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 bad ha
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The "WHY" volume I. Our reasons to teach our kids our mother tongues

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This post is purely focusing on reasons why we decided to pass our mother tongues ( yes plural because husband and I have entirely different mother tongue) to our children.

Czech countryside 


Many people may have many other reason why to do so. In no particular order of importance, here are our answers to the "WHY":

1) Authenticity of communication with our off springs


To us we will never speak our second or third language as well as our mother tongue, even though we are pretty good.
Also all those little expressions and jokes...right?

2) Passing on the cultural heritage


Lots of the culture we grew up in is locked in language. Some things you just cannot translate. LingoPapa uses many Urdu proverbs to illustrate a point for example.

3) Passing on a skill for life


Being able to use another language and think in it is an invaluable skill and asset. Even if you think your language is too small or not wide spoken.

4) Brain development


It is proven that bilingual people use their brains differently and even the brain structure develops advantageously. Problem solving is also apparently a strong skill for multilingual people.

5) Raising confident children of mixed heritage 


We are strong believers that third culture kids need to know their roots in order to live their life to full ( or at least fuller) potential. Nothing sadder to see if a child cannot communicate with relatives in country of origin. Plus there is so much to learn from your parental cultures and bring it forward.

6) Dementia prevention for all family 


Yes, constant brain challenge of switching and learning on daily basis helps.

7) Promote curiosity about languages


Our 4 year old is aware about the fact that many people speak different languages and just this morning him and his baby brother demanded to watch Fireman Sam in Spanish.


There is probably more but these are the most prominent to us. I will elaborate on above points in detail in future blogs.

What reasons do you have behind passing your mother tongue to your children?


LittleLingo at Karachi airport

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you so much for this blog!
Very helpful tips
Marie
29 March 2018 at 15:14
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