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Apprendre l’anglais à un enfant de deux ans Teaching a second language to a two-year-old

François et moi sommes partis à rire d’entendre le ton indigné de Xavier. Ça s’est passé il y a plusieurs semaines, un lundi, soit la journée d’immersion anglaise pour Xavier à la maison. Son papa rentrait du travail, et il a salué Xavier dans cette deuxième langue, pour entrer dans le jeu.

F – Hello, Xavier, how do you do?
X – Non, papa. « Allô, ça va bien? » Comme ça!

Cette journée-là – c’était la deuxième ou troisième immersion qu’on faisait, je crois – Xavier affichait une révolte passagère envers cette perversion de ses communications habituelles. Sa maman n’utilisait pas les mêmes phrases qu’à l’ordinaire et, horreur!, changait même les mots de ses histoires favorites. Heureusement, c’est vite passé, et il commence à prendre goût à ce nouveau jeu de language.

Dès la première expérience, j’ai découvert que mon petit garçon de deux ans pouvait facilement me comprendre, même si je m’exprimais dans une langue étrangère. La communication, à cet âge, est surtout composée de directives et de phrases simples. En utilisant des gestes démonstratifs et des intonations appropriées (joie, mécontentement, fierté, etc.) dans des situations familières (jeux préférés, heure du repas, etc.), je parviens sans trop de problème à me faire comprendre par Xavier.

C’est donc ainsi que j’ai démarré : je parlais en Anglais à Xavier, et il me répondait en Français. Dernièrement, toutefois, j’ai eu beaucoup de succès à reprendre ses premiers apprentissages linguistiques, mais dans la deuxième langue : nous nous amusons à nommer les parties du visage et du corps, ainsi que les animaux du zoo et de la ferme de sa ribambelle de Little People. C’est plutôt marrant, car Orléane, qui aura un an bientôt, commence ces mêmes apprentissages au même moment (visage et sons des animaux), mais en Français, pour débuter. Xavier, lui, répond aux mêmes questions en Anglais, et il est d’autant plus fier de démontrer à sa petite soeur où est son « nose »!

Je dois l’avouer, par contre, c’est un peu frustrant au début – autant pour le parent que l’enfant. Ça ressemble un peu à un pas en arrière, côté communication : on doit tout recommencer à la base, dans cette nouvelle langue. Nous nous sommes habitués à communiquer plus rapidement et à aborder des notions de plus en plus complexes avec notre petit homme. La tentation est grande de sauter à la langue familière pour expliquer une situation ou une chose plus compliquée au moment où elle survient, et je le fais parfois. J’utilise également la langue maternelle pour les directives pressantes qui doivent être comprises immédiatement – « Attention à ta soeur!! » – ou pour gronder, au besoin.

Somme toute, je pressens un succès à long terme. Nous encourageons Xavier, mais nous ne le forçons pas non plus – il est préférable qu’il voit cela comme un jeu. De plus, puisque Xavier fait une sieste en après-midi et que je relâche l’Anglais par la suite, notre journée d’immersion ressemble davantage à une demi-journée.

En combinant ces immersions, de la télévision anglophone et, dans quelques années, de la lecture appropriée, Xavier et Orléane devraient avoir une fondation bilingue solide. Il s’agit d’un apprentissage auquel François et moi tenons beaucoup.
Frank and I broke into laughter at Xavier’s tone of indignation. It happened many weeks ago, a Monday, which is English immersion day for Xavier at home. His daddy had just come home from work and he greeted Xav in this second language, to get into the game.

[I inverted the languages below for the English version of this post.]
F – Allô, Xavier, ça va bien?
X – No, daddy. « Hello, how are you? » Like that!

That day – it was the second or third immersion we were doing, I think – Xavier displayed a passing revolt toward this perversion of his routine communications. His mommy was not using the same sentences as usual and, the horror!, even went so far as to change the words to his favourite stories. Fortunately, this passed quickly, and he is starting to enjoy this new language game.

From the first experience, I discovered that my two years old boy could easily understand me, even if I was speaking a foreign language. Communication, at this age, is mostly composed to directives and simple sentences. By using demonstrative gesture and appropriate tone (joy, disappointment, pride, etc.) in familiar situations (favourite games, meal time, etc.), I can get my meaning across to Xavier without too much problem.

That is how I started: I spoke in English to Xavier, and he answered me in French. Lately, however, I have had a lot of success by going through his first linguistic knowledge, but in the second language : we have fun naming face and body parts, as well as zoo and farm animals from his Little People collection. It is funny, because Orléane, who will soon be a year old, is beginning these same learnings at the same time (face and animal sounds), but in French, for starting. Xavier, for his part, is answering the same questions in English, and he is that much prouder to point out her « nose » to his little sister!

I have to admit, however, that it is a little frustrating at the beginning – as much for the parent as for the child. It feels like a step back, communication wise: we have to go back to basics and start anew, in this new language. We are used to communicating faster and get into more and more complex notions with our little man. The temptation is great to jump to the familiar language to explain a situation or a complex thing at the moment it presents itself, and I sometimes do. I also use the mother tongue for urgent directives that must be understood immediately – « Careful of your sister!! » – or to remonstrate, if need be.

Overall, I anticipate success in the long term. We encourage Xavier, but we do not push him – best he sees it as a game. What’s more, since Xavier naps in the afternoon, and I let go of the English afterward, our immersion day is more of a half-day.

By combining these immersions, English television and, in a few years, appropriate literature, Xavier and Orléane should have a solid bilingual foundation. This is important knowledge that Frank and I value a lot.

15 commentaires sur “Apprendre l’anglais à un enfant de deux ans Teaching a second language to a two-year-old”

  1. My wife and I are currently in « discussions » about putting Dex, our oldest, into French immersion when he starts kindergarten this year. I’m all for it, wanting to give him the second language and, I think, the added mental acuity that develops with it. Amy feels more trepidation, thinking she (well, we) won’t be able to communicate with both boys as they get older and ask for help with homework and stuff. A small hurdle, to me, compared with the benefits they’ll reap.

  2. Have to chime in here and just say that my best friends (all french immersion kids) never had those « homework » problems really. You can reinforce at home with books and french tv, and that was usually good enough. For what it’s worth, these kids are working for the Canadian government (biligualism comes in handy), or living abroad in France. Definitely good if you can get it, in my non-parental opinion….

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