Throughout history bilingual people have been (and still are) asked some fairly silly questions. What if the shoe was on the other foot – what questions could we as bilinguals ask? 1 – What have you done to cure your monolingualism? Bilingual people have been classed as strange and some people have wanted to shield […]
Every child is good at something and as parents we love seeing our children do well. Bilingual children have an added advantage in different situations in their lives – and they often get really good, and – depending on their personality – sometimes cheeky with their language skills. 1. Correct their parents’ language Children in […]
This post is also available in the following languages (click on the picture to read the post). More translations to follow: 1 – It doesn’t happen by magic Children do not become bilingual “by magic”. There is a persistent myth claiming that “children are […]
I have been reading many articles on the benefits of bilingualism lately and I decided to gather some of the best ones into one post and share them with you. This is one of my favourite topics, so I have already written about it on different occasions: how languages have helped me in my career, my […]
Today I am starting a four part A-B-C for all you parents passing on your languages to your children – or maybe you are planning to do so, but haven’t quite made up your mind yet. A is for Advantages The list of benefits that accompanies being bilingual is long, ranging from the obvious one […]
When you have always been bilingual, like I have, you quite often take it for granted and forget how important an aspect it is in your life. So today I want to shout from the rooftops (or tweet from the top of a tree) the first 20 reasons for being thankful for all the languages […]
While picking some juicy blackberries in the back garden for my breakfast cereal, I noticed how well the pears are coming on this year and will soon also be ready for my morning muesli. Except for cutting the brambles back once in a while, it hasn’t required much effort from me to get these delicacies. […]
Today I would like to draw your attention to an interesting blog by Professor François Grosjean: Life as a Bilingual. I have thoroughly enjoyed his insightful comments on what it means to be bilingual, what advantages you gain and what challenges you can expect along wit many more interesting topics. Professor Grosjean has a great […]
We’re enjoying a relaxing holiday in Finland at the moment and I took the chance to speak to my younger daughter Daniela about her languages. Which languages do you know? – I know English, Swedish, Punjabi, German and a bit of Finnish. How did you learn all your languages? – I have always spoken Swedish […]
I don’t know how many times I have heard comments along those lines – someone regretting that one of their parents didn’t pass on their language. I have never heard the opposite though, anyone regretting that they learnt a language when they were small. This speaks volumes about how important knowing your family’s languages is […]