|
There are various ways in which children become bilingual and, not surprisingly, many different outcomes ( Romaine, 1995). Although most couples who have different native languages want their children to acquire the first languages of both parents, there are many cases when reality contradicts this wish of the parents, and the parents give up on raising their children bilingually (Hayashi & Ishikawa, 1997). What factors hinder children’s dual language development ? The purpose of this study was to investigate, from the mothers’ point of view, the language development of children whose parents have different native languages. More specifically, this study focused on the dual language development of children whose mothers speak Japanese as a first language and whose fathers speak English as a first language. The participants in this study were eight Japanese women, whose spouses are native English speakers, and who have raised children in the United States. The range of the children’s ages was 10 to 24 years old. Each participant observed her child’s or children’s language development and answered a questionnaire and underwent an individual interview, which consisted of open-ended questions asking about the participants’ child-care, language use at home, children’s schools and social environments, and their expectations for their children, and their children’s motivation, to acquire two languages. The results of this study indicated that it is difficult for children to acquire two languages when the language of one of the parents is the dominant language of the community, and both parents have a moderate degree of competence in the language. The children in this study have used only English while they were growing up. All but one of the participants mentioned that they failed to nurture their children bilingually even though they wanted their children to be bilingual. The one participant who said her children have become well-balanced bilinguals stated that her family has spent 2-3 months in Japan every year, in order to foster the children’s bilingualism. Linguistic, cultural, and social factors which influence children’s bilingual acquisition were discussed based on recent theories of bilingualism which focus on bilingual acquisition in childhood. It was found that social factors, such as the parents’ attitudes toward both languages, the ties to the mothers’ home country, Japan, and the reasons for staying in the United States, significantly affected the children’s bilingual acquisition. In conclusion, parents who have different first languages, with the condition that one of the parents’ first language is the dominant language of the community, are required to make great efforts to encourage their children to learn both languages. Children cannot be balanced-bilingual unless they are given equal opportunities to use both languages. |