The Baby Signs® Program:
A Helpful Tool in Bilingual Settings
By: Linda Acredolo , Ph.D. & Susan Goodwyn, Ph,.D.,
Co-Founders, Baby Signs, Inc.
As more
and more parents learn the value of exposing their children to second and even
third languages early in life, the number of babies being raised in “bilingual
homes” is rapidly increasing. Just what
does this mean? In many cases it means that one parent speaks one language to
the child while the other parent speaks a second. In other cases, both parents may speak the
same language to the child while a trusted caregiver (grandmother or nanny)
speaks another.
So, what happens if we add signing to the
mix? Will it just add to the child’s confusion?
The answer is a strong and resounding
“No!” The truth is that, no matter what
form bilingual input takes, adding signing to the mix actually makes the
child’s job easier, not harder. Here’s
why.
When children
first start learning about language, they quite naturally look for one-to-one
correspondences between words and the objects (or actions) they label. For
example, babies in an English-only environment, upon hearing the word “milk” in
the presence of white stuff in their bottle, will eventually learn to associate
the two together:
CHILD: “Hmmm....I get
it! The white stuff in my bottle = ‘milk’“
However, life
gets more complicated in a bilingual household.
In this case babies consistently hear two words in association with the white stuff in their bottle, a
situation which can be very confusing.
CHILD: “Hmmm….Sometimes I hear “milk,” sometimes
“leche.” What’s going on?”
Clearly, what
children hearing two languages need to figure out is that both words are equally important labels for milk. And that’s where
signing comes to the rescue. By adding a
sign to the mix so that the same visual symbol (sign) accompanies both words
(“milk” and “leche”), parents make the job of connecting the object with the
meanings of both words much easier for babies. In other words, when the baby
hears “leche” paired with sign and then also hears “milk” paired with the sign,
the pieces fall into place:
CHILD: “Aha! These words mean the same thing!
= 
= ‘leche’ =
‘milk’
In summary, rather than confusing your bilingual child, signs will
help smooth the road to understanding and speaking both languages.
Of course, signing has another advantage in bilingual settings,
especially in child care classrooms where teachers and families speak different
languages: The signs provide a common language so that toddlers who are
learning the family language can still make themselves understood. Just such a
situation exists at the Center for Child and Family Studies at the University of California ,
Davis , where
graduate students from all over the world routinely enroll their infants and
toddlers. In the 18 years since the Baby Signs® Program was first introduced,
teachers and parents alike have been amazed at how much more smoothly daily
life in the classroom proceeds, with data specifically showing that the
teachers are more responsive to the needs of the children. In addition, the signs have enabled children
who speak different languages to communicate with each other. In one case, for example, a toddler from Israel and a toddler from Taiwan were
observed reading a picture book together—with the first girl turning the pages
and pointing at objects while the second girl made the appropriate signs!
Bottom line? Signing is clearly a boon to children facing the
challenge of hearing multiple languages, whether at home or in the classroom.
Visit www.babysigns.com for
more information about Baby Signs® resources to help you and your baby enjoy all
the benefits that signing can bring.
© 2008 Baby Signs Partnership.
(www.babysignstoo.com)
