When we make a language mistake, we may feel uncomfortable. This discomfort can be productive. It can lead to reflection, correction and even growth. But sometimes what emerges is not discomfort, it is shame. And sometimes it is anxiety or guilt. These experiences are related, but they are not the same. Language Guilt and Language […]
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Preparing Multilingual Teens for Home Country Visits
Are you visiting your heritage country with your teenagers? When our teenagers grow up abroad and we are the only ones or one of the few they get to speak our language with, meeting family, friends and peers who are immersed into that language is not easy. When my children were preteens, I observed […]
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Why it is never to late to learn about your heritage language and culture…
When I came across the video by Brooke Alexx the other day, I had to write about it. It is a very touching song, but also sad, as she thinks that she missed the chance to learn Japanese and about one of her heritage cultures. The feeling she shares in this song is what every […]
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Mother tongue, first language, native language or dominant language?
Get an overview of several terms that refer to the first languages we acquire or learn, those we use to a high level of proficiency etc.
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