The Role of Parents – When Both Parents are Francophones
The challenge… The child is probably able to converse in French, but the type of French that the child speaks may be very different from that used in the school. […]
Choosing the school – a Francophone School or French Immersion?
Francophone and French immersion schools don’t have exactly the same goals and methods. Here is a short summary. The purpose of a Francophone school is to teach French as a […]
The Child Responds in English When We Talk to Him in French – What Should We Do?
Note: The parameters below apply to children younger than seven years old. If English is the language of communication at home and the language of the majority in the surrounding […]
Bilingualism – Young Children
We often hear that children are like sponges and that they can easily learn any language when they are young. This is true, provided that they are thoroughly exposed to […]
Bilingualism – Types of Bilingualism
Early bilingualism – there are two types: simultaneous early bilingualism and consecutive (or successive) early bilingualism. Simultaneous early bilingualism refers to a child who learns two languages at the same […]
Bilingualism – General
Common myth : bilingualism is a rare phenomenon. Reality: half of the world’s inhabitants speak more than one language, every day. Bilingualism is a phenomenon existing all over the world, […]
The Arrival of a Very Young Child in an Environment Where He/She Must Learn a Second Language
This is called consecutive (or successive) early bilingualism. The child already has a first language and learns a second early in childhood; for example, because the child moved to an […]
Acknowledgements
The Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B. would like to thank the following persons, who have contributed to this mini-website : Annie Bourret , professional linguist and children’s auhor, who […]
Should One Expose a Child to Two Languages From Birth?
Specialists are unanimous in their opinion: exposing a child to two languages from birth is the best way for the child to become bilingual. In fact, this language exposure can […]
Early Bilingualism – Will Children Be Able to Learn English Properly?
This is a common concern, but it is not well-founded in British Columbia unless the child has specific learning difficulties. This is the question most often asked to the administrative […]
The Role of the Non Francophone Parent in a Bilingual Family
The main things… Show a positive and encouraging attitude towards French (this makes French relevant and interesting for the child; this also reassures them). Even if this attitude is expressed […]
English Language Proficiency – Does the Francophone School System Allow a Child to Learn English to a Level that Allows the Child to be Successful in Life?
This is a common concern, but it is not well-founded in British Columbia unless the child has specific learning difficulties. This is the most often asked question for the administrative […]
Trilingualism – A Word to Trilingual Families
There are few systematic studies on the steps for the acquisition of a third language at an early age. It is thought that the third language acquisition process is no […]
“First Let’s Strengthen the First Language, the Second Will Come Later” (Myth)
This is a myth. Some people claim that it is better to wait for a child to learn the basics of a language well, before making the child learn another […]
Mistakes – How to Correct “Mon maman”, ” Je suis fini!”, and “Moi va rec center”?
By reformulating the mistakes properly and positively By not giving the child a feeling of failure By first listening to the child’s message (and not correcting continuously) Child Parent “Juice, […]
Mixing Languages (Code Switching) – Should I be concerned?
No, mixing languages is quite normal. Linguists prefer to use the expression code switching (code in this sense means linguistic or language code) because mixing languages is a little different […]
Myths About Early Bilingualism
Myth: Some people claim that it is better to wait for a child to learn the basics of a language well, before making the child learn another language. This way, […]
The Optimal Age for Learning a Second Language
Specialists are unanimous in their opinion: exposing a child to two languages from birth is the best way for the child to become bilingual. In fact, this language exposure can […]