Good reasons for kids to learn heritage language & culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's great to know all of these languages but what practical use do they have? My parents tried to teach us the language growing up but on a day to day basis, I NEVER use it. I can watch tv shows and understand the language but I don't talk to my American friends in my "heritage" language. If you did something using it, then it makes sense.

Learning the language helped me to understand my heritage culture much better. Language is created as a way for a people to communicate what they want to say --- and what I came to realize is that my heritage culture had a lot of thoughts that can't be translated into English because English speaking people never came up with these ideas and concepts. You can sort of translate the concepts into English, but it never conveys 100%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children are not motivated to learn parents' heritage language & culture. And, I have tried to send them to languahe school. They don't mind going there, but the progress is minimal. They can't communicate in basic conversation over a year. They don't have passion to learn, so they treat it as a chore.

One kid is strong in chess and math, and get all As at school. One kid is strong in acting skills and singing. I wonder if they don't have talent or have a disability learning foreign language. What are the good reasons you give to your american born children that they should learn the heritage language and culture?

This is constantly on my mind as well. My kids are 3rd generation and my ability to speak my heritage language has declined significantly through the years, so for me to try to teach it to my kids in a meaningful way would require a LOT of effort. I feel quite guilty about this. But at the same time, there are so many other things that my kids can do a life than to learn the language. They don't "need" to learn it; my parents speak English just fine and I doubt I'm not sure I will ever take my kids to see my extended family in our home country because my grandparents have passed on and I'm not close to other extended relatives. So sure, I want to teach them what I know from the culture and speak what I can around them, but otherwise unfortunately they will need to make the effort to learn it if they are interested in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My children are not motivated to learn parents' heritage language & culture. And, I have tried to send them to languahe school. They don't mind going there, but the progress is minimal. They can't communicate in basic conversation over a year. They don't have passion to learn, so they treat it as a chore.

One kid is strong in chess and math, and get all As at school. One kid is strong in acting skills and singing. I wonder if they don't have talent or have a disability learning foreign language. What are the good reasons you give to your american born children that they should learn the heritage language and culture?

This is constantly on my mind as well. My kids are 3rd generation and my ability to speak my heritage language has declined significantly through the years, so for me to try to teach it to my kids in a meaningful way would require a LOT of effort. I feel quite guilty about this. But at the same time, there are so many other things that my kids can do a life than to learn the language. They don't "need" to learn it; my parents speak English just fine and I doubt I'm not sure I will ever take my kids to see my extended family in our home country because my grandparents have passed on and I'm not close to other extended relatives. So sure, I want to teach them what I know from the culture and speak what I can around them, but otherwise unfortunately they will need to make the effort to learn it if they are interested in the future.

*so many other things my kids can do in life other than learn a language (e.g. sports, other activities)

[Anonymous]

Were you brown in the US? That’s not clear from your OP.

I loved to the US as an adult and my English was not great (it has since much improved and people often don’t even detect an accent).
I speak to my kids in my heritage language, so do my parents and kids spend 2-3 months every year in my country. Older 2 kids are 100% fluent. Youngest is not at all. He understands everything, but is lazy and at 4 barely speaks English… I plan to have my kids spend summers there for as long as possible, but I don’t see them losing the ability to speak it.

My husband is also not American and he speaks his heritage language at home. However, my kids have not spent much time there other than a couple of weeks every 2 years or so. As a result, they are far from fluent. Older two are taking classes too, but while they understand it perfectly, they don’t speak well… just basic conversations and the start using English and my own heritage language.

All of this to say, that for us heritage language is not negotiable, but we are able to expose them to the culture and language a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Were you brown in the US? That’s not clear from your OP.

I loved to the US as an adult and my English was not great (it has since much improved and people often don’t even detect an accent).
I speak to my kids in my heritage language, so do my parents and kids spend 2-3 months every year in my country. Older 2 kids are 100% fluent. Youngest is not at all. He understands everything, but is lazy and at 4 barely speaks English… I plan to have my kids spend summers there for as long as possible, but I don’t see them losing the ability to speak it.

My husband is also not American and he speaks his heritage language at home. However, my kids have not spent much time there other than a couple of weeks every 2 years or so. As a result, they are far from fluent. Older two are taking classes too, but while they understand it perfectly, they don’t speak well… just basic conversations and the start using English and my own heritage language.

All of this to say, that for us heritage language is not negotiable, but we are able to expose them to the culture and language a lot.

Born! Not brown

[Anonymous]

It's NORMAL for younger kids to fight you on this, OP. We are international, are friends with a lot of international families, and this is what always happens!

What you do is force them. When they're old enough to have American friends taking beginner language classes in middle school, they will feel superior and start to realize the advantages they were born with, but not before. And when they get to high school and you start explaining the language requirements for graduation, as well as the language requirements for college admissions and many undergraduate programs... they will appreciate it more!

But it won't be before they're parents themselves and are mature enough to value passing on culture and values to their own children, that they will truly be grateful for what you've done for them.

So my friends and I all force our kids to attend their weekend language schools; we all show them news, movies and radio programs in our native language (radio is quite challenging because of the rapid fire delivery unaided by visuals); we introduce them to the great classics of literature, and main cultural and historical events. Some language schools have history classes built in anyway. The more you can travel to your home country, the better. It's a very important and valuable aspect of your daily life, OP. You won't regret pushing your kids on this.

[Anonymous]

The second gen kid I knew told his parents forcing the heritage language that he was American and had no interest in learning their heritage language. His priority was in being an American only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The second gen kid I knew told his parents forcing the heritage language that he was American and had no interest in learning their heritage language. His priority was in being an American only.

I think that’s really sad and probably heartbreaking for the family…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's NORMAL for younger kids to fight you on this, OP. We are international, are friends with a lot of international families, and this is what always happens!

What you do is force them. When they're old enough to have American friends taking beginner language classes in middle school, they will feel superior and start to realize the advantages they were born with, but not before. And when they get to high school and you start explaining the language requirements for graduation, as well as the language requirements for college admissions and many undergraduate programs... they will appreciate it more!

But it won't be before they're parents themselves and are mature enough to value passing on culture and values to their own children, that they will truly be grateful for what you've done for them.

So my friends and I all force our kids to attend their weekend language schools; we all show them news, movies and radio programs in our native language (radio is quite challenging because of the rapid fire delivery unaided by visuals); we introduce them to the great classics of literature, and main cultural and historical events. Some language schools have history classes built in anyway. The more you can travel to your home country, the better. It's a very important and valuable aspect of your daily life, OP. You won't regret pushing your kids on this.

"and are mature enough"

Just because you love "forcing" your kids to do things (which, uh, doesn't sound that mature of you) doesn't mean you have to judge other parents who maybe don't value it as much as you or are not into "forcing".

I'm also smirking at your comment about your kids surely realizing that they are "superior" to "American kids".

[Anonymous]

Tangent question: if your child or grandchild are involved in your heritage customs in the US maybe visit family abroad but don’t speak your heritage language — do they identify with your heritage? Or do you consider them strictly American? Can they call themselves Indian-, Chinese-, or Italian-American?

[Anonymous]

Some reasons:
- value of second language which allows you to see how our words frame our world. Different languages shape perspective differently
- connection to heritage
- diversity

I am second generation and was very interested in later years in mastering Chinese.
I am investing in at least laying a foundation for my kids now. They can decide if they want to really delve into it in later years but at least in the elementary years I am committed to giving them a solid beginning.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother came to America from Ireland as a Gaelic-speaking immigrant who knew English from school but not from home or community. I would have loved if my public school had offered Irish Gaelic. My great-grandmother was French who immigrated to Ireland, so at least i got to study French for 5 years. I have been to both Ireland and France.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The second gen kid I knew told his parents forcing the heritage language that he was American and had no interest in learning their heritage language. His priority was in being an American only.

I think that’s really sad and probably heartbreaking for the family…

They could have chosen to remain in their native country if it was so important.

Agree. Whether someone moves to the US or somewhere else that speak another language, it is bound to happen. Otherwise we’d all be speaking Old English, or Latin or some other ancient language.

I 100% disagree. They will speak perfect English and be American AND know their heritage language and culture. These kids are missing out in so much if they don’t. I guess We don’t all get it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children are not motivated to learn parents' heritage language & culture. And, I have tried to send them to languahe school. They don't mind going there, but the progress is minimal. They can't communicate in basic conversation over a year. They don't have passion to learn, so they treat it as a chore.

One kid is strong in chess and math, and get all As at school. One kid is strong in acting skills and singing. I wonder if they don't have talent or have a disability learning foreign language. What are the good reasons you give to your american born children that they should learn the heritage language and culture?

That's fine. Don't make their lives difficult, just give them opportunities. If they want to learn, they'll. If not now then as adults. Don't beat yourself up for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The second gen kid I knew told his parents forcing the heritage language that he was American and had no interest in learning their heritage language. His priority was in being an American only.

He is. His parent's heritage is foreign to him.