Articles
Here you can find some articles about bilingualism, the Swedish education system and family language planning.
My aim is to add new content regularly, so don’t forget to check this page from time to time.
In order to raise bilingual children it is necessary to know some basic information about what bilingualism is, how we learn languages, what benefits and challenges this has for your children.
If you are new to Sweden or to the school system it is good to know what the difference is between independent (friskola) and public schools (kommunal skola) are. What subjects your children will learn at school. When and how they get grades and other kinds of evaluation. You might want to find out what options there are apart from the Swedish education system in terms of curriculum (IB, IGCSE, etc.) or methodology (Montessori, Emilia Reggio, Waldorf, etc.)
All bilingual families face challenges like maintaining the mother tongue, school choice or reading and writing in multiple languages. Most families treat these issues as they come. However, I think it is important to think through and discuss these questions from a big picture perspective. Success is only possible if everyone in the family is on the same page.
Read on to educate yourselves so that you can support your children on their journey to become and/or continue to be successful bilinguals even when they become adults.
Why Is Handwriting in the Home Language Important?
Handwriting promotes the deeper understanding of the language and culture.
March 1, 2024, 5:53 p.m. • Vera Angyal
When families start thinking about their journey of raising multilingual children, there's an important aspect that is often left out of the equation: handwriting in the home language. However...
8 Common Myths About Bilingualism
Find out about 8 misconceptions that are still believed to be true about bilingualism and why they are not.
Feb. 6, 2022, 9:28 p.m. • Vera Angyal
Research shows that there are no disadvantages of being bilingual. Unfortunately, not everybody you encounter on your journey will be informed about this. Even thou...
Late Talking and Bilingualism
There is a common belief that bilingualism causes speech delay, even though research shows that it doesn’t.
Oct. 30, 2022, 10:39 p.m. • Vera Angyal
Children with more than one language are believed to start talking later, maybe due to being exposed to several languages. Research, however, is really clear that bil...
Learning In a Second Language at School
Things you need to know about home language loss when your children are learning in an another language at school.
Nov. 19, 2022, 10:34 a.m. • Vera Angyal
There is a slight distinction between a scenario in which an immigrant child attends school in the majority language (e.g. a Dutch child living in Sweden goes to a lo...
Literacy in the School Language
The challenges of reading and writing in a second language.
Nov. 25, 2022, 5:40 p.m. • Vera Angyal
This article is about students who are reading and writing in a second language. I will talk about two main groups that are relevant from bilingualism point of view: ...
Literacy in the Home Language
When and how to introduce mother tongue reading and writing for bilingual children who study in a second language at school.
Nov. 26, 2022, 8:01 p.m. • Vera Angyal
Reading and writing in the home language can be a very complex question, especially if the home language is a low status or a minority language in the given society. ...