As international marriages and multicultural communities increase around the world, there are more children raised bilingually or trilingually. It will certainly be an advantage to have this skill; nevertheless, it needs to be planned carefully. There are many facts
to consider, but I would like to focus on the dangers of mixing languages.
During my childhood, I grew up learning three languages simultaneously: Cantonese
at home, English at school, and Japanese in the community. Although I had a good comprehension level of all three languages, I had a tendency to mix these languages
in my conversations. This was the main cause of my difficulties in expressing myself during my childhood. When I attended an international school during my childhood, I would always mix Japanese and English with my classmates in our daily conversations. For example, we would often say, “Today’s lunch はすごいおいしかったね (wa sugoi oishikatta ne).” While mixing languages may be a convenient way to communicate, it may weaken our ability to articulate ourselves fluently in one language. I was so used
to mixing languages that it was difficult to express myself in only one language.
The first ten years of a child’s life is crucial for the development of the child’s language ability. Therefore, it is vital for children to acquire the ability to express themselves adequately in one language, or else, it will require more effort when they become older. In the long run, exposure to various languages has certainly been beneficial for me, but because I developed a habit of mixing languages during my childhood, I had to put forth extra effort in school to become more articulate in my speech and writing. Thus, if you decide to raise bilingual children, encourage them not
to mix languages! It will save them a considerable amount of trouble!