A few months back, I was seated on a bus behind a French man and his toddler son who looked about 18 months old. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I was fascinated by their conversation.
From my little French language skills, I could tell that the man was making his son identify people and objects we rode past by both their French and English names. The little boy identified everything fiam! I was impressed!
The other day, I was at the playground with my daughter when a Chinese dad and his son came around. The boy looked about 5 years old. For the whole 30 minutes they spent there, they spoke fluent undiluted Chinese to each other.
I’ve also seen Pakistani moms and their children, Polish moms and their children, people from different nationalities. They speak their native language when talking to themselves, without mixing it with an atom of English. They only speak English when talking to a foreigner. Very fluent English with British accent too!
This really got me thinking…
My 2 and half-year-old daughter cannot make a sentence in Igbo. The only Igbo she knows is ‘I ga-ada’ (you will fall!), because I always shout this when she’s running all over the place… LOL.
I feel very ashamed because all my excuses hold no water. My written and spoken Igbo is perfect; in fact I had an A1 in Igbo language in WAEC.
Why haven’t I passed on my rich cultural heritage to my child? I don’t know! We don’t have a coded way of saying things in public. Above all, she is not bilingual, not to talk of being multilingual.
Research has shown that children benefit from learning more than one language.
- Brain scans reveal that children who learn a second language before the age of five have greater density in brain areas associated with language processing.
- They have better mental capacity, better problem solving skills, and less risk of suffering from mental and brain diseases as an adult.
- They have enhanced language skills and are able to say things in many different ways. Being bilingual or multilingual also helps them learn about a different culture, thereby broadening their perspectives and analytical skills.
- They also develop great social skills which help them make new friends in different locations and adapt to situations that are not familiar to them.
It’s not too late. I’m going to make things right. I’ll make a conscious effort to speak Igbo in the house. Why not? She’ll still learn English at school anyway.
I’ll buy Igbo story books and download any Igbo cartoons I can find. The guilt is killing me, I feel like I’ve failed my village people.
Can your children speak your native language? In what ways do you encourage them to learn it?
