#047 - Linguistic and Cultural Dissociation of Second-Generation Immigrants: Why Heritage Language Matters.

#047- In this episode Gabi gives his opinion on the cultural and linguistic importance of preserving the heritage languages.

check out my blog:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/blog/

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/001

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/002

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/003

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/004

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/005

Click on the link below to listen to this  episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/006

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/007

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/008

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/009

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/010

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/011

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/012

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/013

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/014

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/015

Click on the link belowto listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/016

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/017

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/018

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/019

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/020

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/021

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/022

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/023

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/024

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/025

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/026

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/027

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/028

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/029

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/030

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/031

Click on the link below to listen to this episode:
https://learninglanguagesinsocietywithgabi.com/032

Transcript

Welcome to the Learning Languages in Society with Gabby podcast, where it's all about the fascinating world of languages and culture. Let's rock! 

Hello everybody and welcome back to Learning Languages in Society with Gabby. I'm Gabby, your host, and today we're diving into a crucial topic. The touches on language, culture, and identity, the linguistic and cultural dissociation that can happen with second generation immigrants and the vital importance of teaching heritage languages to our children. 

Let's start by asking, have you ever felt like a part of your identity was slipping away, that something precious was fading? This feeling is a reality for many children of immigrants who find  growing up in one culture while losing touch with another. Language, as we'll discuss today, is more than a tool for communication.

It's a bridge to one's roots, a way to stay connected to family, and a gateway to understanding oneself.  Throughout this episode, we'll explore what happens when heritage languages are lost, share two personal stories from second generation immigrants, and offer practical advice for parents and communities.

So let's get started.  Understanding linguistic and cultural dissociation. So what is that? To understand why losing a heritage language matters. Let's talk about linguistic dissociation and cultural dissociation. Linguistic dissociation is when second generation children gradually lose or never fully develop the ability to speak their family's original language.

Cultural dissociation, on the other hand, happens when these children grow distant from their heritage customs, values, and histories. For immigrant families, maintaining a heritage language is about more than words. Language is intertwined with identity, traditions, and the very memories that define who we are.

When we lose language, we lose access to these stories, memories, and often to the understanding of our own background. This isn't just a theoretical idea, it's a reality that affects countless people. Now, let's bring this to life with a real story.  So, let me introduce you to Lupe, the short form of Guadalupe. 

So her parents moved from Mexico to the U. S. in the early 90s and they made a life for themselves in a predominantly English speaking area, which changed over time.  It became more Spanish over time, let's say. As Lupe grew up, her parents spoke to her only in Spanish, but like many kids, Lupe started responding in English with a few words in Spanish here and there.

English was her primary language. Primary language at school, um, and the language of her peers, of course, and she felt more comfortable in English over time. So by the time Lupe was a teenager, her Spanish was limited to basic conversations. One Christmas, Lupe joined her extended family for a gathering in Mexico.

So she was surrounded, uh, by her aunts, uncles, grandparents, and she suddenly realized that that her Spanish wasn't enough to truly participate. When her grandmother,  uh, shared, started sharing stories from her childhood, Lupe could only catch the general idea. As her cousins laughed at inside jokes, Lupe started to kind of feel like a foreigner.

And was also almost seen as one by the rest of the family. It was kind of like a weird situation. So the realization struck her really hard. She was losing access to her family's world. This experience left her feeling deeply disconnected from her roots. And so later Lupus shared with me that it was more than just a language barrier.

It was like, there was a part of her family, her culture that she couldn't reach. That sense of cultural distance is something many second generation immigrants struggle with.  You know, when children lose their, their heritage language, they often lose the ability to connect with their family's past and traditions.

And Lupa's story highlights how language allows us to bridge generational gaps, preserving stories and values that enrich our identity. This sense of connection cannot be replaced. It's just part of who we are. Right? It's part of who we are.  Uh, so let's talk about language and identity information. Now that we've seen Lup's experience, let's talk about how language shapes identity.

Studies show that children who maintain their heritage language tend to have a stronger sense of self and are more resilient in the face of cultural challenges. Language isn't just a skill, it's a framework for understanding the world and ourselves. Knowing a heritage language provides children with a dual lens, allowing them to understand life from two different perspectives.

This duality is powerful. It gives them a sense of belonging in multiple places. And being bilingual or multilingual also opens up new ways of thinking and relating to be relating relating to people. So imagine having the vocabulary to express ideas that don't even exist in another language. Language shapes our thoughts, our emotions, and our sense of who we are. 

Now let's talk about Ahmed's decisions. So who is Ahmed? Let's meet Ahmed. Ahmed was born and raised in Toronto, Canada to Lebanese parents. So growing up, Ahmed's parents spoke to him in Arabic, but he always kind of replied. In English, uh, much like Lupe did, maybe with a few words of, um, in Arabic here and there.

So over time, Ahmed's Arabic became pretty rusty. He thought he never needed it, until he traveled to Lebanon as a young adult. During that visit, Ahmed experienced a profound culture shock. He struggled to communicate with his grandparents, who only spoke Arabic. Even among his cousins, he felt lost in conversation most of the time.

He missed the jokes, the sense of humor, the sense of communion and warmth from the family. He was there, but not truly there. He saw the pride his father felt while speaking Arabic with relatives, and felt the weight of what he'd missed by not maintaining the language. This experience sparked something in Ahmed.

He didn't want his children to feel the same distance from their heritage. So, Since then, he's been kind of working on his Arabic and plans to raise his children as bilingual speakers. Ahmed now sees language as a gift. He almost missed a gift he's determined to pass on. So in order to keep that, um,  communication or, or that sense of, uh, relatedness with Lebanon, he wants to transmit the, the Arabic.

Uh, language and culture, right?  Ahmed's story highlights the importance of language in strengthening, uh, family ties. Speaking a heritage language allows us to bond more deeply, not just in words, but in shared values, humor, and memories. When we lose the language, we risk losing access to these connections.

Now, let's talk about the broader benefits of heritage languages. So, beyond identity and family, And, if you're interested in learning more about heritage languages, please subscribe to our YouTube  channel. Teaching children a heritage language offers significant practical and social benefits. So this is the juicy part.

Let's go through a few of them. So first of all, we've got obviously family connection, which is a little bit what I, what I just talked about.  Bringing up the stories of these two people So children who speak their heritage language can bond with extended family, especially older relatives These relationships offer them a sense of stability and belonging which is really important when you're growing up, right?

So you you you feel you belong to something bigger than just yourself, right? You belong to an extended part of your family culture traditions and so on so it kind of gives you a sense of identity  Also, there's cultural competence. So heritage language speakers develop a deep understanding of their cultures, traditions, holidays, and values.

And this cultural knowledge fosters empathy and pride in their background.  So they can compare the, let's say the host culture to their own family's culture and language. And so, I don't know, they kind of developed this love for both of them and understanding for both of them. It enriches them. I mean, if done properly, it enriches them, obviously. 

Another one, another thing we can think of. Cognitive benefits. So research consistently shows that bilingual children develop greater cognitive flexibility, better problem solving skills, and even higher academic performance in both languages.  So, cognitive benefits right there. I've mentioned in some of the, um, other episodes, older episodes, all the cognitive benefits from Derived from speaking different languages and being bilingual,  uh, there's more career opportunities as well.

So, you know, globalized world, like the world we live in today, bilingualism is a valuable asset in the workforce. particularly for jobs in international relations, uh, businesses in any kind of multicultural setting where you're going to be working with people from different markets and teams. So obviously if you, I don't know, if you speak German and Italian and a little bit of Russian, it's obviously going to open more doors than if you only speak your, you know, your native language, Spanish or English or whatever.

Right.  So here's some practical tips for parents here.  If you are a parent or guardian wondering how to encourage heritage language use, here are some practical tips for you. Speak the heritage language at home. You know, it's truly difficult to do that sometimes because your children are probably gonna talk back to you in English or whatever other language, uh, they're his peers.

Uh, speak, but at least try to maintain the conversation in, in, in your language. So children learn language from their caregivers. Most of the time, obviously using the heritage language regularly at home makes a big difference. I know this one is really tough, but you know, just keep pushing, create.

immersive experiences. Okay. That's a big one. Engage in activities that connect language and culture. So as we can see, all of this is just making a proactive effort to, to keep pushing the language, right? Cook traditional dishes together, you know, use the, the names of vocabulary of the ingredients. In your, in your language, celebrate cultural holidays.

You know, if you happen to be, I don't know, from a different, uh, different culture, different, different, uh, religious background, we'll try to celebrate.  That tradition, try to try to immerse your child with that sort of thing, that tradition, you know, make it important for him as well and, and, and making part of it, make him, make him feel part of it. 

Uh, what shows as well in the heritage language. So if there's a, I don't know, a TV show or popular series that, uh, that, uh, that are pretty cool, you know, In, uh, back in the old country and you, and you want to transmit that to your child. So try to watch that, uh, TV show with your child in, in the original language, of course. 

Try to use storytelling and reading so bedtime stories, uh, or heritage language books can be a fun way for children to engage with language and learn new vocabulary. All right. So if you have, for example, a book that, I don't know, your parents used to read to you when you were a child and, and you think that was an important part of your childhood somehow.

So it marked your childhood. Well, try to do the same thing with your child. Try to, uh, read a book That your parents used to read to you so you read it to your child as well and share all that with him  Educational resources. So look into Local community programs cultural centers or language schools where children can interact with peers in the heritage language That's really interesting as well.

So try to engage your children with other Uh, children whose parents speak the same language as you and kind of try to make them  belong to a community of speakers I've seen a lot of italian americans do that and it just it's so good because they realize they're not  There's a whole bunch of people like them, and they can belong to a community.

So that sense of gathering and community and reviving this language, the old country's language, can really mean something in this new setting, in this new context. So that's really important. So set language boundaries. Some families set specific times or areas where only their heritage language is spoken, like during meals or family gatherings.

So that's really important. So this helps create an environment where the language feels natural and valued. So that's pretty cool as well. So if you have like a family dinner and there's this little tradition where you read  I don't know I'm making this up part of the of the bible or whatever it is or holy book or whatever tradition it is out there In your in the original language and and it means something important.

We try to do it with them with the children So involve try to get your children involved In the in the traditions of the family  now, uh, what are the common challenges and how to address them? So there's so many challenges to this because you know, you're kind of going You're it's counterintuitive  because you're going against the direction Uh, to,  to the direction everybody else is going right in some way.

So maintaining a heritage language isn't always easy and it's always really hard under our challenges. Here are some common ones and ways to address them. So first of all, embarrassment or peer pressure, that is a really big one for children. So some children feel kind of self conscious about speaking a different language in front of their peers, especially in front of their friends.

Sometimes. It can be a little weird because I mean, obviously they need a fit to have friends, which is the most important thing for a child, uh, or a young, uh, a little young person right there. So encouraging pride in their language and heritage helps and hearing parents own experiences with language learning can make them feel understood.

So.  That was a big one. Yeah. Balancing English and the heritage language. It can be hard to balance both languages, especially in English dominant settings. Like I said before, everybody's going to try, everybody's going to try to speak to them in English and they'll try to answer back in English because they belong to that community already.

So, but you have to try to kind of try to play your cards.  Your card's right. You need to balance the two languages. Whatever context is more convenient while you use one language instead of the other. So it's going to depend a little bit on the context,  on the situation or linguistic context. Try making heritage language learning enjoyable, not a chore.

You know, think of it as a chance to connect, not an obligation. That's so important. Don't make this thing a burdensome. Don't make this thing  Boring. Don't just give them a grammar book in, uh, in the, whatever original language you speak. Uh, try to do it in a way that it's fun, you know, try, I don't know, read stories to them that are fun.

Uh, try to relate to their problems in a way they, uh, they, and in, in, in a way they see you understand them. And from that angle, try to push the language in so that they relate maybe that new language or your heritage language.  To the solving of their problems or some of their problems. So try to make it a, a fun thing to do.

You know, just the, the worst thing you can do is to,  to push it in a way that they start hating the heritage language. Now you can be sure you're, they're never going to speak a word of it again. So you got, you gotta be really smart about it.  What else? Finding the right balance. You know, many parents worry that emphasizing the heritage language, as I said, might slow down English learning.

That's not true at all. Research shows that bilingualism offers, often enhances, rather than hinders, cognitive and academic skills. Yeah, there might be a little, uh, there might be, uh, a bit of, um,  delay one of the two languages, you know, if they're, if they speak English at school and then they speak the heritage language at home, or if they're learning the heritage language, it might be the case that sometimes  one of the two languages gets affected and maybe the learning process of one of the two languages gets affected and, and, and it slows down the learning process.

The, the learning of that language. Uh, but that all kind of like evens out at the end. So you shouldn't really worry about that. You know, there's multiple studies and research studies where,  uh, young children are known to be able to handle precisely many different types of languages at the same time. And, and when they're, they become more competent with the language, uh, with the languages, um, you start realizing that they can really actually speak almost at a native level.

You know, a whole bunch of different languages, which is an exceptional advantage in life. That's something that you really have to push for, you know,  now the urgency of passing on heritage language. Okay. Well, there's an urgency here. Heritage languages can vanish within a generation if they aren't actively preserved.

So each generation serves as a cultural breach. And if that bridge breaks, it's hard to rebuild. It's hard to rebuild. Think of the heritage language as a gift, not a burden. Every conversation, every story passed down helps keep family history alive. This is your legacy and it's worth preserving. Remember, it's not just about words.

It's about preserving a cultural treasure that shapes the future. So this also reminds me a little bit. About the history of Italian Americans and how much they, um, they try so hard, you know, to, to keep the, the whatever dialect Southern Italian dialect that they spoke at home alive. And they tried to learn it and, and, and relearn it and try to, Pass it on to their children and try to visit, you know, whatever little town in southern italy their Ancestors came from and and and so that's beautiful.

They're trying so hard to keep these things alive So difficult nowadays though because a lot of these smaller dialects kind of just disappeared You know, the the only people who speak those dialects are like 90 years old nowadays, you know Young people are not at all interested in learning those Those, those smaller dialects, they want to speak Italian or English, obviously.

So, but anyway, you have to write, you have to try to do this. You know, you have to try to maintain those things, you know, that's legacy. And that's, that's something beautiful. I think something similar sometimes happens in South America and some places where Quechua is usually the language that the grandparents used to speak a little bit, maybe, uh, the parents already spoke half of it, or maybe just understood some of it, but not really spoke.

And, and now the new generations  completely forgot about all those languages. They're not important at all. They only speak Spanish. And obviously. Strive to learn other languages such as English or French or whatever other languages out there that would, uh, enhance their opportunities to have a better life, but truly it's, uh, Amerindian languages, uh, are.

Kind of forgotten all together. So it's really difficult sometimes to find especially educated young people that would be willing to revive those languages.  No, very, very hard stuff. So, yeah.  Uh, anyways, so thank you for joining me, uh, in this part of the, um,  of this episode today. I hope that I'm gonna, I'm, I'm leaving with you a deeper understanding of why.

Uh, heritage languages matter on how they can reach your identity and your relationships with people. You know, it just make you, if you project these, uh,  if you plan this thing with, uh, intelligence, you can really make the best out of it  and it can really You can really enrich your life in a way that's meaningful and deep.

That's really nice.  Now, I'm going to talk about something a little different right now, but still within the same sort of narrative. Uh, I'm going to talk about my own family experience, right? Why am I the way I am? Why am I interested in this topic? It's a very, it's a specific topic.  Not everybody really knows about it.

I mean, most of people just, uh, they're born and they grew up in the same place, so they have no need for reaching out to different languages and cultures and so on, or traveling. Most people just don't really care too much, but I mean, newer generations obviously think of it differently. I think globalization has  Things easier for people to travel and learn new things, which is beautiful.

You know, there's this,  uh, exchange of knowledge nowadays that is so much simpler than it was a few decades ago, where people would never basically leave their hometowns or, you know, the most adventurous thing they would do is just be. Probably go to the capital city of their own country to look for, for a job. 

So that's like, compared to what it is like nowadays where people have, you know, they study, uh, they, they go in Erasmus here in Europe, everywhere. Uh, they go to Finland or, you know, from Spain to Finland or, or. Czech Republic or here and there. And now I'm people from all these other places. They come over here.

So this, this melting pot, you know, where English English is the lingua franca and so  everybody speaks English to communicate with one another. I mean, it's beautiful how much, how much more open everything is, you know? And, and I think that's an incredible advantage we have compared to our parents, for example, you know? 

Uh, I think that's really interesting anyway. So I'm going to talk about my own family experience. Uh, the crossroads. Of Catalan, Spanish, Czech, French, Hindi, Russian, and English. So all of these languages, uh, have been somehow part of my experience growing up, uh, in my own family. Uh, some of these languages are not directly related to me or my, my own personal experience, but my family.

family's experience. For example, my siblings experiences, right? But they are somehow, uh, the bigger picture would be that they're somehow part of our family experiences.  So I'll start with my  immediate family background. So my most immediate family background, uh, My mother is Colombian and speaks Spanish while my father, my father is Catalan and speaks both Spanish and Catalan.

This already presents an interesting dynamic given Spain's bilingual reality. What's particularly fascinating is that despite living in Catalonia for many years, my mother never really embraced learning Catalan. This is actually quite common among Spanish speaking immigrants in Catalonia.  Whether from Spain, other regions of Spain, or from South America.

They often feel that knowing Spanish is sufficient, since everybody else, uh, speaks Spanish here anyway. So, why would I learn Catalan, right? Even more interesting is that, My Catalan father never really emphasized the importance of us as children  learning  Catalan. And I think that was a mistake. This reflects a complex historical and social reality in Catalonia anyway, where many native speakers didn't always actively pass on the language to their children, especially during certain historical periods.

So Catalan was mostly seen as a language you would speak at home, uh, you know, to your siblings or parents and, and maybe to some of your. Peers if they also spoke the language, but most of the time Spanish was like the, you know, the real language Everything was conducted in Spanish  you would learn Spanish at school and study that language at school and It was the official language.

It had major importance Well, Catalan was like, you know, the underdog is just like not a really important language and and and especially during, you know Franco's regime it was not cool to  So, I actually became one of the few members, um, of my family. I mean, the children, right? Who took the initiative to thoroughly, uh, study and learn Catalan.

And to, you know, to make this a conscious effort, right? So, this was a conscious decision to reconnect with a part of my heritage that was, uh, right there. And yet somehow distant. So it's fascinating how sometimes we have to actively choose to reclaim parts of our own identity that should have been naturally passed down to us.

So, I studied, uh,  I studied Catalan, um, like formally, so I went to school. Uh, to study, I had a, uh,  I have a degree in translation and interpreting studies. So translation studies were obviously in Catalonia, you have to study everything in Catalan. So most of it was passed down to me on Catalan, uh, the knowledge and I did end up translating.

Uh, novels from Chekhov and so Chekhov and so on from Russian into Catalan. And so we had a few subjects at school at the faculty. I mean, where we would analyze the, uh,  uh, the interaction between the two languages, Spanish and Catalan, since both of them are spoken by the majority of people. So everybody has like a very passive knowledge of Catalan, but whenever you address them in Catalan, they would.

Talk back to you in Catalan, but we would analyze the parts, especially the grammar and lexical parts of the language that were kind of like,  uh, copied. Uh, we're not really genuine, but we're more like, uh, people trained to say something in Catalan, but they didn't know the word. So they would use the word in Spanish instead, although they would try to pronounce it in Catalan.

So,  so a lot of the times you have really funny. Uh, words, uh, that are actually not neither Catalan or Spanish. They're like a mix between the two and also grammar structures that people copy from Spanish and they kind of speak those, uh, and talk that way in Catalan and they're just not correct. So we would, we would analyze all those, um, instances and, uh, linguistic contexts and so on.

And so I, I became quite good at, uh, Realizing what is actually the soul of the language because you start seeing what is actually genuine in the language  It was quite quite a beautiful experience to to not just reconnect that in that personal sense But also to understand it from a more academic perspective.

That was really nice.  So yeah, what else?  Now let's talk about the Czech connection. So why did I mention earlier?  Czech as a language. Well, my family is from Czech Language journey becomes even more interesting with my sister, Claudia story. So Claudia or Claudia, she's my eldest sister. Uh, when she was young, she married a Czech man, a man from Czech Republic.

It was actually a young student. So I don't know exactly what it was kind of like, uh,  I don't know if it was like a gathering, Erasmus gathering between many different students from different countries. So, uh, my sister here in Spain, she met this guy from Czech Republic. It was a young guy. She instantly fell in love and, and so, well, anyway, they ended up marrying, uh, getting married and, and she ended up living a few years in Czech Republic.

That's where she learned the language, right? Where she learned Czech. But the real interesting part is about her children. You know, they were raised in Spain, uh, near Madrid in Aranjuez, where they have a house. And so initially they resisted learning Czech. So this is pretty common, right? A common reaction among children who want to fit in with their peers.

As I said before, however, as they grew older and spent some time visiting family in the Czech Republic during holidays,  They began to see the value in their Czech heritage and gradually became proficient in the language. But it, I mean, it took them a long time to kind of like, uh, yeah,  get to, I don't know how to say this, uh, to, To do  To embrace that part of their other lives, right?

So embrace the Czech part of their lives of their hearts somehow.  What's remarkable is how they overcame peer pressure and Judgmental attitudes just as I had done with Catalan. They chose to embrace this part of their identity and they And it's a beautiful, it's a beautiful parallel showing how heritage languages can be reclaimed at different points in life. 

They did it, uh, later, uh, but they did it, they made also a conscious effort. I think this is the, um, the common point in all these things is that when you make a conscious effort to reconnect, that's, that's what's actually really cool.  Now, uh, let's talk about the, uh, American Indian connection. This is interesting. 

So, uh, this linguistic web extends to North America and India through my sister, Carolina or Caroline.  So she is a couple of years older than me, and after, uh, finishing her studies, she moved to the United States. She went to Chicago for, uh To, to study and to, and so she ended up settling, uh, there. And then, uh, she ended up working at a bank and she ended up meeting this, this guy from India, this Indian man at her workplace. 

Uh, I think he used to be a client of hers, so they, they kind of met there. Uh, their son's story is particularly interesting because it shows how different heritage languages can compete for attention in a child's life.  So think about this, you know, like. Uh, their son is born in the U S so primarily, primarily language is English, of course, but also there's this part that Spanish, because my sister speaks Spanish, that's her native language.

And, and Punjabi and Hindi is this man's language. He, you know, the, the husband. So the child is kind of like divided into three parts. It's kind of a multifaceted, uh, uh, language world or web. And while he knows a few words in Hindi, not really all those many, he's kind of developed a stronger connection to Spanish, thanks to my mother's dedication.

So she holds twice weekly online sessions. Where she speaks only Spanish with him. So his grandmother, that is my mom, has made a conscious effort for the son to speak Spanish. And I don't think from the side of the family that is from India, I don't think they've made that kind of effort. Anyway,  I mean this shows how technology can help maintain heritage languages across vast distances.

So, it also highlights how some heritage languages might take precedence over others based on exposure and family dynamics.  There you go. You really need to make an effort. I think the common thing, the common theme here is that we do have to make a conscious effort for this to work. It's just not going to happen out of nowhere.

Right?  All right. Now let's talk about the French connection. So let's talk about my younger sister, uh, Natalie's family and their experience with the French language. So Natalie's story with her French husband and their two daughters really illustrates how language acquisition can differ even within the same family.

You know, their eldest daughter, Emma now speaks Spanish well, but there was a time when she would only respond in French to Spanish conversations so that we would talk. to her when she was younger in Spanish, but she would answer in French. So this, this is like a common thing, uh, all the time. It happens all the time.

You know, they speak the language of their peers and, and they, even though they kind of understand what they're saying, you're saying to them, they will answer in the language. Of their native country in this case, in this case, France, their youngest daughter. However, Chloe, who was just two Understands spanish but consistently responds in french.

So it's pretty much what happened to him when she was younger This pattern is actually quite common in bilingual children and shows how language dominance can shift over time It's particularly interesting to see how children navigate multiple languages Now,  let's talk about the Russian experience, so, which is my experience in a way. 

I also have a personal experience with the Russian language or Russian language learning. I learned, uh, Russian, let's say academically at university while I was studying my degree. And then I started dating somebody from Russia, this girl from Russia, well, broke up, and then a few years later I started dating somebody new, also from Russia, so this girl who was from the south of Russia, and while I communicated well, or I communicated well in Russian, I never reached quite the proficiency of a, of a heritage speaker, right?

So, um, It's kind of like a different thing. So this experience gave me, um, however, a unique perspective on language learning, understanding both the formal academic approach and also the more natural heritage language acquisition process. It's helped me appreciate the different ways we can connect with language and cultures,  which is really cool because I would speak to her parents, uh, online.

I think it was the Skype or something. Uh, we talked to them or maybe even just WhatsApp.  Uh, in Russian, uh, which is quite interesting to know that they, um, they understood what I said and spoke back to me in Russian. But I mean, it got to the point where I would not be able to hold a conversation, conversation for a long time.

I would understand everything they said. However, it's just like a, a new dynamics in the, a new sort of dynamics in the conversation. Um, in the situation anyway. So I had one time, uh, her sister coming over to Spain to visit her and they would talk to each other in Russian and I would answer back in English, but I was also, I was actively participating in the conversation in a way, right?

Cause, uh, I understood everything so I could participate. The thing is that I could not really speak at the same speed. So I would back answer in English sometimes. And Spanish sometimes, so it's just like, uh, we would speak like three or four different languages at the same time, it's crazy. Anyway, what's that conclusion and what are the reflections to make?

My family's story is a remarkable example of how languages can weave together across generations and continents. The key lesson I've learned is that language learning and cultural connection don't always follow a straight path. Sometimes we lose languages that should have been naturally ours. Like my kids with Catalan or my nieces with and nephews with Czech, but we can always choose to reclaim them You know, it's never too late to bridge those cultural gaps and rebuild those connections And I think that's fantastic.

And I think it's great. We should really we should really strive to do this sort of things You know,  I mean we're making history here, you know, so we want to do the best we can to keep our  To keep our traditions and heritage alive. So every language adds a new dimension to our identity. As you have seen, whether it's my mom's Spanish sessions with her grandson, or my nieces and nephews embracing Czech, or my own journey with the Catalan language.

Each language represents a thread in the tapestry of who we are as people. Our family's story perfectly illustrates how language and identity intertwine. across generations and borders and how the choice to embrace our heritage languages can enrich our lives in unexpected, in unexpected ways.  And anyway, anyway, guys, thank you so much for listening to me.

Uh, really do appreciate it. Uh, please do not forget to subscribe to,  to my podcast, uh, whether it's a Spotify  or Apple podcast, please, uh, subscribe. And if you want, just have a look at my website and maybe read. Some of the blog posts that I have as well. Anyway, take care guys. See you next week. Bye. Bye