spiral78

Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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Like many of us, I unfortunately started as an adult and speak just English +1 well, and 2 other languages just to function on an everyday basis.
However, on the topic of child language learning, I know children in the Netherlands who grow up with 4 or 5 languages (father's, mother's, Dutch for school, English for social contacts, and with German and French following in school). I think it's a tremendous advantages in most respects, though I think there are some studies that show this kind of multilingual environment can be a bit tougher for small boys for a couple of years.
I reckon it's not so much about what you learn in school, but what you experience and use in everyday life. I know a lot of Canadians who had French in school, but can't speak much as adults (they don't need to, basically, so don't develop the facility). |
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