BRINGING UP AN ACTIVE BILINGUAL

An active bilingual is a person able to speak (not only understand) two languages.

 

Why?

At least half the worlds population speaks two or more languages.
Multilingualism is the norm, not the exception.

 

BENefits:

Education and skills – better attention – the most valued quality for academic and general achievements, easier to study at school .

Mindset – openness, easier to communicate with other cultures, easier to learn other languages .

Health – less probable Alzheimers in older age .

Job opportunities: 

  • TV and radio

  • 20% of civil service Irish-speaking by 2030 

  • Fully official language of the EU 
    from 2022 – work in Ireland and in Europe

  • more and more Irish language schools 
    all over the country, lack of teachers

 

How?

Children put energy into learning what they feel they need, what they feel incentives to acquire.

English is a majority language that is highly present socially – the incentives to acquire it are everywhere and children have no problem picking it up.

Irish is a minority language that is less present socially – there are no natural incentives in the environment to acquire it so parents must provide artificial incentives to speak it:

  • Irish is the language used at home by at least one parent all the time;

  • there are people they can only speak Irish with.

Monitor to see if the child continues to have a real need in the language.

Strategies:

  1. Minority language at home – ML@H – best, but you need both parents to speak it

  2. One parent - one language – 1P1L – also possible with reinforcement, which is:

  • Family: find a member of the family who could stick to Irish when speaking with the child; 

  • Community: find a member of the community who could stick to Irish when speaking with the child; 
    ask community event organisers to make sure there are people who could attend to your child in Irish.

3. How should an Irish-speaking parent react if the child asks a question in English?

  • Try to persuade, if possible, that you only understand Irish – best strategy.

  • Otherwise repeat the question in Irish, then answer in Irish.

4. Make sure to use Irish outside the house too – important for the child to acquire:

  • Different types of vocabulary and structures;

  • Confidence to speak Irish in other situations.

5. Show the usefulness of Irish– Irish-language preschool, daycare, school, watch cartoons in Irish, go to places where Irish is the majority language.

How we can support you:

  • Social events for parents

  • Mentor support programme

  • Entertainment for children and parents

  • Storytelling, music, painting, art, dance, drama

  • Books, CDs, DVDs, board games

  • Information on resources on the internet

  • Information and assistance on raising children bilingual

  • Assistance with learning or improving your Irish

  • Support for naíonra