english for my baby; ask for advice

[margapons]

I have a nine-month old son, and I would like he could learn English from the very beginning. Since my pregnancy I've been singing and telling him tales in English, but apart from that I always speak to him in Catalan, my mother language. I've been reading about the subject and I feel what I'm doing is not enough, so I'm thinking about the possibility of using only and always English with him from now on. Will this decision mean problems in his normal development (now, after nine months)? I need advice.

[Nguyen Tuyet]

Originally Posted by margapons

I have a nine-month old son, and I would like he could learn English from the very beginning. Since my pregnancy I've been singing and telling him tales in English, but apart from that I always speak to him in Catalan, my mother language. I've been reading about the subject and I feel what I'm doing is not enough, so I'm thinking about the possibility of using only and always English with him from now on. Will this decision mean problems in his normal development (now, after nine months)? I need advice.

A good mother you are! Do you think you teach english for your son is so early? I suppose that it is better to teach him good your mother language,then help him to get accustomed with english. let start with the picture books, with many pictures in which has english also.....it will attracted him.

[Mariner]

Generally speaking, teaching a small child a language that isn't the native language of either parent is a bad idea. Unless if your pronunciation is almost flawless and your grammar and syntax equally excellent, your child will just learn a "learner's" variation of English, not real English. Plus, not using your native language is definately a bad idea.

My advice: Let things flow naturally, allow your child to get used to your native language. Then, at the age of, say, 5 or 6, a child can start learning a second language.

Of course, that doesn't mean that you can't expose him to english cartoons or fairy tales. But better avoid replacing Catalan with English at this stage

[aysenakartuna]

Originally Posted by Mariner

Generally speaking, teaching a small child a language that isn't the native language of either parent is a bad idea. Unless if your pronunciation is almost flawless and your grammar and syntax equally excellent, your child will just learn a "learner's" variation of English, not real English. Plus, not using your native language is definately a bad idea
My advice: Let things flow naturally, allow your child to get used to your native language. Then, at the age of, say, 5 or 6, a child can start learning a second language.

Of course, that doesn't mean that you can't expose him to english cartoons or fairy tales. But better avoid replacing Catalan with English at this stage

I completely agree with you Mariner ,I have two sons who are 19 and 16 and as a teacher of english I have always tried to use eng as much as I could since they were 4 (sometimes we prefer eng if we do not want others to take in what is going on)when they started learning the 2nd lg ı saw that they were several steps ahead from their peers .