HEJ from Denmark!!
Apr 28, 2016 4:13:43 GMT 9
Post by Richie on Apr 28, 2016 4:13:43 GMT 9
Hey everyone,
I'm a Brit living in Denmark and am an expectant father. Myself and my girlfriend hope to raise our child to be bilingual, mainly by exposing the child to a lot of English from birth. Luckily my girlfriend's English is excellent and my Danish is functional. I teach English at high school level and have a Masters in Education and Applied Linguistics so I hope to be able to use some of my expertise, however I have not studied bilingualism in very young children much.
Currently our plan is to use the Minority Language at Home strategy- or something close to it. We will both speak English at home, but when out of the home we will both speak Danish (therefore I think it might not be technically Minority Language at home but language as defined by place). This is our intention until the baby goes into day-care at about 9 months. Thankfully my girlfriend who is Danish is eager to speak English with the child and this set-up mirrors our existing scenario in our relationship right now.
After the baby goes into day-care we will remain using English at home but at this point I may begin to speak the minority language (English) exclusively. Luckily the child will get some exposure to English in Danish society--it is often used on TV and the radio and it could be considered a prestige language over here.
Alongside a few visits to the UK and some skyping with the grandparents, we hope to create the required exposure and genuine need to give the child a chance to be actively bilingual. There is a large expat community here and I know many British fathers with Danish wives who have children together. Typically their children are receptively bilingual but do not wish to speak English. Luckily my girlfriend is going all in. No doubt I will be asking for lots of advice!!!
Thanks for reading and I look forward to interacting with you all!
Richie
I'm a Brit living in Denmark and am an expectant father. Myself and my girlfriend hope to raise our child to be bilingual, mainly by exposing the child to a lot of English from birth. Luckily my girlfriend's English is excellent and my Danish is functional. I teach English at high school level and have a Masters in Education and Applied Linguistics so I hope to be able to use some of my expertise, however I have not studied bilingualism in very young children much.
Currently our plan is to use the Minority Language at Home strategy- or something close to it. We will both speak English at home, but when out of the home we will both speak Danish (therefore I think it might not be technically Minority Language at home but language as defined by place). This is our intention until the baby goes into day-care at about 9 months. Thankfully my girlfriend who is Danish is eager to speak English with the child and this set-up mirrors our existing scenario in our relationship right now.
After the baby goes into day-care we will remain using English at home but at this point I may begin to speak the minority language (English) exclusively. Luckily the child will get some exposure to English in Danish society--it is often used on TV and the radio and it could be considered a prestige language over here.
Alongside a few visits to the UK and some skyping with the grandparents, we hope to create the required exposure and genuine need to give the child a chance to be actively bilingual. There is a large expat community here and I know many British fathers with Danish wives who have children together. Typically their children are receptively bilingual but do not wish to speak English. Luckily my girlfriend is going all in. No doubt I will be asking for lots of advice!!!
Thanks for reading and I look forward to interacting with you all!
Richie
