[eal-bilingual] Raising tots to be bilingual: A comment

Sent to the Daily Yomiuri, Japan, November 29, 2003

I understand parents' desires to "raise tots to be multilingual" (The 
Practical Linguist, Nov. 29), but there is no need for 
Japanese-speaking parents to talk their children in English. The 
advantages are slight and can be had elsewhere, and there are dangers.

By far the easiest way to make sure children master other languages 
are good programs in school, programs that fill the classroom hour 
with interesting projects, games, and discussions, and that provide 
children with lots of interesting reading, including comics, 
magazines and good novels. The research strongly supports this 
approach, but most foreign language programs hold on to painful and 
inefficient methods that overemphasize grammar and memorization of 
vocabulary. Those who do a great deal of pleasure reading in a second 
language automatically develop a large vocabulary and as well as high 
levels of grammatical accuracy. Research also tells us that there is 
no need to begin super-early; in fact, those who begin second 
languages later progress faster. It is more efficient to start at age 
ten than at age five.

Parents' use of a foreign language with their children can backfire 
when parents do not speak the language well and communication is 
imperfect. Imperfect parent-child communication can cripple emotional 
and intellectual development. It isn't worth taking the chance.

Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031128wob1.htm