One day - One language

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How to increase a minority language exposure It is inevitable that in any multi-lingual family setting one or more languages get more time and focus than the others. Naturally one of the parents or any other adult speaking minority language just gets to spend more time with the kids. Whether a stay at home parent, caregiver or maybe the one that spends a long morning commute with the child. Or there is more relatives around speaking the language. Or simply the adult responsible for passing on the minority language is just not as comfortable with it, gets limited time, cannot naturally hold conversation with a young child or simply gets frustrated to be in it alone.  As the time progresses and LingoPapa works hard away from home to support us, he gets limited time to speak and actively teach children Urdu. It a language that needs more attention in our household. Not only we get the least exposure to it but it also needs more attention due to its Persian script and ba...
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Majority Language Trap

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In the context of  multilingual setting the "majority language" is usually the language spoken by great majority of people around us. Sometimes such language can be described as a "dominant language".  Having worked with LittleLingo for past 4 years and MiniLingo for 2 years, I can understand why a majority language is also referred to as the "killer language".

I can confirm that even if you put a maximum effort into speaking to a child from birth in non-majority language, the killer one will creep in. Especially, if you live a well adjusted life in the majority language community such as visiting playgroups, children activities, sports clubs, watch TV and interact with other majority language speakers. In our case, what is even worse is the fact that  PapaLingo and I speak "the killer" to each other at home. But not to worry, there are tried and tested ways to beat the "killer"!

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Both of our kids, used first words in English (our "killer"). With exception for words for 'mum' and 'dad'. I was horrified when LittleLingo started to ask for "honey" and point to the "moon" even though I could not recollect where he was exposed to these words. ( I was like: "Where ever have you came across astrology?") 
What really worked for us in such instances is that once the child starts using (with you as the minority language speaker) her first words in majority language, you must reaffirm the use of the desired minority language. And this is one way how:

LittleLingo: points to honey a clearly says "HONEY" in majority language ( e.g. English in the USA).

LingoMama: points to the honey and says in minority language ( e.g Czech in Pakistan) " Yes, it is honey." ( "Ano, to je med")

LittleLingo: "HONEY" ( In majority language)

LingoMama: "Yes, it is honey"( Ano, to je med)  in desired minority language.

LittleLingo at arms expo protest! Fight the power! 
The little one will probably keep saying the word in the majority language for a while. The trick is to be persistent! Don't answer to a kid in the majority language!

I hear this far too often - "Oh, he/she just speaks in English ( or any other majority language)." Well, my answer to this is:

"No, you as the teaching adult just set the killer language status quo."

Arm yourself with techniques on how to fight the "killer language". Don't fall into the majority language trap!

I will be sharing more of our own strategies and ammunition we use on our "killer language" . Let me know about your run-ins with the "killer" and I will see how and if we have coped with something similar.

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