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Tuesday Media Watch: Second Language

Perhaps I could prepare her for a world of scientific inquiry and supplement her with a vocabulary of Latin…

Tuesdays? Pondering pointless programming.

I’ve often quietly scolded myself for being fairly inept at languages. I mean, I have a reasonably high proficiency in English due to thirty-odd years of reading, writing, and speaking it. But over the years I’ve stumbled through a number of focused efforts to learn a second language, namely French and German, but sit here today without the ability to do much more than count to ten, introduce myself, and order a beer in either. Both efforts to lean a second language have involved numerous formal (textbooks, school, and evening courses) and informal (travel, websites, multimedia, and broadcasts) attempts to build vocabulary and grammar. But at the end of the day my proficiency will never match that of a native tongue.

Now, as my young daughter babbles away in what numerous bits of research and wisdom tell us is the early stages of language development, the world-traveler, practical parent in me has been pondering the value of multi-linguistic lessons even this early in the game. But then, given the above admission of language ineptitude by yours truly, a number of questions (and thus options) are left hanging in the air…

1) Is there value in learning a second (third, fourth…) language from a child’s perspective? And what language?

Living in a multicultural community as we do, a number of our close friends come from backgrounds that are rich with histories of recent immigration. Grandparents speak multiple languages and the kids are therefore exposed to a direct opportunity to speak and interact with a native-tongued family member. But for us, for example, who can offer no such opportunity the question becomes one of practicality and worldliness (in as much as that is a concrete concept.) In twenty years when the girl is out seeking a career or what-have-you in the real world, will skills in a second language pay dividends to not only her employability but to her ability to interact with a diverse world? It is tough to argue against that logic — and in my own experience, language skills are only getting more valuable all the time. But do I offer her development in the official second language of her mother-nation, French? Do I dabble a little in her extended background and teach her bits of Dutch or German? Do I anticipate the changing world economy and seek out some kind of Mandarin Chinese instruction? Or perhaps I could prepare her for a world of scientific inquiry and supplement her with a vocabulary of Latin? Problem is, I don’t speak any of these…

2) So, what role can a parent play in that learning, particularly if the parent is not a native speaker of the language?

As I’m in the position myself and the only answer that comes to mind is this: …a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy… I don’t think there is much a DIRECT role.

In other words, I don’t consider myself a teacher of language to anyone. But then, am I student. And where do I and my kids turn to for language lessons? TV?

3) What role can television and media play in a parent’s language development?

When I was trying to learn German my (then working abroad) cousin directed me towards a small collection of websites that provided media intended for students of the language. On these sites, audio and video was provided as a means to ‘immerse’ oneself in the language from the comfort of home. I could likely write a consumer report on the value of this and the countless other free and commercially available resources claiming to assist in building language skills in the avid learner. I am no ideal student of languages (I’ve come to that conclusion) but if the “proof is in the pudding” as is sometimes said, I have my doubts as to how effective media (and media in isolation) can be in building language skills in anyone.

4) What role, then, can television and media play in a child’s language development?

We were watching the sanitized wonder of the 24-hour children’s programming network, Treehouse TV, and we happened upon a show called Ni Hao, Kai-Lan that, I will freely admit, was the impetus behind this entry. Skepdad’s twenty-word summary: animated girl explores her backyard with animal friends while throwing in a bit of casual Mandarin Chinese vocabulary where applicable. In other words, this particular program represents just one of a (I’m certain) swath of ‘educational kids programming’ with a deliberate nod to contributing to language development in its audience. Growing up in Canada I personally was exposed to this kind of television in the form of shows such as Sesame Street that, in its Canadian incarnation was lightly supplemented with French language vocabulary. I don’t think it hurts to supplement television with this kind of programming — and again, I’m no example of an ideal language student myself — but I still don’t speak French. And no matter how much Ni Hao, Kai-Lan the girl watches, I doubt she’ll be conversing in Mandarin any time soon.

So, now what? It seems from this simple assessment that (a) a second language training would be an asset, but (b) there is no easy way to accomplish that — a problem that seems almost particularly North American. Thoughts?

The skep/dad blog is meant to casually reflect on questions surrounding parenting and raising kids to become critical thinkers by asking questions and examining parenting ideas with a skeptical eye for facts and science. Each article is one dad's personal opinion, backed where relevant by literature and published research. skep/dad welcomes balanced discussion, comments, and ideas.

May 6, 2008 by Brad
Filed as: Reasoned Education

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