Language /
Kids languages for mixed couples ? [26]
Yep, we come into that category. What's crucial is discipline. The English-speaking parent must speak English, the Polish parent Polish, and stick to it.
I'm English, my wife's Polish. Our boy, now 5, was born in England and has lived all his life in England. We go back to Poland for about 4 weeks a year, where family members speak no English. We have a number of Polish friends locally in England with kids, who do all speak English. And my wife speaks English to our boy about 75% of the time. Come to think of it, the Polish only really gets used when he's getting told off!
The result? He can understand Polish, but can hardly speak it at all. He hasn't had the need to learn to actually produce Polish, because he knows he can speak English to his mum and she'll understand and respond in English. The extended visits to Poland are somewhat helpful, and by the end of a 2-week stint, he's starting to speak sentences in Polish.
But ultimately, his ability to speak Polish has been stunted by my wife's lack of discipline. I hope you learn from our mistakes!
