Situation #2.2: My child knows Chinese. She understands me when I speak to her, but I don’t know why she answers in English.Reality: This is an extremely common pattern in most bilingual families, especially when your child uses only English outside of home or when there are siblings of varying ages in the home. Your child has what is called receptive bilingualism. She may be able to reactivate the language again when the opportunity comes. If this arrangement works for your family, it is definitely better than no Chinese at all. However, speaking is crucial to further understanding in the language. Oral proficiency will help immensely in reading and writing Chinese in time. The need is even greater when typing in Chinese later on (e.g. by use of pinyin). And it is certainly an edge in the job market if one can speak two languages fluently. If the opportunity exists, the child should be given every chance to speak in Chinese as much as she can. Be aware that it is most effective if it is something she desires to do greatly (e.g. wanting to speak to someone she wants to communicate and Chinese is the only way). If she does not practice enough, there may come a time when it becomes too difficult for her to overcome the initial stage of embarrassment and lack of confidence when she does decide to speak the language again, especially when she is older and becomes more self-conscious.The same goes with writing. Sometimes, some refer speaking and writing as active bilingualism, meaning it requires one to produce (speech and meaningful words). Likewise, they refer listening and reading as passive bilingualism. The former skill sets are more difficult to achieve proficiently and are more likely to be lost if one does not practice the language frequently enough. Biliteracy, that is, reading and writing, however, is not a common goal for children in most families. Or, we can say that because these skills do not come about easily without wise and consistent planning, they usually are done without.

Situation #2.1: My child is picking up so much English in school. It is so difficult for him to shift speaking Chinese at home.Reality: It is estimated that there are about two-thirds of people in the world who are at least bilingual, if not multilingual. A child can acquire a first language so rapidly between the ages of two to six that they become competent language users by the beginning of school age. That is not to say that they are any more competent to learn a language than adults are. There is no evidence that biological age affects language learning directly, but social, educational, experiential, and individual factors do affect language learning.It is never too late to start, however. If you have a family or situations where your child can be immersed in Chinese, it will be effective enough for him to begin learning. After all, language can be acquired through context. Think about all the children in the world learning their mother tongues and the people who have moved and acquired some competency of the foreign languages. Language is like a puzzle. Listening and trying to speak will be enough to incite curiosity and interest. Children will learn Chinese when there is an actual need for it; and just as easily and quickly, they will lose the language when there is no need. You can build on that basic block in the beginning.Codeswitching, an intentional switching of words from both languages, usually in an older child, signals different things in different stages. Most likely, it is a natural process in learning two languages and is accepted as an effective teaching and learning strategy by teachers and researches in the area of bilingual education. When there is consistently more switching to one of the languages, with English more likely being the dominant language, you can be more attentive to the vocabulary that the child may lack in the other language, with Chinese more likely being the minor language. You can make sure you are providing your child more exposure to Chinese in a positive manner.