Q&A: How to motivate a school-aged child to speak the family’s minority language?

Q&A: How to motivate a school-aged child to speak the family’s minority language?

  Question Hi, I have an 8-year-old son who had speech problems when he was little. He did not really start talking until maybe two. I was forced to choose a language for his speech therapy classes, I chose English. My problem now is that he understands Spanish...

Q&A: Changing the language parents speak with a 1-year-old – is it too late and how to do it?

Q&A: Changing the language parents speak with a 1-year-old – is it too late and how to do it?

  Question Hi there, I would like to ask for your advice. My husband is Portuguese and I am Hungarian and we live in England. Our daughter is almost one year old, and we mostly speak to her in English. She does hear conversations in both other languages, when we...

Q&A: Does a parent “mess up” a 2-year-old’s language development by speaking a non-native language?

Q&A: Does a parent “mess up” a 2-year-old’s language development by speaking a non-native language?

  Question Hello My daughter and son-in-law have four daughters ages 8, 6, 4 and almost 2. "Dad" knows some Italian having lived in Italy a couple of years. He thinks he should have been bilingual with the first three daughters. He speaks only Italian to the...

Q&A: How to reintroduce a minority language to a speech-delayed child and a younger sibling?

Q&A: How to reintroduce a minority language to a speech-delayed child and a younger sibling?

  Question Hello, I am German and, my now, ex-husband is English/Australian. The kids spend half of the week with him and the other half with me. I used to talk German to my son from birth onward, but when he was diagnosed with a speech delay which was luckily...