Non English kids

[fyimate]

Am I wrong in getting annoyed at non English parents for NOT teaching their kids English (even though they -the parent- can speak it)?
I've seen my DD confused by other kids because they dont speak English when playing with her, and then I hear the parent speaking another language to the child even though they (the parent) can speak English.
Why dont they teach their kids English?
It annoys me more because of the amount of money taxpayers have to fork out in translators which appears to be avoidable?

I live in Turkey, my DH is Turkish but our children only speak English.. My DD has started nursery now and at 3 is only just learning her native language.. I think this is acceptable and stuffwhat anyone else thinks.

I am not sure what context you meant to be honest fyimate.

If you explain what you meant a bit I am sure people will respond

I know it is AIBU but I think people are not being deliberately nasty - just responding to what you wrote which does sound . If it is not what you meant then just say so.

I welcome all comments, just not those who are aggressively rude.
I'm not taking a huff.
And in this discussion I can now see the usefulness of bilingualism.

That makes so much more sense nickelbabe

fyimate
Unfortunately, there is often a racist undertone to comments like this....when we lived in France and spoke exclusively English to our DC, (because DH and I are both British, wanted to ensure DC spoke English and because we knew they would pick up French at school), everyone was completely for it: teachers, paediatricians, other parents.

But I know that many of the North African familes who chose to speak their non-French langage to their DCs were heavily criticized for this....by parents, teachers and on one occasion, a doctor.

Seems like if you are speaking a high prestige language like English, everyone buys into it, sees the value and, in the case of other parents, they were often keen for their DC to be friends with our DC because they wanted their kids to hear English and possibly pick some up.

The was not the case for parents speaking (perceived) low-prestige languages.

i think people are being a bit harsh to op she accepted the bilingualism thing, i think she just didnt realise why they are speaking it as opposed to racist, its not like shes still arguing for them never to be allowed to utter any foreign word on english soil

does it mean...

your farts must have difficulty coming out of such a narrow arsehole?

translating a lanugage you don't know is fun!

OP: maybe, if the child is one whom your DD will see often, it might be worth her learning a few phrases of the other child's language.
then it's fun for both of them!

I've got to the post where you ask if you can delete the thread - but I just want to stick my oar in anyhow.

4yrs ago I went with my DS1 and 2 (then aged 2 and 5) to Zimbabwe to visit some of exH's family. Many of the children we visited couldn't yet speak English, sadly my exH never spoke in Shona to the DS's so they can't speak it at all.

They spent many happy hours playing with their distant relatives (and neighbours of relatives) the language barrier was no issue at all.

"British people can only weep and hang their heads in shame at their own complete crapness at learning other languages. We are put to shame by the brilliance of bilingual 4 year olds from other countries..."

Nah, no need to weep really - stick your 4 yr old in a French (delete for country of choice) school and you'll discover Brit's are just as capable of bilingualism.

The OP will be one of those persons who retire in Greece, Spain or elsewhere, enjoy their public sercices, and make sure to live in a place with proper English spoken at shops, by doctors, etc. Otherwise she would be appalled by those thick mediterraneans not speaking languages (i.e. English)

FYI has accepted that biligualism = good and is embarrassed enough to want her thread deleted! Leave her alone ladies! I can feel her cringing from here...

Don't be so silly.
Taxpayers money indeed!
the parent doesn't need a translator because they speak English.
The child won't need a translator because the monute they start school they will learn English
The child will have the skill of being bilingual, while your child stands looking cnfused and gormless every time a foriegn language is used.
Having a range of languages is a useful skill, you know, and great in the job market.

fyimate, I think the reason people are being fairly blunt or even agressive, apart from the fact that this is in AIBU, is that you tagged the issue of tax-payers paying for translators on to the end of your post - that takes it out of the realm of a question about playground manners and bilingualism and into politics.

And to be frank it does sound rather like the kind of opinion to be found in the Daily Mail or BNP leaflets. If the parents speak English, and the children are being brought up in the UK, they are hardly likely to need public translation services...

aggressive

FYI Mate, your should give a little thought to what you are actually trying to express before posting something as silly as this.

There won't be any translator cost issues as the kids will speak English if their parents do & they live in English society (no matter what language the parents speak to them) - why worry yourself about it?

as to DD being confused

I have been told by a language teacher not to speak my dodgy German to my child. Apparently, non-native or 'pidgin' speaking damages the development of correct and academic German. We will leave the German speaking up to the qualified - Kindergarten staff, teachers and other Germans. I imagine this is therefore true for other languages e.g. English.

So - I'm going to be one of these Mums you are complaining about and I'm doing it for purely good reasons and not because I'm trying to establish a renegade English ghetto in Bavaria.

In Denmark, children aren't taught English until they are 7...it's so that they have a consistent grasp on ONE language, before they start learning a second one. This does make sense, so maybe if these children you are talking about are pre-school age, and their parents are teaching them one language at a time. Nothing wrong with that, in my opinion...

OP you'll be pleased to know that when we moved to england when i was 5 my dad, who speaks french, berber, arabic and english, only spoke to me in english, as did my english mother who had an arabic degree and spoke fluent french.

so joy of joys...i am no longer fluent in anything other than english.

well done my parents eh?

As someones whose parents are non English - I first learnt my mother tounge before starting school (although my parents spoke English they spoke mother tounge at home) I then picked up English when i started nursery / reception very quickly...(children do tend to pick up languages very quickly!) -I then took a GCSE in my mother Tounge as well as a GCSE in English - guess what got an A* in both! - Bonus - Bilingual and very useful when it came to obtaining employment. In total I can speak 5 languages...my child already at age 2.9 speaks two languages and will also be starting a third when she starts school....How many languages can your child speak?

OOO and WE HAVE NEVER HAD TO HAVE A TRANSLATOR OR INTERPRETER!!!

I can relate to that ruddynorah, my mother didn't speak her native language to me when I was little as she'd been told it would confuse me & that I would be late in speaking... I think it was quite common advice back then.

Eve - surely in Denmark they don't teach children English until they are 7 because children don't start school (formal education) until they are 6?

Both dh and I were speaking different languages to our children in Denmark (so the poor kids were bombarded with 3 languages!) and we were fully supported / encouraged to do this.

Up- yes, but that's only part...my Danish friends speak perfect English, but their daughter only speaks Danish (she's 4)...my post was a retelling of what they told me!

How out are these children? Little children aren't going to have much concept of when it's "polite" to use which language - knowing when to use your home language and when to use English will come a bit later.