To want ds to learn a second language

[strugglingthroughlife]

We homeschool ds (6) well I say "we" What I mean is "I". Well, recently I've been thinking that it will be really beneficial for ds to learn a second language, after some searching around and some research I've been thinking Chinese mandarin may be one he could learn. I've looked further and found "lingobus" . Native Chinese speakers teaching students Chinese. Perfect.

I am also aware of the job prospects when he is grown for knowing another language, also for the advantageous effects on the brain.

But, dp has said it's a "waste of money" no other reason than "he should learn more English vocabulary" (we do a few new words a week) and that's it. We can afford for ds to study. I simply feel that it's because it's my suggestion and not dp.

So aibu to want ds to study a second language? It's only a 25 minute class a week or so, so not massive amounts!

I just don't know

And what Sludge said about one Romance language being the gateway to the lot. I have never actually studied Italian. But because I have learnt French and Spanish and Latin, I can read an article in Italian and understand most of a Montalbano episode without subtitles.

what if at some point dc has to go to school, will he playing catch up wrt language learning?
what about university entrance requirements?

My kids speak three languages and it's very normal where we live. Many kids speak more.

I wish I'd had the opportunity as a child.

I'd definitely go for something he'll be able to use though or hear for real (Spanish is the easiest language for native English speakers to learn from what I recall).

Mandarin is a great idea, but unless there's very regular exposure to native speakers, including cultural events - because a language is about more than vocabulary if you're really going to speak it - stick to something closer to home.

I would ask your DH to provide research about how learning a second language negatively impacts vocabulary acquisition in mother tongue. He wont be able to, unless it's from bi- tri- lingual kids who learn from birth and have (sometimes) delayed speech. Then they tend to shoot ahead. At this age there's not a finite amount of brain space for language!!

Lots of people speak Mandarin, but they're most in China. On the below list of most widely spoken number of languages for an English speaker to learn, Mandarin is first by number of speakers, but only 7th according to how many countries it's spoken in.

I was going to say that after English, Spanish would be the most useful language (in terms of number of countries) but apparently it's not even ahead of French. The top 10 list on that measure goes French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Mandarin, Malay, Kiswahili, and Russian.

Having said that, I expect Chinese on-line tutors might be cheaper than French ones, which might be a consideration. And of course Chinese may spread in future.

qz.com/444456/the-most-useful-foreign-languages-an-english-speaker-can-learn-and-why/

Why not get a language tutor, I agree with others. DH works internationally, very often with Huwei. He speaks no Chinese and he's never needed to. He speaks both English and Spanish fluently, neither of which are his first language and it often gives him the edge. Spanish is the best option. Once you learn one, others are easy.

If your son is interested in technical, mechanical, science type topics, I'd suggest you think about German.

Definitely do it. But I would agree with others here that a Romance language would be best - easier to learn, plus much more fun and more effective to be learning a language that's easily reinforced by holidays/visits to the country. I'd recommend Spanish or French as most useful later in life (i.e. in a work environment). And very transferable : as a PP said, because I've learnt French and Latin I can (to a reasonable extent) understand simple newspaper articles in Spanish and Italian too, despite never having learnt them.
I'd suggest having lessons 3 times a week if you can.
And definitely learn it with him! That'll be lovely for both of you. Be prepared to put in extra time for learning vocab though, if you're going to keep up - children are like sponges at that age

If your DH has likely vetoed it because its your idea why isn't HE homeschooling you child and is he normally that much of a dick?
Second languages as a minimum are common from 11 in state schools but the earlier you start the more he'll pick up.

Where do you go for holidays?

Language teacher and multilingual here - tactically I'd agree that with Spanish there are more options to practice, it's a gateway drug to the other romance languages and it's spoken all over the world so opens a lot of doors. Mandarin is awesome though and the spoken form is surprisingly easy in many ways - the characters can seem daunting but for his age I'd just make it fun - do some art based activities with the simpler ones, some kinaesthetic tasks where he can fit simple characters together into a more complex one, etc...holistically, the benefits if learning a language that's very different from your mother tongue are profound: it makes you appreciate and understand different ways of thinking and seeing the world which is Ana amazing gift.

Sorry posted too soon - have a Google for effects of language learning on young learners and show them to your husband (spoiler: they're overwhelmingly positive)!

Thank you for all your replies.

I actually have a friend who I see regularly who is Italian, would it be rude to ask her and offer money for her time to teach him Italian?

At least then when there he can really grasp the usefulness and be using it a lot?

Any second language is beneficial

Chinese is quite difficult as it is tonal, but its easier to pick it up the younger you are. I find it so hard to hear tones now im older.

Id probably go with spanish- spain, most of south america, central america and southern usa are all places it would be useful

I think it's a great idea, however, Mandarin might not be the optimal choice, depending on the situation. German or Dutch might be more fun and beneficial given its proximity both geographically and linguistically. Thinking about job prospects when you're only six years old seems a little over the top. I understand seven languages I think, four of the foreign ones are Germanic, one is English (as my first second, the final and odd one out is French which was quite difficult to grasp compared to the others. The French makes it possible to slowly, slowly understand the basic meaning of newspaper articles in Italian and Spanish.

If it's fun and international relations you want, you two could just as well pick Esperanto now, have fun together, and add a Latin language later on, in a few years time. Obviously Esperanto is somewhat popular in China too, from what I've read just now.

I agree with you completely, a second language is a great idea. Second pp suggesting European languages best to start with. FWIW my Ds started learning Mandarin and French in infants - I wasn't 100% happy about it as he has ASD and had Language Processing Disorder, so it seemed more important that the focus was on his own language.

But, having said that, I do think it has been beneficial after all. I doubt he remembers any of the Mandarin but he's in Y5 now, still studying French and has written this:

Voici la description de mon monstre
Mon monstre a un tete rouge, deux yeux bleu, trois nez orange, cinq bouches jaune et six oreills vert.

They only do French once a week I think. But this is more French than I knew at 9! When I was at school we didn't start learning any other languages until secondary, so I think it's great that it's now being included at a much younger age.

I would choose a language that you can speak (if you speak a second language) as you will find it easier to help him. I'd also choose a language that you may be able to have real contact with - do you go on holidays abroad or are likely to in the next few years? What language do they speak there? Exposure and motivation are important factors in language learning. I disagree with your husband that there is no point in learning a second language, but if the option you are suggesting is 25 minutes Mandarin, when you have no other Mandarin speakers around and have no plan on visiting anywhere where it is spoken, then I think he has a point in not wanting to pay for it.

Italian sounds good.

As Hassle suggested, if you are thinking in terms of employability, German can also be a very good option.

Not so sure about your Italian friend tbh. It's a lot to ask of someone if you are going to do it properly and some people are better teachers than others (particularly wrt grammar etc). If you are going to go ahead, then I would do it on a much more "professional" independent basis and attend classes etc. Good luck!

No don't just ask a friend unless you are planning for her to be with him 3 hours a day. If you want him to learn find a teacher.

If you want lessons, definitely ask a teacher not a friend. But having an Italian friend is a very good reason to pick Italian over any other language - your son will get more exposure to the language and culture than he would with another random language.

I read somewhere, can't remember where that languages like French and Spanish are ok as fun languages to learn but the best language that's prevailing and would be beneficial to learn is Urdu.

Certainly where I live it would be a massive help as there are a lot of Urdu speakers who can't speak English, including children.

We have an Urdu speaker in DS class. She joined the school last December and couldn't speak a word of English. This year she had a narrating part in the Christmas play and she has ended up speaking better English than some children in the class who have English as a first language.

Does ds have a preference?

Italian sounds like a good idea if your friend is willing, also I find Italian people to be incredibly friendly and impressed if you can say a couple of words. A small child would probably get free ice cream (disclaimer I know not all Italians run restaurants or drive ice cream vans).

Do it! My DC are bilingual with Italian, DD is now learning French at primary school and finding it easy. DB taught himself japanese online as an adult, but did struggle.
DH and I find European languages fairly easy to learn, massively beneficial to us.
There was a study recently citing the benefits of learning different languages, something to do with knowledge compartmentalisation, will see if I can find it.

My ds is learning his first language at 8. He's doing Spanish and loving it

This

Maybe your DH believes technology will end the need to learn an additional language? I believe smart phones will quickly (if not already) be able to translate what someone is saying to you in real time and translate what you’re saying back to them again in real time.