Growing Up In a Bilingual Home – A Wonderful Blessing!

English is my mother tongue, but I grew up bilingual, because I learned Mandarin and Cantonese simultaneously throughout my childhood! I took mandarin classes at school; however, I never took lessons for Cantonese.

I purely learnt the language by speaking with my mum and listening to her conversations when we were out and about in the city.

Another way I developed my Cantonese skills was by conversing with my neighbors who were native speakers. 

Becoming bilingual is a slow process, it takes time to build the skill. But step by step- through repetition and exposure, the language will eventually become second nature, and the struggles of learning won’t be felt, the dots will start to connect, and the puzzle pieces will fall into place!

Tip: A way to enjoy the learning process is by paying attention to how your personality changes when you speak the language, it allows you to appreciate different parts of yourself, and the traits that each language brings out. I’ve noticed I am sweeter and shyer when I speak mandarin, but louder and bolder when I speak English!

Being Bilingual can really affect how we act!

I enjoy speaking Cantonese because of the energy in the language, I enjoy listening to the phonetics and how it matches the energy of the local culture. Therefore, learning a second language is extremely doable, and the trick is identifying an association between the language and its application that you and your child find interesting! This could be- having the ability to watch your favorite movie in the second language, reading a recipe in that language, or even making new friends more easily!

To learn more about the ways we at Langmobile learned our second language, visit the rest of our Blog!