Did you know that International Mother Language Day, which we celebrate today, is a part of the global effort to not only champion linguistic diversity but also to raise awareness about the importance of sustaining family languages? It offers us a moment to pause and reflect on the integral role our home languages play in shaping our identity, culture and connections. For many of us raising children with more than one language, our home language is the language of our heart-to-heart chats, our bedtime stories, our family jokes that only make sense to those who have lived the nuances of the culture or express feelings of love and comfort. It’s our language of love and deep-seated emotion. But let’s be honest, keeping this part of our heritage alive isn’t always a walk in the park, especially when the world outside our front door speaks a completely different language.
In a world that’s more interconnected than ever, our native languages are the bridges connecting us to our past and our future; they represent the most valuable asset we can pass on to our children. They carry the essence of who we are. Yet, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, finding the time, resources and energy to ensure our children can speak as well as even read and write in our home language(s) can often feel like a Sisyphean effort. From the moment they step outside, the dominant language of our surroundings slowly starts to seep in, sometimes drowning out the language we’ve been so desperately trying to sustain.
But here’s the thing – this is not a one-off problem; it is an issue that the vast majority of bilingual families are facing. And let’s be clear – the challenges go beyond the basics of grammar and vocabulary as they are just the tip of the iceberg. What we strive for reaches much deeper; we’re on a mission to connect our children to their heritage, to instil in them the curiosity and motivation to delve into the roots of who they are. Here are five common hurdles that bilingual families have to overcome to keep their home language(s) alive:
1.Maintaining a rich linguistic environment.
In communities where the dominant language differs from the home language, establishing a rich linguistic environment at home can be daunting. However, creating and maintaining it for the home language is not just beneficial; it’s crucial. Why? Because it is essential for ensuring that children not only acquire and learn the language but also connect deeply with the cultural subtleties, contextual richness and the invaluable heritage that their home language embeds. Without this, children might manage basic conversational fluency but find themselves at a loss when it comes to articulating more complex thoughts or understanding literary works. This limitation can affect their confidence in using the language, their depth of cultural understanding and their overall interest in maintaining the language long-term.
Possible solution: The key to jumping that hurdle lies in intentional practise and creating meaningful language experiences (meaningful to your child!) that can compensate for limited external exposure.
2.Ensuring language consistency
Balancing the home language with the community or school language can be especially challenging in a dynamic and often unpredictable family environment or under societal pressure to conform to the majority language. Or simply because it is easier – here I said it. The crux of navigating this challenge is to consciously maintain the use of the home language within the family, turning everyday moments into opportunities for practise and exposure. Consistent exposure to each language ensures that children not only develop their language skills, including speaking, listening, reading and writing but also reinforces the cultural and emotional significance of each language, fostering a deeper connection and understanding.
Possible solution: Integrate language learning into everyday activities. This is a practical strategy to reinforce language skills naturally. One example, cooking a meal together can become an opportunity to learn and use vocabulary related to food and cooking instructions in a target language. Similarly, engaging children in storytelling sessions will promote and encourage children to use their language skills actively.
3.Overcoming limited resources
This is a huge one! Finding resources, such as books, media or educational materials, in the home language(s) can be a formidable challenge for many families, particularly when their language does not hold significant social prestige or is less commonly spoken in the area. A challenge that can make it or break it sometimes. Lack of resources can limit the child’s exposure to diverse contexts weaken the cultural connection and sense of identity that language inherently fosters, ultimately affecting the child’s interest and motivation to learn. Moreover, the lack of quality home-language materials can impose financial burdens on families, making the pursuit of language preservation feel like an uphill battle and, ultimately, a lost cause. Creativity is essential here – explore, for example, online communities, digital resources and exchanges with other families.
Possible solution: Connect with your local or online community to share resources and support. Community centers, cultural associations and social media groups can be invaluable in finding textbooks, literature and learning materials. You can also create your own learning materials. This can include flashcards, labels for items around the house and simple storybooks. Engaging the children in creating these materials has the potential to enhance their learning experience.
4.Maintaining language balance
Many parents worry that focusing on the home language may impact their child’s proficiency in the majority language and, by extension, their academic and social opportunities. Yet, quite the opposite is true – proficiency in the home language is associated with benefits that extend into learning additional languages and academic achievement. The intricacies of this challenge lie in the allocation of time, resources and effort to nurture each language within the family’s linguistic repertoire.
Balancing multiple languages requires more than just managing the time spent on each language; it involves considering the context, purpose and depth of language use for each of them. As children grow, the divergence between everyday conversational skills and academic language demands can widen, making adjustments to the already established routines a critical focus.
Possible solution: Developing a comprehensive Family Language Plan is a sure-fire way to navigate this challenge (all the other ones as well!). Such a plan involves intentional goal-setting for each language, tailored to meet the evolving needs of the child. It encompasses not just the allocation of time but also the integration of language into various aspects of daily life in a way that aligns with the child’s interests, academic requirements and aspirations.
5. Navigating peer influence and social pressure
This obstacle is probably the most formidable one because it’s the one we have least control over. Children’s language preferences and behaviours can (and eventually will) be influenced by their peers and the language(s) dominant in their social environment, such as school or community. Especially, in a world where certain languages hold a dominant status, children may encounter societal cues that prioritise the use of the majority language over their home language.
In societies where certain languages hold higher status and visibility, children may encounter societal cues, thus internalising these values and prioritising the majority language, desperately wanting to fulfil peer expectations and longing for societal acceptance. This external pressure can subtly erode the prominence of the home language and has the power to impact a child’s language choices both outside and inside the home. Social pressures can manifest in various ways, from peer interactions at school to media influences and societal norms that subtly signal which languages are “valuable” or “prestigious.” For a child, the desire to fit in and be understood by peers can lead to a preference for the dominant language, gradually sidelining the home language or denouncing it overall. This shift is not just about language; it’s about identity, belonging and navigating the path to social acceptance.
Possible solution: Encouraging children to value and take pride in their linguistic heritage is essential, as is fostering connections with peers who share the same home language. It has the potential to counteract societal pressures. Foster a positive language environment at home, using books, music and films in the home language(s), for instance, to enrich the cultural context and show its relevance. Connect, engage with or create communities of like-minded people who speak the same home language(s).
Indeed, there are a number of hurdles strewn on the path of bilingual parenting, yet, the common theme is the profound value that comes from preserving and nurturing our linguistic heritage. Maintaining a rich linguistic environment and ensuring language consistency are not just tasks to be checked off a list; they are ongoing commitments to fostering a deep sense of identity, culture and connection within our families. These challenges remind us that language is more than just a tool for communication—it’s a bond that ties us to our past, enriches our present and opens doors to the future.
As we celebrate International Mother Language Day today, we need to reiterate that the journey of developing and sustaining home languages is a testament to the power of language to unite us, to the richness it adds to our lives and to the legacy we pass on to future generations. And, yes, it demands creativity, resilience and patience. It calls for strategic planning, resourcefulness and above all, a spirit of mutual support. But no matter how bumpy the road might be, the rewards are definitely worth it!
How are you supporting your home languages?
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