A family can ask practical questions about language and culture without assuming that every household will make the same choices. UNICEF’s account features Hannah and Rithy, who come from the United States and Cambodia, are raising children in Thailand, and navigate multiple identities. [1] The questions below are for readers to consider; they do not describe the choices this family made.
Start with the languages people use comfortably
List the languages adults and children use at home, in school, and in the community. Then ask which adults feel comfortable speaking each language with the child and where everyday opportunities to use it exist. This is a planning exercise, not a test of anyone’s fluency or commitment.
ASHA notes that children can learn more than one language, and that how they learn depends in part on the type and amount of exposure and practice. It recommends that adults speak with children in the language or languages they are most comfortable using. [2] Families can use that guidance to discuss realistic ways to share language without making one adult responsible for every learning opportunity.
Plan for practice in ordinary activities
Language practice can be woven into activities families already do: talking about a picture book, singing, describing a meal, or sharing a story. ASHA describes books, music, and conversation as ways to support children’s multilingual learning. [2] The useful question is not how to create a perfect schedule, but where a child can hear and use the languages that matter to the family.
Children may use one language more in a particular setting or shift their use over time. ASHA notes that multilingual children are unique and that their language use can change. [2] A family might therefore check in periodically about which languages are present in daily life and whether adults want to create additional chances to use one of them.
Decide what traditions mean to this household
Culture is not a checklist that every family must complete. Adults can name the traditions they want children to know, ask what each practice means to different relatives, and choose how to make room for them. Traditions may involve food, stories, celebrations, faith, music, or ways of staying connected with relatives. Families can also explain that people may relate to a shared tradition differently.
Questions can help avoid assuming that a child must identify in only one way. What names does the family use for places and communities that matter? Which relatives or community members could share stories? How can adults make space for a child’s questions as their understanding changes? These are questions for the reader’s household, not claims about Hannah and Rithy’s family.
Keep the discussion flexible and specific
A language plan can change with schooling, moves, available relatives, or a child’s interests. Review it by asking what is easy to maintain and where opportunities are missing. Adults can revise a plan without treating a child’s language preference as a rejection of family or culture.
ASHA says mixing languages can be an expected part of learning and using more than one language; it also notes that multilingualism does not cause speech or language delays. [2] If adults have concerns about a child’s communication, they can bring those concerns to a speech-language professional and describe the child’s communication across the languages they use. [2]
References
Sources for the cited guidance and reported material. Worked examples and practical tools are original to Zolls.
- UNICEF. Raising Parents: Stories from around the world.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Learning More Than One Language.