A few weeks ago I saw a video on YouTube that really made me think—why do we teach languages to our kids? What are the pros/cons to these decisions? The person who made this video made the argument that she would not teach English to her future children, as she felt it would not benefit them while living in Japan; even though she herself has English as a first language.
I guess I will start off by saying that I am not trying to lessen her argument at all, or say that she is wrong—how we parent our children is our own business, and as long as there is no hardship or abuse to the child, everyone else should just butt out.
But again, this video got me thinking about my own daughter (and unborn child).
Since I was around 15, I have always been surrounded by people who do not have English as their first language, or who have more than one language that they could say they speak fluently. As someone who has only spoken English my whole life, and only began studying Japanese when I was 18, the thought of having a second language was completely foreign—yet intriguing—to me. From then on, I began to hold the ability to be bilingual or multilingual as a goal that I wished to achieve. In a globalized, interconnected world, being able to speak a second language (or third) is in no way, a crutch to one’s possibilities.
Once I became a mom, this idea only increased; every parent wants to try their best to set their child up for success. Not only that, but the father of my children is from Japan. So, why wouldn’t we teach our children Japanese and English?
1. Family
I have a very close relationship with my family, as does my husband to his. Before we had our daughter, we both were of the opinion that no matter what, our children had to be able to converse with both sides of the families. Asking my family to learn Japanese or his to learn English is just unrealistic; children learn languages a lot more quickly than adults—their brains are like little sponges. I never wanted to cause any anguish to my family (or my husband’s) by having their grandchildren not be able to tell them about their school, friends or so on. Do I expect Suzuna to be fluent in Japanese at age 4? Not at all. I expect myself to put an effort in to teaching her (along with putting her in the local Japanese school) as long as she is willing to learn.
Just because we live in Canada does not make Japanese any less important of a language for her to learn. If, after a few years of Japanese school, she truly does not want to learn Japanese and would rather learn French or Spanish, that will be up to her. But until then, I want to equip my child to have the best tools at her disposal to ensure success in her future. I have no knowledge of any other language other than English and Japanese; so for now, that is what I can offer her. This does not mean that I consider having a second language to be an indication of success—we all know the majority of public leaders cannot speak a second language. A second language is just one tool out of many—so why hold back any tools that may be a benefit?
Maybe we can take a language class together someday? If she doesn’t think I’m too lame by that time, anyway.
2. Future Jobs
Let’s face it; the world is a constantly changing, intermingling place. Just because I have little use for my Japanese outside of the home, does not mean it will stay that way forever. Whether Suzuna decides to stay in Canada for the rest of her life, move to Japan, or move to any other country of her pleasure does not mean that the need for language will decrease. If anything, knowing more than one language can set a person up to be able to learn additional languages more easily.
She could choose to be a stewardess on an airplane, a teacher, a translator, or an engineer—whatever her choice may be, having a second language will in no way hinder her opportunities. If anything, it may open a few more doors.
3. Acceptance
I’m not trying to say that when a person speaks another language, they will be more accepting of other races/culture, because we all know that is not the general case. However, if a person truly wants to understand a language, they must also understand a part of the culture that is attached to it. If learning to speak another language will also equip my child to be a more open-minded human being, then I’m all for it.
On the other hand, what would be the cons of teaching my daughter Japanese while living in Canada (or English while living in Japan)? Well, if she could speak Japanese fluently while in Canada, there may not be the opportunity to ever use it. I can speak it to a degree, and I rarely (if ever) come across instances where I can use that skill outside of familial conversation. The same goes for if we were to live in Japan—how often would she be able to even use her English skills, other than to speak to family abroad? Would she get made fun of because of it?
In reality, the chances of a person being singled out negatively for speaking a second language would be the equivalent of a person being ridiculed for having blue eyes—it makes no sense, and often the people ridiculing for such things are drawing at straws.
Would she someday feel that the language was useless? Yeah, maybe. But would she ever think, “Ugh, I wish I didn’t know this language. It’s so dumb”? Probably not.
In a nutshell, I believe that if we as parents have the ability to teach our children our mother tongue, effort should be made to do so. It will never hinder a child to speak a second language, especially when it comes to keeping familial ties and opening the door for future opportunities.
Does this mean that I think a person who is unable to speak a second language will be any less successful in life? No, of course not. Do I think that parents who don't teach their kids another language are any less of a parent? No way, never! The point of this blog is to just put it out there; if you do speak another language, why not teach it to your kids?
There is my drivel. Take it as you please.
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