Korean Job Discussion Forums

[madowlspeaks]

Hi all,

Just wondering if any of you good folks have raised/are raising children here, and if so, what is their English level like?

This question I am particularly addressing to couples where both of the languages are spoken in the home or where one spouse is Korean and the other isn't.

The reason I ask is because I am wondering how much extra effort I will
have to put into my childs English education here in Korea, even as a native speaker.

Any experience, stories or links will be highly appreciated.

[sigmundsmith]

For the English side of developing the childs skill you will have to put in more effort. As they get older they will always revert to Korean because it will be the dominant language in their life.

Initially, the child will be using the two systems simaltaneously but after about 5 years old they will be able to distinguish both.

If you raise a child here (or any country that is homogeneous/mono-lingual/minimal foreign community) bilingually, it will be challenging for the child and taxing on the native English speaking parent.

But mid to late teens - if the parent has been persistant and given them access to using English in natural settings regularly - the child will come to accept it and will be a better person (cognitively) for it.

[PatrickGHBusan]

Sigmund is right.

I would add that to be successful in this endeavor parents need to be consistent and to stay on course.

For example, if parents decide that inside the house the language of use is English and outside the house it is Korean then they need to stick to this.

Another point of note, the native English speaker in the couple needs to also be constant in his or her approach, especially before the age of 9 10 years old. If the father is the English speaker and the decision is made that he speaks to his kids in English only then, stick to that!

Depending on where you live, one language will be native level and the other can be at fluency level.

My brother has older kids and he lives in Japan. His wife is Japanese. Their two older kids are actually trilingual!

They are completely fluent in Japanese and English (no discernable accent) and are at the intermediate level in French.

It is hard work, requires a parental commitment, but it pays off big time later down the road.

[Unposter]

I know that this is not exactly what the textbooks say but I have found it works for my kids.

I got this idea from an English Professor at the univesity I attended back home. He had taught EFL in France for a number of years, married a French woman, brought her back to the U.S. and raised their kids bi-lingual English-French.

What they did was make thier home an all-French zone. Both parents spoke nothing but French and insisted their kids do the same. Then, when they left the home, it was an all-English zone. The kids had two clear distinct language zones.

I have done the same. My wife's English is near fluent. And, it has been very successful. I have never had my kids get confused between Korean and English. In some ways, I do think they are a little behind in their English but when we took them home last summer, no one knew that they had been in Korea their whole life.

At four years old, they even sometimes translate for me! No joke!

I think this can only work if your Korean wife is comfortable speaking English - not all are.

I also think the native English-speaking parent has to make an effort to speak to your kid in English even if your wife is also speaking to them in English.

My brother-in-law, a Korean who has lived in the U.S. for about 10 years, recommends pushing Korean on the kids. He says he has seen a number of Koreans immigrate to the U.S. The kids always learn English quickly but their Korean suffers. He says don't worry too much about English if you plan to eventually repatriate. It will come. The harder part will be to maintain the Korean.

Good luck!

[jvalmer]

Based from what I've seen with friends you truly won't know how comfortable they are with a second language until they are in their mid-teens and thrown into the target language environment.

[sigmundsmith]

[I-am-me]

I agree...use one language at home and one outside in school and with friends. It lets them master both. What age are we looking at?

[riverboy]

I've got two boys aged five and two. My wife and I simply speak our native tounges with each kid and they seem to be developing fine. The oldest is in kindy with kids his own age and does very well. He reads and wirtes English and Korean as well. He is not as interested in reading English as much as he is Korean --but this is understandable as he is exposed to far more Korean.

His Korean is certainly better, but his English is fine. And I have complete confidence he will quickly catch up to his peers when we eventually move back to Canada.

[Meow?]

Let me see...
My cousin made it a rule that her children should start learning English at home. Her husband knows very little English and seems no to bother learning more. My cousin managed to teach her first child to converse in English somehow. That niece of mine speaks English to us (her relatives on her mom's side) and a little bit of Korean to everyone else. Sometimes, I find that my niece is under a lot of pressure. Being less fluent in Korean, she struggles having or maintaining friends. I know she'll grow up and be truly and fluently bilingual someday, and will not face such an issue of having friends. But even believing so, it breaks my heart to see her mostly ignored and left behind, just because they could not understand her much.

[BoholDiver]

My daughter's English is less than 50% of her Korean ability. Reason? She lives in Korealand where everything is Korean. No one engages her in English except for me (and I work long hours) and 20 minutes of English at her pre-school once a week.

I read to her, play English songs, etc. It has a limited effect.

[ennoncha]

I was actually raised in a bilingual French-English house. At home, my brothers and I only spoke French to eachother and to our parents. We listened to French music and watched primarily French television. Outaside the home we used English, except when with other French speakers. It ended up fairly successful, my brothers and I are all fairly close to bilingual, although my French is seriously suffering in Korea My father is a native French speaker (Metis) and still makes us speak only French to him.

[eamo]

My 16 month-old daughter hasn't really started speaking any language yet! Just baby-ese.....

But I have decided to refuse any work that would keep me from getting home after 6pm or has me working weekends.......I want to expose her to as much English as possible.....I hope it works out.

[giraffe]

I'm kinda like ennoncha... Except my french isnt suffering =p.

Both my parents are french and we lived in english environments since i was born. Both me and my sister are bilingual french and english. French being my mother tongue.

Sis and I went to french school and spoke french at home. Other than that everything else was done in english such as TV, neighbourhood friends , pretty much the minute you stepped out the house there was no french at all. French/english was split pretty evently 50/50 through my day. My whole extended family doesnt speak a lick of english. My mom barely speaks it and my dad is fluent in english although with a moderatly thick accent.. My mom lives in her own french bubble its pretty funny.

WHen I have kids with my wife I'll probably treat the language situation exactly how my parents did cuz it worked great on me and my sister. Language were going to speak at home will depend in which country we live in. Problem is, I need to teach my kid(s) French at the same time or else they wouldnt be able to communicate with my side of the family. 0_o

[Dazed and Confused]

I don't have kids myself but many of my co-workers do.
The children who have a Korean mother seem to speak, read, and write Korean far better than English. I can only assume this is because the mother communicates with the children almost 100% in Korean. As far as I know their fathers take on extra work to support the family so the wife can be a full-time mom.
The children who have North American mothers speak, read, and write English far better than the former. And since they attend Korean schools, their Korean skills are equal or near equal to that of their Korean classmates.

[Unposter]

I think what Dazed and Confused said and some others especially the English/French bilinguals said is right on.

If your kid is going to a Korean school, he or she should be allright at Korean. So, it is important to expose them to a lot of English at home.

The alternate will be important when you go back to your home countries. Your kids will not have enough exposure to Korean. Then, it will be essential to find ways to keep up their Korean.

And, I do think it will be harder to maintain their bilingualism as they get older and the language skills they need to develop become more complex and more learned (not accquired). It will definitely require more work and not all kids will want to put in the effort. Obviously good parenting is essential.

I also think exposing your kids to both countries while young is important. I took my kids back to the U.S. this summer and their English exploded even in just one month. We plan to take the kids at least once a year back to the U.S. so they have experiences and language development in both countries. I think this is also very important for their development.