I've spoken to my daughter in a non-native language since she was a baby. Now she corrects my French.
A linguist shares her personal experience of raising her daughter in French, a language that is not her native tongue. Despite facing criticism regarding her grammatical errors and the potential impact on her child, she highlights the success of their bilingual journey.
Why it matters
It explores the evolving dynamics of modern parenting and the debate surrounding the 'optimal' way to teach children a second language.
The author has been speaking French to her daughter since she was a baby, even though it is not her native language. Courtesy of Tara McAllister. I hoped a bilingual upbringing would give my daughter an edge in life. I didn't realize that a non-native language to me would end up becoming our primary language. I've had my share of criticism over this decision, but it's working well for us so far. My daughter was born three months before the COVID-19 restrictions began where we live. Stuck at home with a new baby, I needed something to keep me busy, and I'm too mishap-prone for sourdough. For a linguist like me, a language-related project seemed like just the thing.
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