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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GUEST POST: "My struggle to use the minority language in public"

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💥GUEST POST💥GUEST POST💥 

LingoLiving is delighted to publish our first GUEST POST from one of our readers.

This mum shares her candid story and personal reasons for having difficulty to speak in the minority(i.e. foreign) language with her child in public. She includes a brilliant tip on how to overcome this inhibition. 

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I’m a Czech mum of a 2 year old M., married to an Englishman, living in England.


Before M. was born I KNEW I wanted her to talk both languages, have the ability to communicate both Czech and English, I KNEW I wanted her to be able to have a chat with her Czech relatives but what I didn’t know how hard it was!

I find it difficult to learn new languages and after living in England for almost 2 decades I still make basic mistakes, I don’t like my accent and I get frustrated when people don’t understand me. So that doesn’t help my confidence.


M. and her Czech colouring book

When M. was born I had no problems talking/reading/singing to her in Czech but only at home. As soon as we went out to public I had this barrier to talk to her in my native language. It was a bit easier in front of people I knew but as soon as we went to sensory play, doctors, health visitors or at the airport I just couldn’t. I was blocked. It felt weird to speak in front of others in language THEY don’t understand.

Then someone suggested me to tell these people (Dr, health visitor etc) that I speak to my child in my native language. And this simple sentence helped me hugely! It broke the barrier as soon I said it. (I remember acknowledging our health visitor about that and then she was telling me what to say to my daughter, instead of talking to her directly. Doh.)
Now I even don’t need to tell them this, I have no problem talking to her in Czech in public, we read Czech books only and sing Czech songs. Her English will be dominant (it already is!) so I mustn’t give up. It IS hard. Because you’re quite pleased with every new word they say and you feel you need to encourage them in whatever language it is.


At the moment I don’t know how to deal with M. when she says “dÄ•kuju” (thank you) to English speaking child but I think it will come with time.


It is difficult to say how she will be in 2, 5, 10 years, but I REALLY REALLY hope that she will be able to have a fluent Czech conversation with her “babi” (grandma) and her favourite uncle “Honia”.


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