3 ms·

My parents had a rule where we'd only speak Spanish at home and English everywhere else, and now I'm fluent in both languages. It might be a bit difficult for y

• otoburb 9y ago
  That rule is more realistically enforced when both parents speak the language fluently. Even with families that try to enforce this rule, much depends on the aptitude and character of the children, as we know many that can listen but never bothered to expand their fluency beyond a narrow set of home topics which unfortunately in many cases never extended to conversations dealing with emotions.
  • pavel_lishin 9y ago
    Don't forget about the aptitude of the parents! My Russian is so rusty it's liable to give people tetanus. My mom laments my loss of language, and I can feel myself stumbling every time I speak it.
    • otoburb 9y ago
      >>[...] I can feel myself stumbling every time I speak it. I'm in the same boat, and the kids pick up on our hesitation and lack of confidence in the language. Since so much of language acquisition is being able to speak confidently so that children aren't confused by the implicit context within which phrases and vocabulary are used, our impaired fluency adds more friction (and detracts from the implicit enjoyment) to the process.