not that we're that smart either. Kids will NOT let themselves be left out of their parents conversations and they will definitely find out how to communicate with their peers.

If you start this early, there will be no problem. I know many other cases. There will be no confusion at all. Kids have no problem with mutltiple languages. He'll share one with you and your family and other with his English-speaking friends and contacts.

Answer 5

Hi, since i was a baby my mum always spoke french to me and my dad only english. i never got confused between languages and i am so glad to have the advantage of speaking 2 languages fluently. you dont say if you are alone bringing up your child? if not then try one parent for each language, if you are alone, then talk sometimes in spanish and others in english. even from the difference in tone and pattern between the two languages, i think your child will be able to tell which is which from an early age and will not get confused.

Answer 6

It depends on what his native language is. If it's English then speak to him in Spanish. He will learn English through everyday life when he grows up. I have two children and with the eldest I didn't speak to him in English (we live in Spain) until he was able to speak and found that he doesn't like it and only speaks to me in Spanish, whereas with my second child I spoke to him in English from birth and although he doesn't speak it he understands everything I say, and with time I know he will end up speaking English. The eldest is 11 and the youngest 4. I wish you all the best in teaching your child the new language.

Answer 7

When I taught my children to speak Spanish as a second language I spoke both at the same time in little sentences repeating each language. Ex. What time is it? Que hora es? Start out with the little sentences and build to the longer over time.

Answer 8

You have a right to be worried. Your child's mental health is very important. As an aunt raising 2 nieces, I understand how your feeling. I speak Spanish to them, and I learned it in high school. They are learning number and letters right now. But if you start out with your 8 month old son, dont try to speak in complete sentences and expect a full blown conversation to follow. Take it slow and easy, set a pace and keep track of his progress. If he grasps the concepts relatively well, try something more complicated. See how well he follows action phrases.
Best of luck

Answer 9

Shoot. His brain is a sponge. Start now! He won't get confused. Somehow, as miraculous as it is, he will distinguish what is English and Spanish. Just make sure as you speak mention what is English and which words are Spanish. Talk to your baby always. Read Spanish and English books.

Answer 10

Buy him books and cd's of both languages while he's growing up.
He could watch programs of both languages.
My 9th grade English teacher taugh me a trick that she used to do when she was living in the U.S. She would talk spanish in her house and talk english when she went out, that way she practice both. But you should do this after he learn to speak both.

Peace!!!!!!