Hello! Hajimashite!
Jan 22, 2015 13:09:41 GMT 9
Post by Zenn on Jan 22, 2015 13:09:41 GMT 9
Hello!
I am a second generation Japanese-Canadian. My parents moved to Canada in the seventies and I was born here (wait, does that make me first or second generation?) I grew up speaking Japanese with my family but spoke English outside of the home. All my relatives live in Japan and I have visited them many times. I currently live in rural Quebec and I am the sole source of Japanese to my children. My wife does not speak Japanese and we speak to each other in English. The dominant language here is French.
I currently face the challenge of immersing my children in Japanese. My 2.5yr old daughter is fully able to communicate in English but not in Japanese. She is able to say a few words for specific instances (Oyasuminasai! ) or repeat things when I say a word directly to her. It seems she understands when I speak to her in Japanese (though she always says "yes"...hmmm, wait a minute...) but it's clear that her comprehension is not the same as with her English. At times where there is a parental necessity to communicate (moments to discipline her or ask her to do something or not to do something) I feel that I have to speak in English to her to really get the point across. Sometimes she gets bored or distracted easily when I read books to her in Japanese - though that's very rare when I read books to her in English or French. Clearly she needs to power-up her Japanese and it's all up to me!
I was researching strategies to enable your kids to be bilingual and came across the Bilingual Monkeys website and eventually this forum. I look forward to browsing and participating with everyone here!
I am a second generation Japanese-Canadian. My parents moved to Canada in the seventies and I was born here (wait, does that make me first or second generation?) I grew up speaking Japanese with my family but spoke English outside of the home. All my relatives live in Japan and I have visited them many times. I currently live in rural Quebec and I am the sole source of Japanese to my children. My wife does not speak Japanese and we speak to each other in English. The dominant language here is French.
I currently face the challenge of immersing my children in Japanese. My 2.5yr old daughter is fully able to communicate in English but not in Japanese. She is able to say a few words for specific instances (Oyasuminasai! ) or repeat things when I say a word directly to her. It seems she understands when I speak to her in Japanese (though she always says "yes"...hmmm, wait a minute...) but it's clear that her comprehension is not the same as with her English. At times where there is a parental necessity to communicate (moments to discipline her or ask her to do something or not to do something) I feel that I have to speak in English to her to really get the point across. Sometimes she gets bored or distracted easily when I read books to her in Japanese - though that's very rare when I read books to her in English or French. Clearly she needs to power-up her Japanese and it's all up to me!
I was researching strategies to enable your kids to be bilingual and came across the Bilingual Monkeys website and eventually this forum. I look forward to browsing and participating with everyone here!
