They learned it just like how a child learns anything: repetition + trial and error.

This study shows how children two and even younger can distinguish the differences between English and Japanese words. The brain is an amazing thing.

The linguistic development of a Japanese-English bilingual at age two: a case study

Tsk tsk... goes back to what I said, don't talk to your kid in two different languages, but only using one. I guess you haven't paid attention to what I said before. I know this from experience.

A cousin of mine lives in Austria and he always talked to his kid using his native language. His kid got used to it properly BUT also got used to German language due to his surroundings and friends. Of course his German wasn't the same as his father's native language. But soon his dad started to teach him German more and talked him more using German. The son was able to distinguish languages really early... and then he went to kindergarten which helped him further getting the accent.

If his father had used both languages to him since the start, the kid wouldn't be able to differentiate them because he would think his father speaks using 1 language, so he would mix them and not be able to communicate.

But his dad used only one language, and his friends used another. This way he was able to distinguish they used different languages... and learn them properly.

Tsk tsk...seriously?

Maybe you need to read what I wrote and the study I posted.

There is nothing that says you shouldn't talk to children in two languages. I understand your personal experience on the matter, but I think those are isolated cases and I personally know dozens of cases where bilingual usage is a POSITIVE experience, and more importantly NO cases where it was a negative one. The study shows that children can make those language distinctions at an early age. Yes, children will mix the two languages, but that is usually NOT because they don't know they are speaking one language or the other, but because they don't know the word they are looking for in the other language YET.

No. There is nothing to support the idea that a child will not be able to differentiate the two languages when the time is needed (entering school)

Considerind the number of children raised in bilingual homes over the last generation or two, shouldn't there be a growing number of "language handicaps" in society today? No, there aren't. What I do see more of is adult children of bilingual parents who wished they had used both languages when they were younger, so they would be bilingual today. This is especially true of Asian wives who move to America with husbands who don't speak the Asian tongue.
Again with "proper". You didn't answer me the first time about "proper communication" from a four-year-old.

You are making the conclusion that if a child is exposed to two languages when they are "too young" they will never be able to distinguish the two. There is no evidence to support that, and I would say the opposite is true. The sooner you start exposing children to multiple languages the sooner they will become bilingual.

[quote=MMM;726755]Tsk tsk...seriously?

Maybe you need to read what I wrote and the study I posted.

There is nothing that says you shouldn't talk to children in two languages. I understand your personal experience on the matter, but I think those are isolated cases and I personally know dozens of cases where bilingual usage is a POSITIVE experience, and more importantly NO cases where it was a negative one. The study shows that children can make those language distinctions at an early age. Yes, children will mix the two languages, but that is usually NOT because they don't know they are speaking one language or the other, but because they don't know the word they are looking for in the other language YET.
[quote]

I did, and one parent used 1 language only. They can distinguish when two different persons talk 2 different languages, but not when only 1 parent talks 2 languages.

I did not say people grow up and can't talk. What are you talking about? I said that at an early age (2-3 years old) using the method of talking 2 different languages will have its problems on the kid (not being able to say what he wants most of the time)... and results in the kid being anxious.

Oh really? I don't recall ever saying that.

My first post here said 'a cousin of mine started doing the same and he had trouble learning which was this or that language.' Had trouble, but he managed to learn it later. I'm just saying how to avoid the trouble.

And in another post I said 'If you want to affect your kids childhood this way then go ahead.' Never said he will grow up being unable to talk. They will learn it eventually but have to go through more trouble.


And I repeat, I've been talking if ONE parent speaks 2 different languages to his kid, not if 2 parents speak 2 different languages. If 1 persons speaks only 1 language to the kid then it is more than fine. There are many parents who do this and kids mess up. He uses two different names for a toy and is unable to distinguish which is this language or that. Your case study is different, one parent - one language... the kid can distinguish things in that case. I hope I made myself clear.

ive never seen THAT before... but, hey, who am i to talk?
my dad is german and my mom is japanese

Did you read it?

"Another factor leading to Yuki’s dominancein Japanese is the home environment, where her parents do not strictly follow the one-person-one language strategy. In addition, Yuki’s English-speaking father understands Japanese and oftenresponds positively to her Japanese utterances, which further reduces her motivation to use English. (Although the issue of comprehension has not been addressed here in a systematic way,subjective observation indicates that Yuki is able to understand a great deal of her father’s English.In this case, she may be on her way to becoming a passive bilingual)."

"Yuki’s dominance in Japanese, however, does not preclude her from recognizing the differencebetween the two languages in her environment. Although Yuki has not clearly demonstrated anability to choose languages based on the situational context (i.e., who she is speaking to) at thispoint in her development, this is probably due to a lack of a clearly monolingual English speakeramong her interlocutors. Through her attitudes toward her non-dominant language, however, Yuki has demonstrated an emerging bilingual awareness."

This conclusion baffles me. Why would being able to communicate in TWO languages limit a childs ability to communicate? Indeed, it means talking with a single-language grandparent may be limited, but with the bilingual parents there will be no problem, and 95% of the communication a child this age does is with the parents.

Did you read the case study? See my highlighted quotes above.

My bad. Well, the conclusion there says differently:

'Yuki’s experience demonstrates that a child growing up with an English-speaking father and a
Japanese-speaking mother in the mostly monolingual environment of Japan is likely to be dominant
in Japanese at the age of two, especially when the child attends a Japanese daycare center full time.'

Anyways, it says he responds to Yuki only when she speaks Japanese.

Quite different from my scenario. Some parents tend to speak 50/50, 2 different languages. There is no way for a child to differentiate this.

By my experience, parents of my little cousin talked sometimes in Greek and sometimes in Albanian language. To each other they talked in Albanian. Outside they talked Greek. The child became totally confused.

My Austrian cousin learnt it my way. He is 5 now and can speak both languages perfectly, and has even an Austrian accent.

Mine is not simply a personal experience, it is a case study on itself... my Greek cousin didn't have dyslexia and the doctors explained it that the parents job on teaching language had screwed and made him anxious on not being able to tell what he wants.

Little Kai is now pouring it out:)

Yes, he is now 2 years and 2 months, and he now distinguishes between Mummy and Daddy when he says things.

Some examples.

Yummy - Oishi

Ouch - Itai

Hello - Konnichiwa

Ne, he says after everything be it Japanese or English.

What you are saying I have never seen it.

I have many friends where I am in Japanese/Australian marriages, all have many children, and I don't see any problems.

The problems you experienced with these children crying could have been something totally different as it just does not sound right.

You talk to your kid using both languages? I mean you, not your wife.

Yes. and So does my wife, friends and family.

He loves it and giggles all the way:)