Hello folks! It is a pleasure to share with you one of my most vital experiences in life. Today, I wanted to discuss how I became bilingual and what I did to maintain my proficiency in both languages. I won’t be posting any sources or factual numbers, as I’m sure many of you have already read several articles on the topic and have an idea about it, along with the various theories behind it. In this article, I will explain how my family developed and maintained two languages in an international setting.
Really quickly, I will give you a quick rundown of my childhood. My parents were both born in Japan and moved to the USA, where I was born. I attended a regular public school where I spoke English exclusively, and at home, I spoke Japanese only (aside from my brother, who always spoke English with me). If I spoke English at all at home, my parents would act like they didn’t understand what I was saying. I wanted a drink of water, if I wanted to watch TV, I had to ask for permission in Japanese, and if I couldn’t figure out how to say it, I couldn’t get it. Both of my parents were working, and so most of the time, they weren’t at home. Fortunately for us, our grandma would come to the US as often as she could to take care of us. Our grandma didn’t have to act like she didn’t understand English; she didn’t know a single word.
During the summer, we would always have the opportunity to visit Japan to see our grandparents and relatives. We had three months of summer vacation, so we would have ample time in Japan to polish our Japanese. Aside from my grandma coming to the US or us going to Japan, our opportunities to speak Japanese were minimal. To give me more opportunities to be exposed to Japanese, my grandparents sent us videotapes of Japanese cartoons that my brother and I watched and loved.
English was not a problem because I went to school for the majority of the day. I learned Japanese by watching Japanese shows and talking to my mom about my day at school. I didn’t take any special English classes; I knew both languages naturally and effortlessly. That was because of the environment my family has set for me. I believe that the most critical factor in acquiring two or more languages at home is exposure to them. If your child attends an international school, I think that is sufficient, and you can speak your native or second language at home.
If I were to sum up the article into one word, it would be “Exposure”. I was constantly exposed to both languages every day, which I believe was a key factor in acquiring and retaining them. I sincerely hope this article helps, as it is based on my personal experience growing up in the USA with Japanese parents. Each child is unique and learns in their way, so this method may not work for everyone; however, it can be easily incorporated. Wish you all the best!
