Bilingual children: features of education. Let's start thinking more effectively

Today, speaking foreign languages ​​is becoming increasingly popular. The explanation is quite simple: a specialist who speaks and writes equally well, for example, in English or Italian, will quickly find a prestigious job in an international company. In addition, there is an opinion that learning several languages ​​at an early age contributes to the rapid development of the child’s speech apparatus. There are other reasons too. As a result, more and more people are striving to raise their children to be bilingual, or even polyglot. But who are they and how to master several languages ​​perfectly?

Who are bilinguals

Bilinguals are people who are equally proficient in two languages. Moreover, each of them is considered native. Such people not only speak and perceive two languages ​​at the same level, but also think in them. It is noteworthy that, depending on the environment or place, a person automatically switches to one or another speech (and not only in the process of verbal communication, but also mentally), sometimes without even noticing it.

Bilinguals can be either translators or children from mixed, interethnic marriages, or those raised in another country.

In the pre-revolutionary period, wealthy families tried to hire governesses from France or Germany to raise their offspring. Thus, many nobles studied a foreign language from childhood, subsequently becoming bilingual.

Bilingual or bilingual?

It is worth immediately noting that along with the term “bilingual” there is a synonym for it - “bilingual”. Despite their similar sound, they have different meanings. Thus, bilingual - books, monuments of writing, created simultaneously in two languages. Often these are texts presented in parallel.

Types of bilinguals

There are two main types of bilinguals - pure and mixed.

Pure are people who use languages ​​in isolation: at work - one, at home - another. Or, for example, some people speak one language, others another. Quite often this is observed in situations with translators or people who have moved permanently abroad.

The second type is mixed bilinguals. These are people who speak two languages, but at the same time do not consciously differentiate between them. In a conversation, they continually switch from one to another, and the transition can even occur within the same sentence. A fairly striking example of such bilingualism is the mixing of Russian and Ukrainian languages ​​in speech. The so-called surzhik. If a bilingual cannot find the right word in Russian, he uses the Ukrainian equivalent instead, and vice versa.

How do you become bilingual?

There are several ways this phenomenon can occur.

One of the main reasons is mixed marriages. Bilingual children in international families are not uncommon. So, if one parent is a native speaker of Russian, and the other is a native speaker of English, then in the course of his development the child learns both speech equally well. The reason is simple: communication occurs with each parent in his native language. In this case, children's linguistic perception develops in the same way.

The second reason is the emigration of parents of the same nationality before or after the birth of a child. Passive bilinguals are people who grew up either in countries with two official languages ​​or in migrant families. In this case, the learning of a second language takes place in school or kindergarten. The first one is instilled by parents in the process of upbringing.

A striking example of countries where bilinguals of this type are most often found are Canada, Ukraine and Belarus.

There are also people who have specifically mastered a second language. This usually happens if a person immigrated to another country and started a family with a foreigner.

In addition, almost every translator becomes bilingual during his training. Without this, full-fledged and high-quality translation, especially simultaneous translation, is impossible.

Most often you can meet a bilingual whose native language is English along with Russian, German or, say, Spanish.

Advantages

What are the advantages of this phenomenon? Of course, the main advantage is knowledge of two languages, which in the future will help you find a decent job or successfully immigrate. But this is only an indirect advantage.

As scientists note, bilinguals are more receptive to other people and cultures of foreign countries. They have a broad outlook. This is due to the fact that each language is a reflection of the life and traditions of a particular people. It contains specific concepts, reflects rituals and beliefs. While studying a foreign language, a child also gets acquainted with the culture of its native speakers, studies idioms and their meaning. It has long been known that certain phrases cannot be translated word for word into another language. Thus, it is quite difficult to translate the name of the Maslenitsa and Ivan Kupala holidays into English, since they are absent in English culture. They can only be described.

The brains of people who speak several languages ​​are more developed and their minds are flexible. It is known that bilingual children study better than their classmates; both the humanities and the exact sciences are equally easy for them. At a more mature age, they make certain decisions faster and do not think in stereotypes.

Another undoubted advantage is a more developed metalinguistic perception. Such people more often, seeing errors in speech, understand its grammar and structure. In the future, they will quickly master the third, fourth, fifth languages, using their existing knowledge of linguistic models.

Three periods of study

Depends on the age at which the work was started. Children become bilingual both in early infancy and in later periods. There are only three of them.

The first is infant bilingualism, the age limits of which are from 0 to 5 years. It is believed that this is the best age to start learning a second language. At this time, neural connections are formed faster, which affects the quality of assimilation of a new linguistic model. At the same time, the second language should be taught already at the time when the child has become acquainted with the basics of the first. At this time, speech organs, fine motor skills, attention and memory are physiologically developed. Approximate age: 1.5-2 years. In this case, the child will speak both languages ​​without an accent.

Children's bilingualism - from 5 to 12 years. At this time, the child is already consciously learning the language, replenishing his passive and active vocabulary. Learning the second linguistic model at this age also ensures clear speech and no accent. Although at this period the child already clearly understands which language is his first, native one.

The third stage is adolescence, from 12 to 17 years. Second language learning in this situation is often influenced by school. Bilingual education begins in high school, in special classes with the study of a foreign language. It is worth noting that its formation is associated with a number of problems. First of all, while maintaining the emphasis in the future. Secondly, the child has to specially tune in to learning the speech of someone else.

Bilingualism Strategies

There are three main strategies in studying bilingualism.

1. One parent - one language. With this strategy, the family immediately speaks two languages. So, for example, a mother communicates with her son/daughter exclusively in Russian, a father - in Italian. The child understands both languages ​​equally well. It is worth noting that with this strategy, problems may arise as the bilingual grows up. The most common is when a child realizes that his parents understand his speech, regardless of what language he speaks. At the same time, he chooses a language that is convenient for himself and begins to communicate primarily in it.

2. Time and place. With this strategy, parents allocate a certain time or place in which the child will communicate with others exclusively in a foreign language. For example, on Saturdays the family communicates in English or German and attends a language club where communication takes place exclusively in a foreign language.

This option is convenient to use for raising a child whose native language is Russian. In this case, a bilingual child can be raised even if both parents are Russian-speaking.

3. Home language. So, a child communicates in one language exclusively at home, in the second - in kindergarten, school, and on the street. It is often used in cases where parents immigrated to another country with their child and their foreign language skills are rather mediocre.

Duration of classes

How long does it take to study a foreign language to become bilingual? There is no exact answer to this question. It is believed that when mastering someone else’s speech at a conscious age, it is necessary to devote at least 25 hours a week to studying, that is, about 4 hours a day. In this case, you should perform not only exercises to develop speech and understanding, but also writing and reading. In general, the duration of classes should be calculated based on the chosen learning strategy, as well as the goals and time during which it is planned to acquire certain knowledge.

So, how to raise a bilingual? We offer eight recommendations to help you properly organize activities with your child.

1. Choose one strategy that is most convenient for you and follow it steadily.
2. Try to place your child in the cultural environment of the language you are learning. To do this, introduce him to the traditions of the chosen people.
3. Speak to your child in a foreign language as much as possible.
4. At first, do not focus your child’s attention on mistakes. Correct him, but don't go into details. First, work on your vocabulary, and then learn the rules.
5. Try to send your child to language camps, play groups, and attend language clubs with him.
6. Use audio and video materials and books for learning. Bilinguals in English can read both adapted and original literature.
7. Don't forget to praise your child for his successes and encourage him.
8. Be sure to explain why you are learning a foreign language and what exactly it will give you in the future. Get your child interested in learning - and you will achieve success.

Possible difficulties

What difficulties may arise while learning a language? We list the main ones:

Conclusions

Bilinguals are people who are equally proficient in two languages. They become like this even in infancy due to the linguistic environment, with intensive training in foreign speech. Of course, it is possible to become bilingual at a later age, but this will be associated with a number of problems.

We live in a time when, in our rapidly developing world, boundaries, including linguistic ones, are expanding and sometimes even being completely erased. Did you know that more than half of the world's population speaks two or more languages ​​every day? In our article we will tell you why it is great to be bilingual and how it can be useful in life.

Who are bilinguals

First, let's look at the definition of bilingualism. Bilingualism (Latin bi - “two” + lingua - “language”) or bilingualism is fluency in two languages ​​(native and non-native) and their alternate use in everyday life. This is a rather important feature that should be taken into account, since many people learn 2-3 foreign languages ​​at once. Does this make them bilingual? Unfortunately no. After all, bilinguals not only know other languages, they speak both their native and foreign languages ​​equally well. It is when a person equally resorts to two languages ​​under his control in everyday situations that he can be called bilingual.

What are bilinguals?

There are two main types of bilingualism - natural and artificial.

Let us give an example of natural bilingualism. Today, mixed marriages are quite common, and children in such international families are immersed in a bilingual environment from infancy. They simultaneously acquire two different languages ​​in a completely natural way. Most often, such a system works if each parent communicates with the child in one language: this is how the baby gets used to the sound of two completely different languages. Of course, this does not mean that only parents of different nationalities can raise a bilingual child. If the mother or father speaks a foreign language at a high level, they also have the opportunity to create an appropriate environment at home for bilingual development.

As for artificial bilingualism, we can find it almost everywhere. With artificial bilingualism, a person simply learns a foreign language and acquires the necessary speech skills and abilities. However, his native language will always remain the language he learned first; He will use it in everyday situations, only if necessary, resorting to the help of what he has acquired. This is the fundamental difference between these two types of bilingualism.

How did bilinguals appear?

Why does the phenomenon of bilingualism arise? First of all, because all countries of the world interact with each other in one way or another: remember international trade, migration processes, student exchange, etc. Every second inhabitant of our planet studies at least one foreign language in order to be able to discover new countries, get acquainted with representatives of other cultures and traditions - in a word, expand your horizons. It’s not for nothing that they say: “A new language means a new world.”

More and more European states are becoming multilingual (multilingual): for example, Switzerland has four (!) official languages, and in many cities in Austria the “main” languages ​​are Hungarian, Croatian and Slovenian. True, often the language of instruction in educational institutions of a particular country differs from the language that students speak at home. This is also one of the prerequisites for the emergence of bilingualism.

Advantages of bilinguals

If in the last century bilingualism was considered for the most part a hindrance in learning languages, today it is rather an advantage. In a true bilingual, both language systems are always active, even if the speaker uses only one language. The key myth about the dangers of bilingualism is associated with this: supposedly the first language interferes with the development of the second and vice versa. However, this opinion has already been refuted. After conducting several tests on groups of bilinguals and monolinguals (people who speak only one language), psychologists came to the following conclusions about the benefits of bilingualism.

1. Statistically, bilinguals have better mental abilities

This is explained by the fact that a bilingual person can simultaneously maintain the activity of both languages, that is, concentrate on two different things at once. A person who knows how to concentrate makes mistakes less often and achieves his goals more often. Bilingual people are extremely attentive.

2. Bilinguals are more creative and resourceful

Knowing two languages ​​helps a person develop ingenuity and creative thinking. By the way, most of the generally recognized authors and creators were bilingual.

3. Bilinguals have strong memories and flexible minds

Learning a foreign language is the best way to train your memory. According to the results of the study, a monolingual is able to remember on average up to 5 new words per day, bilinguals remember twice as much.

4. Bilinguals are protected from mental disorders

As we have already said, a person “pumps up” his memory precisely when learning foreign languages. It is worth mentioning that the experience of bilingualism has beneficial effects on the brain throughout life. The higher the degree of bilingualism, the better a person speaks any language, the stronger his resistance to such senile diseases as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Do you want to stay “sane and in good memory”? Learn languages!

5. Bilinguals are characterized by rational thinking.

Because bilingual people are very attentive, they are also observant. It is easier for a bilingual to cope with planning things, solving everyday problems, and analyzing difficult situations. A bilingual person thinks in an orderly manner and clearly sets goals for himself.

6. Bilinguals learn new languages ​​more easily

When you know two languages, learning a third will not be difficult. Bilingual people remember new words better, they are also good at grammar, they are well oriented even in complex structures, since they have already had experience in learning languages.

7. Bilinguals are easier to socialize

Having the opportunity to speak two languages, bilinguals have great social connections, because, in fact, they combine the characteristics of two different nations. It is easier for them to grasp the subtlest nuances of the meaning of foreign words, to perceive realities that exist in one culture and are absent in another. Therefore, the communication skills of bilingual people are more developed.

8. Bilinguals are more open to diverse cultures.

By studying a foreign language, you also gain access to a foreign culture with its originality and traditions, and ultimately become a part of it yourself. In turn, this makes you more tolerant of cultural differences and identity, and allows you to easily integrate into multinational teams. And here bilinguals have a double advantage.

9. Bilinguals understand emotions better

Bilingual people are good at understanding human emotions precisely because of their knowledge of languages. As you know, in the English language there are a great many synonyms, and, depending on the context, we can choose different options. For example, when translating from Russian into English, the word joy can be considered both as joy, and as gladness, and cheer, and mirth. All these are different facets of the same feeling. Thus, a bilingual person can more accurately comprehend his emotions.

10. Bilinguals are more likely to get a good job

Bilinguals have a pronounced ability to filter information: to perceive the essence and filter out the unnecessary. They can communicate with representatives of other nations. They know how to quickly navigate in any situation. They are more receptive to everything new. Useful skills, aren't they? Most foreign employers in prestigious companies also think so, which is why many of them prefer to hire bilingual employees.

Disadvantages of bilingualism

It would be wrong not to point out a few controversial issues related to bilingualism. As a rule, they concern those who are just embarking on the path of bilingualism: bilingual children. After observing bilingual children, teachers came to the conclusion that many of them begin to speak later. This is due to the fact that such children need to accumulate the required vocabulary in two languages ​​simultaneously, which, you see, will seem like a difficult task even for an adult. At first, children do not have an extensive vocabulary, but parents (and teachers) can correct this, and as a result, the growing bilingual will be able to amaze with his knowledge of two languages ​​at once!

It can also be confusing that at first a bilingual will mix words from two languages. To avoid this, the child needs to hear correct foreign speech as often as possible, at least half the time. In most cases, by the age of 3-4 years, the baby begins to understand the difference between languages.

As you can see, learning English brings you incomparable benefits, and the advantages of bilingualism clearly outweigh its disadvantages. Bilinguals can truly be called “multi-taskers,” and this is a huge plus for the active pace of modern life.

This is unlikely about personality changes, but language (its structure and features) affects thinking.

If consciousness really depends on linguistic structure, then bilingual people should have a mixed worldview, and many readers may have already wondered whether similar studies have been conducted with those who speak several languages ​​at once. This is exactly what Panos Athanasopoulos of Lancaster University and his colleagues did, publishing their results in . Their experiment involved people who spoke English and German, either one or both. German and English emphasize what is happening differently. If in English you can very well explain at what time an event happened and how its different episodes relate to each other on a timeline, then in German more attention is paid to the circumstances of the action: where, how and why it happened.
If language really influences consciousness, then German-speaking and English-speaking individuals should see things differently. Both were shown a series of videos of people walking, running, diving or riding bicycles, but the meaning of their actions was not entirely obvious. For example, a video of a woman walking was filmed in such a way that one could assume that she had a goal and was walking towards a specific building - or that she was walking aimlessly down the street. And in such scenes, the experiment participants were asked to decide whether the person in the video had a goal or not.
It turned out that German speakers were looking for a specific goal in what was happening on the screen in 40% of cases, while English speakers were looking for a specific goal in only 25%. (We emphasize that we are not talking about a right or wrong answer; both interpretations, goal-oriented and goalless, had the right to exist.) We can say that the Germans were focused on the possible consequences of actions, while the British were more interested in the action itself.
Well, what about bilingual people? They occupied an intermediate position, partly obeying the language they learned. If a German who speaks English fluently was in his home country during the experiment and was spoken to in German, then he was still oriented toward the goal of the action. If the experiment was staged in Great Britain and in English, then the bilingual Germans switched to the action itself. Of course, here too we can talk about the influence of the general cultural environment. However, the next version of the experiment showed that it was still a matter of language. While watching a video, people were asked to say aloud a set of numbers, in German or English - so, according to the authors of the work, it was possible to temporarily activate one language and “put to sleep” the other. It turned out that the perception of the video changed depending on which language was active: if a person was counting out loud in German, then he was looking for the purpose of what was happening (“the woman is going to come”), if the counting was in English, then the accent was narrower on the action itself (“the woman is just walking”). If the language of counting changed during the experiment, then the perception of what was seen also changed.

The modern pace of life requires maximum preparedness from a person. To achieve professional success and highly paid positions, it is no longer enough to be punctual and have a higher education diploma. Today, people who speak several languages ​​are valued in all areas; moreover, you need to know them like native speakers. This result is easy to achieve if you study them from childhood; for this, many parents send their children to a bilingual kindergarten. What it is, what they teach there and how we will try to tell you below.

A little about bilingualism

Bilingualism- the practice of alternately using two languages, when one person can communicate in their native and any foreign dialect. This situation often occurs in multinational countries where, for example, English and French are considered official languages, as in Canada.

Another striking example can be the USSR, when one state language did not exclude that in individual republics the people used their own dialect, so it turned out that in Belarus they studied Russian and Belarusian, in Kazan - Tatar and Russian.

Today, bilingualism is not only a norm established by living conditions, but also a professional necessity. In an atmosphere of active international cooperation across all industries, with the import and export of foreign products into our country gaining momentum, almost any reputable position requires extensive knowledge and skills.

That is why bilingual education for children, for whom caring parents wish a decent future, is becoming increasingly popular.

What is bilingual education?

This practice has long been accepted in many countries. Research shows that a child studying in a special kindergarten or school overcomes interethnic problems much more easily, is less susceptible to nationalistic prejudices, and also achieves greater success in professional development.

In different countries, bilingual education may differ in its methodological programs. In Russia, each educational institution offers its own methods, but basically they all have three types:

1. Support reading and writing of native culture and learning foreign ones. Here classes are taught in the native language, and a foreign language is taught as an additional language;
2. The second type involves teaching in the native dialect until the child is able to fully speak and learn in the second;
3. The third provides classes or groups of, for example, Russian-speaking children and non-Russian-speaking children - the children learn by communicating.

Thus, parents can choose both a set of languages ​​and a form of education. But while almost all multilingual kindergartens in our country are private institutions, not everyone can afford to educate a child in them, and most parents are content with clubs. But unfortunately, this is not quite the same level and result.

Pros and cons of bilingual kindergartens

Despite numerous positive reviews of the system, it has both supporters and opponents. This is due to positive aspects of the technique and its disadvantages.

Pros bilingual practice:

• It, like no other, contributes to the development of communication abilities, makes the child more mobile, he becomes liberated and flexible, adapted to the difficulties of the multifaceted adult world, since he already knows how to work in several directions;
• The vocabulary expands significantly;
• Children become tolerant and accept other cultures more easily;
• There is an opportunity to learn new languages ​​without breaking away from your ethnicity.

AND cons:

• Sometimes a person’s native speech dissipates, the connection with his native culture is lost, he is completely immersed in the ethnic group he is studying;
• The lack of qualified teachers - real native speakers, results in a kind of “marriage” characteristic of foreign language clubs at school: agrammatism, intonation, incorrect use of lexical categories.

Undoubtedly, there are more advantages, but when choosing an institution for your child, take your time and attend open classes.

What does this look like in practice?

Fundamentally, lessons in multilingual institutions are no different. Experts divide them into two types:

• Contentful;
• Subject.

A meaningful education involves learning throughout the entire period equally in two languages, thus developing a completely “bicultural” personality. This method is typical for places with a multinational population. The same amount of time is allocated for classes, for example, Russian and English, while literary rules accepted in both cultures are learned.

Subject teaching involves conducting part of the disciplines in one dialect, and part in another. But according to experts, this technology is not capable of creating a full-fledged bilingual; it is only capable of giving some ideas about the peoples living abroad, since in this case neither thinking nor linguistic thought develops.

The two listed approaches are fundamentally different and pursue different goals, so parents, when choosing an educational institution, must clearly understand what they want to get in the end.

List of preschool educational institutions in Moscow

There are few of them, but they exist; it’s worth familiarizing yourself with them all before making a choice:

• KidsEstate - has been operating since 2003, located in the center of Moscow. The program includes Russian and English courses according to international standards and Federal State Educational Standards based on the type of content-based training;
• P’titCREF - offers three languages ​​at once. In one group there are children who speak different languages, thanks to which they get used to each other better and easily absorb knowledge;
• Baby-Bilingual Club - according to reviews it is considered one of the best. Includes three gardens providing excellent linguistic immersion;
• English Nursery & Primary School - a whole complex of 5 kindergartens and an elementary school. Local teachers have extensive experience, which they brought with them directly from the UK. The practice involves both the British and Russian education systems.

There is plenty to choose from, the main thing is approach the issue thoroughly, study the assortment well, it is important to choose an institution in which the child will feel comfortable and spend time with maximum benefit.

So, bilingual kindergartens and schools are the future of our education, because here children learn to think more broadly, accept more information, and most importantly, they begin to understand the culture of other peoples and become tolerant. And all this is achieved through regular and playful communication, without boring textbooks and notebooks.

Video: how classes are conducted in bilingual institutions

In this video, Roman Poroshin will tell you what children are taught in such kindergartens and how classes are conducted:

Almost every person who is passionate about languages ​​has probably been interested in the topic of bilingualism in their life. Who are bilinguals? How are they different from polyglots? Is it possible to become bilingual? This is exactly what will be discussed in this article.

According to the simplest definition, “bilingualism” or “bilingualism” is fluency in two languages. Sometimes the possession of two native languages ​​is also added to such a decoding of the term, which is often not entirely true. However, it is precisely this aspect of bilingualism that is, in my opinion, the most interesting. Many experts argue that mastering two languages ​​at exactly the same level and in an identical volume is impossible: skills acquired in different conditions, from different people, in different social groups will initially differ. Consequently, bilinguals speak languages ​​“differently.”

And yet, where is this line separating one’s native language from a foreign one, and is it impossible to have two or three native languages? In my opinion, it is possible. But the concept of “mother tongue” has nothing to do with linguistics. This is solely a matter of language perception by a particular person, and cannot be defined unambiguously for everyone.

Philologists distinguish between “innate” and “acquired” bilingualism. In addition, there are many more classifications that are used to scientifically describe “bilingualism.” Dissertations are devoted to this topic, there is debate about it, and the authors of numerous manuals teach how to raise a bilingual child. Most researchers agree, perhaps, on only one thing: bilingualism is a positive factor influencing human development. Bilinguals learn other foreign languages ​​more easily, they have excellent memory, they grasp material faster, their experience of linguistic communication is much wider than that of a person who speaks only one language.

In fact, true bilingualism is characterized not simply by the possession of two or more languages, but by the ease of their use, the ability to replace one with another. A bilingual is someone who perfectly knows how to express his thoughts in any of his languages, without thinking or resorting to translation. The ability to quickly and naturally express an idea is precisely one of the characteristics of a “native language”. Such knowledge of two languages ​​is rare, and there are not so many people who can boast of it. This statement will clearly be contradicted by the statement that 70% of the world's population are bilingual.

Sometimes you can meet a person who, while communicating fluently in two or three languages, makes many mistakes, gets confused and jumps from one to another in conversation. He can hardly be called bilingual. There is also the opposite situation, when a person speaks two or three languages ​​perfectly, but he himself admits that his native language is only one. The native language is what we ourselves consider to be native and close, and no other definition can express this more clearly. It is not necessarily the language that we hear all the time, that our parents or friends speak, or that was our first. For our relatives, we make it for ourselves. And if a person has two native languages ​​that he knows perfectly well, albeit in different ways (which is absolutely normal, given the differences between the two cultures), then he is a true bilingual.

People become bilingual in a variety of ways: some are born into mixed families or families of emigrants, others have lived since childhood in a country where there are several official languages, and others become so accustomed to the acquired language that they perceive it as their native language. Based on my own experience, I can only say that easy switching from one native language to another is not always a characteristic of a bilingual. In different periods of life and in different situations, we communicate in a particular language more often. And he becomes dominant. But the picture easily changes when we find ourselves in a different language environment. My good friend, an absolute bilingual who speaks equally (in my opinion), Hungarian and Russian, while in Hungary is hardly able to express himself in Russian with the same ease with which he does it in Russia. But the situation becomes different as soon as he finds himself in Moscow again. Here his Hungarian begins to suffer, losing its usual fluency.

I myself face absolutely the same problems. Being fluent in Russian and Romanian, it can be quite difficult for me to switch from one language to another. If I communicate or write something in one language, I try to completely exclude the second one from my daily life. Nevertheless, I perceive both Russian and Romanian as native! Constantly studying several other languages, I feel that they are foreign to me, even if they are my favorite ones. And if you ask which language is more native to me, I won’t be able to answer unequivocally, because everything depends so much on the situation! In any case, when filling out forms, in the “native language” column I always write the same thing - “Romanian and Russian”.

Kurkina AnaTheodora