Are you a polyglot who wants your kids to be bilingual (or even multilingual)? That’s great! Languages are one of the best gifts we can give our children. As you know, being fluent in more than one language creates many benefits in life, both in the short term and in the long term.
We love sharing valuable resources to support your kids’ language learning, so today we want to talk about a very intriguing and relevant article for multilingual parents who want their children to also speak more than one language. It’s by Ute Limacher of Ute’s International Lounge and Academy.
The article proposes interesting ideas and examples that help answer an important question: Should you always speak your native language with kids?
One Parent, One Language – Explained
As Limacher explains, it’s conventional wisdom that each parent should speak their own native language to their kid to help the child become bilingual. This is called OPOL: One parent, one language.
For example, a native Spanish speaker and a native English speaker, who live in Dallas, have a child. Each parent talks with the child in their native language. We could even take this example a little further.
In the same scenario, let’s change the parent who’s a native English speaker to a native French speaker. Their child grows up hearing French and Spanish at home, and English in school, on playdates, on TV, and in other social gatherings and everyday activities. Hopefully, they’ll grow up to speak all three languages!
Is the OPOL Method Right for All Families?
However, as Limacher reminds us, the OPOL method won’t work for every family. So let’s explore why.
The first language a person acquires isn’t necessarily the language in which they feel most fluent or comfortable. We see this many times when someone emigrates as a child. For example, they move from Mexico to the U.S. as a 6-year-old who effortlessly speaks Spanish.
But, over the years, they become fluent in English and speak Spanish less and less. As an adult, they are still able to get by in Spanish. But the language they feel really comfortable with is English.
In other words, your native language (the first language you acquired) isn’t always the one you’re most fluent in.
In some multilingual families, the language situation can be even more complex. Limacher’s article tells the story of a couple named Laura and Davide. (They’re a real family, but the author changed their names for the article.) Here’s how Limacher describes them:
Laura, who grew up with Italian and German in Germany, learns French at age 6, English at age 11 and later Spanish, Portuguese and Greek. After studying in Italy, she moved to Spain, where she works in a Spanish company.
Her partner, Davide, is Portuguese and British, and they speak Italian, Spanish, English and Portuguese together. They then move to the Netherlands, where they both speak English every day at work and in the international community. Of course, they learn Dutch too.
Now, if you’re in the U.S., this situation might seem very unusual. But that’s because learning multiple languages is still unfortunately very rare in this country. However, it’s a lot more common in other countries. It might be something we’ll see more often here in the U.S. as our society grows more and more global and as languages are more accessible to Americans.
But back to Laura and Davide. While living in the Netherlands, they have a baby boy. So what language should each parent speak with their new son?
You might assume that Laura should speak Italian or German and that Davide should speak English or Portuguese. That’s already a complex situation. But now consider that both Laura and Davide have extensive experience with Spanish and feel very comfortable with it. Laura even calls it her favorite language.
Limacher argues, and we agree, that this is a scenario where a parent’s native language is not automatically the best primary language to speak with their child. Instead, each parent should use the language that they feel the most competent and confident in.
Why? It’s crucial to be able to express yourself easily and clearly with your child. The language that allows you to do this is the best language to speak with them. It doesn’t matter whether you learned that language as a small child or as a college student.
So what did Laura and Davide ultimately decide about language use in their home? To quote the article:
“Laura and Davide speak Spanish with each other […] Laura speaks mainly Italian with the child, but speaks also Spanish when they are all together as a family, while Davide speaks Portuguese with him and Spanish, like Laura.”
This may not be the right solution for every family in a similar linguistic situation. Frankly, keeping up with four languages at home is a lot of work. But it was the best decision for Laura and Davide, based on their preferences and their son’s current and future needs. In a different family with the same languages, the solution might have looked very different.
Give Your Child the Gift of Spanish!
Tips on Which Language to Speak with Your Kids
If you have a situation like Laura and Davide’s, how can you decide which languages to use in your household? The article provides some questions you can ask yourself, including:
- What language comes naturally to you when speaking spontaneously with your child?
- What language (or languages) would your child need to speak with extended family members?
- Will there be any changes in the languages your child needs over the next five years? (For example, will you be moving from the U.S. to your partner’s home country of Portugal?)
Be sure to check out the full article for additional questions to consider, as well as to find out the new twists in the language journey of Laura and Davide’s family.
Is Spanish One of Your Family Languages? Then Join TruFluency Kids!
So let us hear from you, multilingual families. How did you decide which languages to use in your home?
If Spanish is one of your family languages, we invite you to check out our online classes at TruFluency Kids. Practicing Spanish with us is a great way to supplement your kids’ Spanish use at home.
We believe in being fun, flexible and affordable. Our native-speaker teachers do all kinds of Spanish activities with the students, like singing, dancing, playing games, doing crafts, and cooking! We also encourage kids to speak Spanish in every class. It’s the best way to achieve Spanish fluency.
We know how busy parents are. That’s why our lessons are online. And we offer flexible schedules, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT daily. No matter where you are, your kids can study with us!
Take a trial class now! It’s very personalized, because there are no more than four to six students per class. After class, you can join a parent Q & A to answer all your questions.
