Children who learn a foreign language beginning in early childhood demonstrate certain cognitive advantages over children who do not.

Some countries in the west are now encouraging foreign mothers to teach their children to speak their mother tongue.

All the Indian children I have come across can speak their mother tongue; their parents make it a duty to teach them, unlike African parents.

It is a disgrace and an insult to grandparents when African (Nigerian) children cannot communicate in the language of their parents.



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Should foreign language instruction start earlier in the U.S.?

Beginning foreign language instruction early sets the stage for students’ to develop advanced levels of proficiencies in one or more languages. In addition, younger learners still possess the capacity to develop near native-like pronunciation and intonation in a new language. Finally, young learners have a natural curiosity about learning which is evident when they engage in learning a new language. They also are open and accepting of people who speak other languages and come from other cultures.

Caccavale: Yes, because it has been shown to enhance children’s cognitive development. [b]Children who learn a foreign language beginning in early childhood demonstrate certain cognitive advantages over children who do not.[/b] Research conducted in Canada with young children shows that those who are bilingual develop the concept of “object permanence†at an earlier age. Bilingual students learn sooner that an object remains the same, even though the object has a different name in another language. For example, a foot remains a foot and performs the function of a foot, whether it is labeled a foot in English or un pied in French.

Additionally, foreign language learning is much more a cognitive problem solving activity than a linguistic activity, overall. Studies have shown repeatedly that foreign language learning increases critical thinking skills, creativity, and flexibility of mind in young children. Students who are learning a foreign language out-score their non-foreign language-learning peers in the verbal and, surprisingly to some, the math sections of standardized tests. This relationship between foreign language study and increased mathematical skill development, particularly in the area of problem solving, points once again to the fact that second language learning is more of a cognitive than linguistic activity.
A 2007 study in Harwich, Massachusetts, showed that students who studied a foreign language in an articulated sequence outperformed their non-foreign language learning peers on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test after two-three years and significantly outperformed them after seven-eight years on all MCAS subtests.

Furthermore, there is research (Webb bibliography) that shows that children who study a foreign language, even when this second language study takes time away from the study of mathematics, outperform (on standardized tests of mathematics) students who do not study a foreign language and have more mathematical instruction during the school day. Again, this research upholds the notion that learning a second language is an exercise in cognitive problem solving and that the effects of second language instruction are directly transferable to the area of mathematical skill development.

Liedetect

how many Indian west Indians do you know who traditionally speak Hindi?

There's no hard and fast rule for this stuff- it all depends on how close you are to your culture and if its advantageous for your kids to learn the language.

So no need to get upset over everything. No one is saying its bad if kids speak their language and know their culture.



People are looking at[b] present day[/b] America and Europe and ignoring other factors.

Ndipe:

I dont know which part of Nigeria you hail from, but as an Akwa Ibomite, I can tell you with utmost confidence that such a child will not be ridiculed, but will be upheld as the dream child every parent would yearn for, especially if they are verbose in English language, and totally refrain from anything relatable to the indigenous culture.

that's interesting.

I'm from western Nigeria.

[b]Indians in Trinidad

Urvashi Ramnarine, an employee at the High Commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in New Delhi says over forty per cent of the population of Indian origin in her homeland speak in Hindi or Bhojpuri.

Hindi is spoken here primarily by the older people, but in recent years there have been efforts to have it included in the educational system. (This is to further weaken the African languages and dialects)

Indian immigration spanned the period from 1845 to 1917 when over 140,000 East Indians were transported to TT

Urvashi says that the Indian population in Trinidad still adheres to Indian culture and traditions.

Diwali is the second largest festival in Trinidad and it is also a public holiday

As many as 12 radio stations are devoted to playing Hindi songs.

Explaining the cultural heritage of Indians settled in Trinidad, she said, "The wedding ceremony, death rituals, the Ganesha festival and Bhumi pooja are conducted in the same way. I feel a huge affinity to these festivals in India. “They were able to do it because of their culture. They have maintained their cultural practice, which has stood them in good stead, This, has kept them together.






Africans in the Caribbean
Africans in the Caribbean fought to maintain their cultural tradition by forming clubs called Nations in all the islands. Each nation had to pledge to preserve African language, culture, religion, and music.

As in the case of North America, much of the African resistance movement was steeped in religion. Despite the attempts at christianization, Africans were determined to have their religions survive. The Shango in Trinidad and Cuba, Voodun in Haiti, Santeria in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil and the Dominican Republic, Cumina in Jamaica, Junkanoo in Jamaica, St. Kitts, and the Bahamas, and Umbanda and Candomble in Brazil, are still surviving today as a result of this resistance. It is possible to find a midnight ceremony in progress in parts of Cuba and Haiti against the backdrop of African drumming.

The church played a strong role in many uprisings. The Africans formed their own churches to fight back christianization. In addition, churches provided an effective meeting place for Africans.

African-Caribbean resistance culture further manifests itself in educational issues. Today there is a major drive towards the reclamation of history and vocabulary.

A number of languages and/or dialects evolved in the Caribbean and Class-seeking Africans and the mixed African-Europeans despised the language.[/b] Nonetheless, the Africans recognized the power in that language.

These languages now form the vernacular of these islands due to the persistence of the people who spoke them. [/b]Today these languages enjoy prominence, and in some places, such as in the French Antilles, and Dutch Antilles, there are government sponsored attempts to document the language, and to create dictionaries. In that regard, the Dutch Antilles are further ahead.

[b]The debt that we owe our ancestry is clear. To allow their work, strength, and courage to go unnoticed, unheralded, and to be superseded would be disrespectful, ungrateful, and unAfrican. We must continue to praise our African parents who struggled for our betterment.

liedetect

na only Trinidad diasporan Indians dey?

all these my-way-or-the-highway bots, una go tire.


Make una buy plenty shoes with thick soles for walking through the different continents looking for people who dont speak "their native language".


You'll certainly need a lot of leather.

and not all Indians in India speak Hindi btw. So why assume all diasporan Indians should?