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Categories > Non-native Speakers > NON NATIVE WITH TRILUAGES
 
 


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MAREE
  Posted   Reply with quote  #1 
Very exited to fide this great site.We live in Thailand our majority language is Thai but I have learn mandarin and english.Mandarin is my minority language when I was young but I cannot speak it very well but better than english.My son is 7 and my daughter is 3,That’s too late? My son spend little time with me just in the evening (6.00 Pm)and before bed. My daugther still at home but just 6 month before she  go to her nursery.

Our sitiution is
I will be a working mum in six month
Imerse school ,biligual school or playgroup is too expensive for us.

Which language method is proper for us.My husband just speak only
thai.I would like to teach them mandarin and english cause my son is 7,I can not wait? Any hope? or some hope for my daughter I don’t know how to manage my time that will work best to teach them trilanguages?

Some one suggest me a lot of CD and DVD It’s intersesting but My son has some a little bit LD so I avoid him to see TV. CD or myself is the best teacher?

Looking forward for kindly suggestion and thank you so much.
maree
 
Blythe
  Posted   Reply with quote  #2 
I have the same situation, Maree! We are native English speakers but I speak some German and Spanish (not fluently). I want to raise my son to speak at least one minority language, hopefully both. Is it possible to be the main source for two minority languages? If so, how does one divide the time spent on each?

I’m subscribing to this thread because I hope you get some good answers!
 
Siya
  Posted   Reply with quote  #3 
I dont know if you check this website still or not…

Anyway, your child is not to old to learn a new language, or two new langauges. But at this age a blended approach will be best. Since Thai is the strongest language in the home, you can explain to your son that you want him to learn two languages now and why.

Buy a couple of books and make up little lessons. For Mandarin, since you have a little experience/knowledge of it. Start at the Baby level with CD’s, Books, and DVD’s in Mandarin that can help you both learn Basic Mandarin. Look for sites on teaching your child Mandarin and make flash cards, etc. Take a little time twice a day to work on Mandarin together and get a phrasebook in Mandarin that you and he can learn together.

As for English, you can try switching to English when you speak to him, gradually at first. When you say something in Thai, say it in English also. Slowly add more and more english to his day and when he masters those phrases, stop saying them in Thai. In four or five weeks you could try using only English when you speak to the kids. Once they are more comfortable in comprehending English you can encourage them to use English when talking to each other and still continue Mandarin lessons.
 
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