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Help, My 5 Year Old Wants To Learn All The Languages He's Coming Accross

Discussion in 'Toddlers' started by pumpkin01, Aug 16, 2017.

  1. satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks for tagging me, Shanvy. Sorry for the delay in responding.
    @pumpkin01 Hi. It is true that children learn fastest at a young age. First question I have is where are you living? In India? Which state? I am asking so I can figure out what the local language is.

    What is most important for kids is to start learning to speak a language before reading and writing - just the way they pick up their mother tongue.

    As for English, if you are no longer in the UK, it is natural that his accent will drop and he will speak the way he hears it spoken here. You could help him by concentrating on developing a neutral accent. Get him to read children's story books. Encourage him to write short stories (or compositions), so you could help him write correctly. Let him not lose the skills he has learned.

    It is certainly important to get him to learn your mother tongue. Let him learn to talk first. Gradually he can learn how to read and write, maybe in a couple of years.

    Thirdly, the local language is important. Certainly, they will have to study it in school. Encourage him to interact with people who speak the local language as mother tongue and request them to speak to him in that language. Reading and writing can be learned in school.

    As for other languages, it is certainly wonderful that your kid wants to learn lots of them, but let him take his time. Bit by bit. English, Hindi (since they are learning it in school), local language and mother tongue. This should be good enough for a start and to ensure he does not get thoroughly mixed up.

    Don't discourage him. You can direct the pace by getting him to concentrate on these more. When you feel he is comfortable and well grounded in these languages, let him learn more.
     
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  2. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello: @pumpkin01
    Fantastic feedbacks. Intellectually rewarding at that.
    But then these views were written four years ago. The boy is now nine & in resides Odisha with parents - I believe.
    After having read the thread naturally I am curious to know the present status of OP son’s learning several languages and his proficiency.
    This thread drove me to google to have in-depth and it was interesting to read
    Q&A: How many languages can a small child learn at the same time?
    Would OP Be inclined to post the status.


    Thanks.
    Regards.
     
  3. pumpkin01

    pumpkin01 Platinum IL'ite

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    @Thyagarajan Sir, thanks for bumping this thread. Actually I am/was looking for help and I had completely forgotten about this thread I had created.

    He is doing well and is learning more and more languages on his own by going online. He learns all these languages on his own and seems very interested and to certain extent gets addicted to go deep into learning the origin of these languages and the script etc. Currently he is taking interest learning French, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese etc. We are really worried is he doing the right thing or not. We also want to help him in anyway and guide him so that he can still pursue his hobby of learning and exploring different language but in the right way without over doing. So we are seeking your and any one reading this article to help us to guide our child.

    We really do not know if this is right thing for him or not and how to guide him to do the correct way.
     
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  4. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    Holy smokes, if your son has maintained his interest for four years at an age when children get tired of things very quickly, then it's a real interest and aptitude! The best way you can help him is to find a good teacher for one language that he can pick. He can change his mind about the teacher or the language, perhaps try a few, but gently insist that he shoot for sustained focus and proficiency in one, for a start. As for the rest, let him do what he wants. Learning one language well will help him acquire other languages and to develop a 'feel' for how languages work. Learning a new script is a great cognitive exercise, one element in avoiding dementia in old age! :wink1:

    I too like languages and continue to work on them, many hours a week. So, I speak from experience and a similar enthusiasm. I like my French tutor so much that I am booked for eighteen months in advance so that I can get the time slot I want. We just talk about my work, politics, science, research, theatre, opera, film, whatever comes to mind, and she corrects my errors and helps me find words and phrases that I struggle to access. Your son needs a good teacher, first and foremost!
    :beer-toast1:
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2021
  5. pumpkin01

    pumpkin01 Platinum IL'ite

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    Well, in the beginning he was finding hard with the pronunciation and loosing little interest and with long school hours he wasn't getting much time to practice but during this pandemic time he has been able to put time learning more in detail.

    What amazes us, is his ability to learn the script. He knows the Greek alphabet, Hebrew and is able to read upto certain extent and that is also on his own without much help from us.

    What I understand is to get hold of a language is not only being able to read but also to be able to make conversation that is where we are finding hard to help him.

    He sometimes gets so much inspired that he starts creating his own Script for XYZ land.in very structured way just like other languages.
     
  6. Shanvy

    Shanvy IL Hall of Fame

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    Ha @pumpkin01 I am not regular here and have not even thanked many on the wishes they poured on to my young man. well too busy with health and person issues..

    but this thread alert caught my radar.. your son has passion that is what passion makes you do.. I have seen this happening with my young man who got fascinated with his subject as young as 4 and now at 23+ is still stuck there. what can i say, that is how they are.. and the best we as parents can do is help them continue with it or it fizzles.. but being consistent shows he not only has a flair for languages but a polyglot in the making with great cognitive abilties..
    and the frustrations . oh boy i hear you....
    Have you checked with linguistic society of india.

    one of the people who come to the top of my head is judith meyer, reach out to her .. About Learnlangs.com and see if she can help or guide you to someone who would like to .. there is so much happening in the language area right now.. but again depends on how much you want to expose your kid.

    Not sure a language tutor is going to be helpful. maybe reach out to people who may be willing to talk to your son. someone who is good at greek, german can talk to him for a few minutes..it also helps keeping his passion going and his confidence and enthusiasm bright. he is right now exploring the languages let him have fun until you find the way to help him..

    and did you know you can make your own script and speak it too. have read about some families having their own script. these are called constructed languages or conlangs while the hebrew, spanish are natural languages. maybe find help at cbb and linguistic forums..

    all the best.... I am sure you will definitely get a lot of suggestions...
     
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  7. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    I like it. An all encompassing advise from a senior mom. I am sure indeed this FB would be fit op’s Bill.

    Thanks and Regards.
     
  8. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    I'm interested in finding out why you think that - not arguing, just curious!:wink1:

    Here is my reasoning:
    A child's energies are often undirected. This playful wandering has value on its own, but the other side of the coin is that scattershot efforts are often dissipative and wasteful. An astute instructor - sensitive to the mind of a 9-year-old - can channel the intensity in useful ways. I don't know where the OP lives, but in the US, they have bilingual schools - like this one. The actress Jodie Foster attended the Lycée Française de Los Angeles and her French is impeccable. Of course, such schools are super expensive. I'm using that merely as an illustrative example, to say that young children can be taught any language immersively without the grammar-centric approach that adult instruction takes. OP's son can fool around with as many languages as he likes, but I'd recommend channeling that drive and the magnificent sponge brain that kids have to acquire proficiency in one.
    :beer-toast1:
     
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  9. nuss

    nuss Platinum IL'ite

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    I am also curious! I would think that a teacher who can lead the conversation and help build confidence in speaking instead of teaching the language in a mechanistic way would be quite helpful. I felt this with Spanish. I learned through DuoLingo and can write well but couldn't hold a conversation until I found a tutor who would speak about random things- my day, weather, an upcoming festival, etc. and it makes a huge difference. Now, I can speak and have short conversations with my son. The interest came from him wanting to learn and we started together.

    I have an American colleague who has lived in eastern Africa (played African music), France, and Uruguay and he speaks French and Spanish fluently. He worked with a tutor for French and Spanish and then picked up Portuguese from his partner who is from Portugal. Fluency in Spanish made Portuguese easier to learn (According to him).

    In the USA, there are public schools that use immersion technique-once a week students only speak the foreign language. My son is now in one such program and learning Spanish. Within two months he has been able to hold conversations.

    Good luck to your son!
     
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  10. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    Hello Pumpkin,

    I was searching for some poetry worksheets for my students and chanced upon this website and thought of you!

    ΨΗΦΙΔΩΤΟ (Stratis Paschalis)

    About · Lyrikline.org

    Not sure how your son feels about poetry and I haven't had a chance to completely explore the site, but check it out. You might find it useful for him.
     

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