Partners from other countries?

spaghetti_monster

Nottoobadyet wrote: »

I've heard that the trick is requiring the child to talk to you in your own language, not just understand when you talk to them, that way they really ingrain it.

I have a friend that grew up in Austria with a Brazilian mother - he said that as a child he would often speak to his mum in German (as that was more natural to him living in Austria and later as an older child because he couldn't be bothered). His mum would never reply, no matter what until he switched to Portuguese.
I also remember being in a friends house (Japanese lady married to an English guy) - her young son was tearing round the house being very naughty and every time she tried to discipline him (verbally, in Japanese), he would reply in English - all part of the naughtiness!

diable

My girlfriend is Polish as was my ex wife and most of my girlfriends but then again my parents are Polish and I was born in England and can speak the language so it may not count ;o))

I did go out with a Scottish lass but she had a screw loose so that lasted only 2 weeks before she got the Spanish Archer.

kavics17

Spoken language for children is kind of interesting, as we are here my child will (hopefully) speak Hungarian, Polish and English. I do think that learning how to read and write will be quite difficult in 3 languages but I guess we will just go along with it as it comes. My best friend is Polish, her ex-partner is Portugese and their little girl is fluent in English, Polish and Portugese. She is only 4.5 and knows already how to play mum and dad against each other, talking to both in English but if she wants something from daddy than she says it in Portugese, or from mummy she says it in Polish. It's kind of innocently sweet but wonder what will happen later on:).

pimento

honey9 wrote: »

My other half is from New Zealand so there's no language barrier, although sometimes (after nearly 10 years) we still get baffled by each other's slang or cultural references! We recently found a NZ website with loads of old Kiwi TV ads so he has been having a whale of a time reminiscing while I don't really get most of them

I've been over there a few times and loved it, although I don't think I'd want to live there at this stage in my life, it's very quiet.

My husband's a Kiwi too. We've been together for 30 years and married for 24. I've never been to NZ and never met my mother-in-law (she's dead now).

We might make a visit one day, we've never had the money. We have a plan that we might retire there.

morocha

Iam argentinian, oh is English and our 3yo DD is Welsh... she is growing up learning 3 languages...

Being different is so much fun although frustrating at times, i had to come here and learn English living in a very isolated place... yes... the tv taught me everything i needed to know ! lol

euronorris

mumoftwo wrote: »

I am the foreigner, from the Netherlands (Holland) and married a Scot. I was already a fluent English speaker and although my husband has a Scottish accent it was easy to understand him. Not so with his mother though, she had a very broad Scottish accent and I didn't understand a word she said to me, so I just smiled and laughed when she laughed until I picked up the different words for everything like child = bairn and I know + ay ken.

Now twenty years later some people can hear a slight accent in me but never guess I am Dutch

:wave: Hallo!

Hoe gaat het? (says Euro, practicing her Dutch! lol)

Do you like it in Scotland? Very hilly compared to Holland. I miss hills sometimes.

honey9

purplepardalis wrote: »

My OH is from New Zealand and I have a similar situation to honey9. Whilst he now almost speaks without a Kiwi accent, I have started calling the kitchen work surface the 'bench' ! However I refuse to call clingfilm 'gladwrap'

Haha, so do I, it's clingfilm! (at least while I'm still living in the UK). I have slipped into calling flip flops 'jandals' though :rotfl:

pimento - NZ would be a great place to retire to, some things like utilities are really expensive compared to the UK though but as long as you have a decent pension it would be a great lifestyle as retirees!

euronorris

Nottoobadyet wrote: »

No babies or plans for any here, but I know lots of mixed language couples and its such a blessing for the baby to be raised bilingual - it really sets them up well for language for the rest of their lives. I've heard that the trick is requiring the child to talk to you in your own language, not just understand when you talk to them, that way they really ingrain it.

I've also heard that it means it will take them longer to become verbal than for single language babies, but that its worth it! I wish I had gotten a second language from the start.

Anyone any experience of two English speaking parents bringing up a child in a foreign speaking country?

OH understands most Dutch, but lacks the desire/will to follow through to learning to speak it fluently. I, on the other hand, am trying as hard as possible to become fluent as quickly as possible.

He seems to think that it would be too confusing for the child language wise and therefore wants to return to the UK when we start a family (or at least before the child is school age). But, I think that the child would cope very well, so long as I also spoke Dutch at home sometimes.

amalis

My hubby is lebanese and I think he is just great. In our case his enlish is better, because I am also not a native speaker.

Dinah93

My hubby to be is Irish, so no language barrier. I think having to travel back and forth at the start really focussed us on deciding if the relationship was worth fighting for, as it was obviously an expense and inconvenience spending every other weekend on a plane. He's worried that any children we have won't know their Irish heritage and language, but hopefully we'll be able to buy a second home over there later on, so we can have roots in both places.