Receptive Bilingualism: “I understand it, but I can’t speak it.”
A child has learned to understand a language but is unable (or unwilling) to speak it. for example, in cases where children attend schools where the home language is not supported, the child has more exposure and opportunity to practice English than the home language. The child may become receptive bilingual in his home language.
In many cases, when kids do not speak their family’s native tongue, the minority language is often the language of the person’s parents and was taught to them when they were young, but speaking in it was not emphasized. It’s common to hear a parent talking to their child in their native tongue and hear the child responding in English.
The crucial part is when children start attending school. When children come from households that speak a language other than the majority, some kids may know English before school; In contrast, others may not know English at all. Holding on to their native tongue becomes challenging since most of their day is spent in an English-speaking environment.
If this has happened in your family or yourself, remember that you can turn a receptive language skill into a “productive” one. I experienced this myself years ago when visiting Italy; I convinced myself to use the Italian skills I had picked when younger, learning the language little by little. Living there also forced me to become more fluent, and I was able to make myself understood. I was able to communicate the basics.
Immerse in the culture by listening to songs, watching movies, and reading books in the respective language, are great ways to connect kids to how the language is spoken in everyday life. Reading, with illustrated books, in particular, may help them understand and associate images with vocabulary.
Although it may seem daunting, learning your native language is worth the effort. Not only will you officially be bilingual, but it will connect you to your culture and save your language from the possibility of disappearing. I completely understand the struggle of wanting to blend in and, at the same time, hold on to your culture, but you do not have to pick one over the other.
Just keep in mind that the value of remaining bilingual is very crucial. Children might not understand this at a young age, but parents should keep motivating them to speak both languages. This stage is when parents need to stay alert, be consistent, and continue telling the languages they have used with their children since they were babies. At this point, children need a lot of support from their parents to ensure that they will retain their ability to communicate in the family languages. It might not always be easy, but it will pay off, and everyone will be happy later in life that they made an effort.
