Question Hello, I'm currently expecting a child and I am really torn about what language/ languages we should be talking to the baby in once he/she arrives. My husband and I speak English at home, my family speaks Spanish and his speaks Portuguese and English....
Language and bilingualism
Q&A: How to pass on two heritage languages and an additional language to your children
Question Hello! My name is Caroline and I am a native English speaker who has since become nearly fluent in Spanish. My husband is a native Korean speaker who speaks English as his second language. I have been studying Korean and am at an intermediate level....
Q&A: Which language(s) should a multilingual mother speak with her child?
Question Dear Multilingual Parenting team, I am still in my early pregnancy, but like all ambitious mother to be, I’m already considering all kinds of scenarios regarding the baby’s future education. As a multilingual person, which language shall I speak to my...
Q&A: How to help a 7-year-old improve her spoken language skills?
Question Hi, My 7-year-old was born in Switzerland, but her father and I speak English at home. She has had some exposure to German since birth. She watches tv in German 5 days a week, attended two years of kindergarten and her first year of school in German,...
Q&A: How to start speaking your native language after years of using the majority language with your child?
Question Hello I'm very glad to find this website. I have three years old daughter. Our language is Urdu but we start communicating with our daughter in English. In start it was okay but now we are feeling difficulty to explain things to her in English as she...
Q&A: How to encourage a child’s minority languages and arrange language exposure?
Question Hello, I am a Spanish native speaker living in Canada with my Jordanian husband and h little boys aged almost two and five. At home we speak three languages: me Spanish, husband Arabic and all of us English. My husband and I speak English to each...
Q&A: How to support a trilingual toddler with her family languages?
Question Hello, We are a Spanish mum and German dad living in England, and our 18-month-old doesn't speak any words other than "no". Should we be concerned? My husband and I speak to our girl in our language always, no matter what, it even sounds strange to...
Q&A: Worried mother: my bilingual 2-year-old is not talking – what to do?
Question Hello I'm hoping you might be able to help me. I'm a first-time mummy and very worried about my 22-month-old. Her understanding is phenomenal, but she refuses to speak. She will say mama, dada, yaya (grandmummy), daddina (grandfather) and about three...
Q&A: How to choose the additional language to teach a toddler?
Question Hi, My husband and I have an 18-month-old son who we would like to raise bilingually in Austin Texas, USA, but we are having a hard time deciding which language to teach him. Predominant languages in our city environment: English and Spanish...
Q&A: How strict should OPOL-parents be with their languages when speaking to a small child?
Question Good day, Thank you for the good advice on multilingual parenting. I am Dutch and married to a Jordanian (Arabic-speaking). We talk English amongst each other but try to stick with our mother tongues (Dutch and Arabic) when talking to our 15-month-old son. He...