English as an additional language (Early Years)

What is Multilingualism?

If your child is able to understand or use more than one language, they are multilingual.

Being multilingual has lots of benefits for your child - it will help them with their learning and being able to communicate with lots more people than being able to speak only one language.

It doesn’t matter how well they can speak the languages and they do NOT need to understand or use them to the same level. It would be expected that they will be stronger – or dominant – in one language over another.

There is NO evidence that multilingualism can cause a speech, language or communication disorder.

Being able to speak more than one language is a positive skill for life and generally, a child will not have difficulties learning two or more languages.

It’s really normal for a child to have a ‘silent phase’ when they are first exposed to a new language such as when they start nursery.

This usually happens when the child realises that the language that they use isn’t understood in their new environment.

A silent period can last from a month up to, in a small number of cases, 6-12 months.

Your child may go through four stages:

A completely silent phase in their new nursery
Start to copy words
Practice using those words themselves
Use the new language with other people

You may want to seek help from a Speech and Language Therapist if:

The silent phase lasts a prolonged length of time
Your child becomes silent in both / all languages
If you notice any excessive signs of anxiety in your child’s behaviour

Keep speaking your home language with your child, keep language simple and model lots of words for them to hear.

My child is using two languages at the same time

Sometimes a child will say a sentence in one language but use a word from another. This is called codeswitching and codeswitching is expected.

Codeswitching is really common for children learning more than one language and it is not a sign of confusion.

It means that your child is using the best word that they know to share their message

For example, your child might know the names for different foods in your home language but they know the words for maths better in English because they have learnt these words at nursery.

Why should we speak our home language?

Being multilingual will help your child to maintain links with their wider family and culture. It can increase job opportunities, help to create identity and community and can help learning.

Evidence has demonstrated that bilingual learners have stronger working memory, creativity and ability to multi-task (Marian, V., and Shook, A. 2012).

There is a risk of losing your home language within 6 – 18 months if your child stops using it.

By having a strong foundation in your home language, your child will develop their second language faster

Learning a language before 7 years of age allows a child to learn it as a native speaker.

3 months of sticking with home language will allow the child to acquire their home language.

Why should we use an interpreter when I speak English?

Sharing personal information about your child’s communication skills or home life to inform decisions can be difficult through a family member.

Interpreters are trained to share information as it was intended.

It can be really emotional to discuss information about your child’s health or home life through a family member or when your English isn’t as strong. Using an interpreter can help to make that feel more comfortable.

Because you understand what your child means, you may interpret their meaning rather than exactly what they are saying without realising - an interpreter will help to make sure we get all of the information we need to support your child’s language and communication development.

Should I speak English to my child?

Speaking your strongest language will give your child the best language model possible.

The more language a child hears in everyday situations, the better. If you and your partner or another of your child’s carers speaks a different language, that is okay. Ensure that your child has the opportunity to hear all of the languages used around them for them to begin to understand and use these themselves.

Listening to the radio or watching TV won’t help your child to learn a new language. They need to practice the language by speaking to other people.

As your child begins to understand how to learn words in one language, they will be able to use these skills to learn a second language.

What if my child won’t speak our home language?

Your child may start to speak English much more once they start nursery because that is what they are using with their new friends.

It’s okay that your child is using English much more – you should respond to them regardless of the language that they use.

Please keep using your home language with your child to allow them to keep learning new words and understanding your home language. This will allow them to feel more confident to use it in different situations.

I want my child to speak English

English is the language used for learning in this country so it is important that your child can speak English as they get older, however, by having a strong foundation in your home language, your child will learn a second language much more easily.

It is really important that your child is able to communicate with all of their family members and the community around them so keep speaking your home language and they will learn English at nursery and school.

What if I’m worried about my child’s talking?

If you are worried about your child’s talking, speak to your child’s nursery staff or Health Visitor.

Remember

Multilingualism is an ADVANTAGE
Family members should use their strongest language to provide a strong language model
A strong language foundation in one language makes learning other languages easier
Multilingualism does NOT cause a speech, language or communication delay