Dear Multilingual Living Friends,
I don’t know about you but it has been very hard for me to get back into the swing of things after our relaxing holiday season. To make 2012 start off with a fizzle, on New Year’s Eve I had a fever and my husband was coming down with strep throat! (Don’t tell anyone but we still have our Christmas tree up! Can you believe it? Neither my husband nor I have mentioned it to one another, hoping that the other will take care of it.)While having my husband around during the holidays, one thing became very apparent: My German language skills are in serious need of an overhaul.I’m not talking a simple manicure here. I’m talking full-body makeover: hair, clothing, face lift, liposuction… you name it, my German needs it!
This became abundantly clear based on the number of times my husband patiently corrected my German during the weeks that he was at home. Even my oldest son was correcting my German! To put it mildly, I already knew my German was declining but was in relative denial about how severe it was. I did make some strides with Language Refresh 101 last year but that wasn’t enough. This lady needs a full-on language overhaul.
I know that I am not alone in this. A friend here in Seattle was telling me how she feels her own language confidence slip away – and she is a native speaker! Without the opportunity to interact with other speakers, it is darn near impossible to keep our languages fresh and crisp. It is no wonder the United States is known as the “graveyard of languages”!So I have two choices:
1) I just let things disintegrate as they may. I accept the fact that my German is what it is and that this is the natural progression of languages when they aren’t needed/used. How many times have Madalena, Prof. Grosjean and Fred Genesee reminded us of this? Duh! (I have to admit that this plan would be the easy way out!)
2) I put on my battle gear and plan out a full-frontal attack on my waning language skills. Rather than just dipping my toes in the water, this time around I will be preparing for a full triathlon. I’m going to get drenched!
As I’m sure you can guess, I don’t have much of a choice. It is going to have to be #2. And without a doubt, I am going to bring my children along for the battle. Of course I will. German is a team effort in our family. Part of the reason I keep it so strong is so that they can stay connected with family in Germany (and go to University there someday, of course!).
So, my multilingual friends. Whether you speak a native or non-native language with your children, I encourage you to join me in this effort. Unlike Language Refresh 101, this time around I am putting together a full and detailed 6-month plan ahead of time (my target goal is to have improved my language significantly before we head to Germany in the Fall). I am going to publish posts on Multilingual Living that focus on specific elements on keeping our home language alive (even you native speakers will benefit from these) and I am going to interview and highlight experts who can help us keep our languages strong.
Whether you think you need this or not, give it consideration: There aren’t many out there who keep their languages strong after living in another country for an extended time. Think of how many older people we know who have given up their native language – it actually became harder for them to maintain it. Let’s see if we can change that trend! No language graveyard for our family!
Stay tuned for more information and details. I hope many of you will are as excited about this as I am! I’m going to need your companionship during this journey! To start, you might want to review the 5 Steps to Multilingualism to get prepared for the trip.
Many Multilingual Wishes,
Corey Heller
Founder, Multilingual Living
www.multilingualliving.com
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Please help.
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Count me in, Corey! I cant’ wait to read your tips and six-months plan for revitalizing your German. My 2012 goal is to learn Turkish – haven’t sorted out what level I’m aiming for – and to take my kids to Turkey for a linguistic and cultural immersion with their Turkish relatives. I’m sure you’ll have insights here that I can apply to my own experience. And we’re off!