Natural

NEWT

Nn

What the Science Tells Us

We might be feeling like it’s a huge responsibility to help our child learn all the things they need to know about language, but we shouldn’t. We just need to do what comes naturally to us, such as talking with our child in ways that feel comfortable. If we try to speak more with our child, we will likely do the right things to help them learn without even thinking about it. We also don’t need to worry about whether our language is “good enough.”

There isn’t good language and bad language. When we speak to our child the way we talk, they are learning how people in our community talk. They can also become aware of cultural language differences. Children are members of the community too, and need to learn how to use language in ways that convey meaning and are appropriate for their community.

For some communities the way people naturally talk at home is very close to the style of language used in books and schools. In others, the style of language is quite different.

Language that is different from the kind of language in schools is not wrong! Children raised in homes where the language is more “school-like” can have an easier time in school at first because of the similarity between their home and school language. But children raised in homes where the language of the community does not match the school language can end up with more

knowledge in the end, the language of their community and the language used in formal school learning.

When our child is old enough we can explain that there are different ways of speaking and that different people use different language, so they know there is nothing wrong with the way they speak. It is part of who they are and where they are from.

What You Can Do

You may worry about speaking with your child if your grammar and accent are not typical of the language used in schools. You do not need to be concerned. These are called cultural language differences. What matters most is giving your child many opportunities to have back-and-forth conversations with you and other caring adults (see Conversation).

It is most helpful for your child if you … 

# Share expressions used in your community # Sing songs and tell stories that come from your culture # Use the “slang” and vocabulary that is commonly used in the community you belong to.  Every community has words and expressions they like to use.  When your child knows how to use these they will feel that they belong too # Speak the language you naturally speak.  This will be the best language model for your child because it is the most comfortable for you

“Speak with your child in ways that feel comfortable. comfortable.

The way you speak will naturally change as your child develops…

# With infants and toddlers most people naturally use a sing-song voice (see

Infant-directed Speech) that infants are drawn to.  When looking at pictures of a baby, they tend to lengthen the sounds in “baby.”  • “Look at the bayyyybe.” If you are not sure what this sounds like, just listen to people talking to their dogs! # Also with infants and toddlers you focus on their name and “mummy,”

“daddy,” “nana,” etc.  However, as they develop it is helpful for your child if you use those little words (pronouns) like “I,” “You,” “Me,” “We,” “He,” “She,”

“They.”  • You can ask, “Would you like an apple?” rather than “Would Stevie like an apple?” Or you might say, • “I would like an apple,” rather than “Mama would like an apple”

This is how you naturally speak with your friends and family and it’s great to model this.

Every day offers many opportunities for you to naturally speak with your child.

You can talk about thoughts and activities as you go about your regular day. This is a wonderful habit to begin when your child is born and to continue as they grow. 

• “Oh, hi there, you’re awake.  Did you have a good nap?” • “I’m making the rice for your dinner” • “We need to put your shoes on because we’re going outside”

• “I love this music.  It makes me feel happy” • “I can see you really like that book”

Use the language that comes most naturally to you, and your child will learn the language of their community. They will also learn about the activities and practices that are important to your family and culture.

NIGHTINGALE