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January 2006
Key Findings from “When Learning a Second Language Means Losing the First”
Cristina Sanchez-Lopez, Education Consultant
by Lily Wong Fillmore*
- As immigrant children learn English, the patterns of language use change in their homes, and the younger they are when they learn English, the greater the effect. The evidence suggests that these children are losing their primary languages as they learn English
- The loss of the primary language does not occur in many other countries. It does often enough in societies like the United States and Canada where linguistic and ethnic diversity are not especially valued.
- Societal assimilation in the United States plays a key role in the loss of native language. English is the high-status language.
- The younger the children are when they encounter the assimilative forces, the greater the effect on their primary languages; especially for children under the age of 5. Children at these ages have not reached a stable enough command of their native language.
- When children lose their native language, they lose the ability to communicate effectively with their parents. Therefore, the values, beliefs, understandings, and wisdom of their parents are lost to them.
- Parental authority and children's respect for their parents break down when language loss occurs.
- Children should not be required to learn English until their native languages are stable enough to handle the linguistic and social implications that English entails.
- Parents need to understand the importance of maintaining the native language.
*These findings were summarized from a 1991 article that appeared in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 6, 323-346
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