Bi-lingual upbringing
My family originally came from Turkey. I speak both Turkish and English. My husband is English and speaks a bit of Turkish, which he learned from me. I would like our children to learn both languages. They are still very young and it’s likely that none of the other children in nursery will speak Turkish. What do you think – should I just speak English so the children don’t get confused?
Speaking Turkish is part of your family identity and therefore your children’s too. All around the world many children learn two languages from early childhood and become bilingual – like you.
Children need to hear a clear and fluent version of a language, so it would probably be best if they learn Turkish from you and English from your husband. Children get confused if the same person speaks different languages in the same conversation, especially if they switch in mid-sentence. (Fluent speakers can manage this.) Of course you can speak English to your husband and for conversations in which he or other English speakers are involved. But the children will come to understand that Turkish is also your language. As the children get older, look out for dual language books in Turkish and English. Your children will soon work out that the friends they make at nursery do not speak Turkish and use English with them. When your children start at pre-school or nursery, do explain to the staff that your children are, or are becoming, bilingual.
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