Switching home language - anyone have experience of this?

[Shitemum]

We are soon to return to the UK after 18 yrs in Spain. DDs are 5.4 yo and 2.4 yo. DD1 is fairly evenly bi-lingual as she has been at full-time Spanish-speaking only nursery for 3 yrs. Despite this her English is still very good, near native, if not native and better than her Spanish.

DD2 only started nursery in September so mostly speaks English. We all speak English at home and native Spanish-speaking DP and I have always spoken English together as I didn't speak Spanish when we met.

I feel we should switch to Spanish at home once we are in the UK or at least try OPOL but it will be very hard as we are so used to being an English-speaking household.

I am starting to realise that if the DDs had been born in the UK they might not speak Spanish now as I seem to be the one who has made most of the effort, being the native speaker of English and the mother.

Has anyone any experience of changing languages at home due to a move to another country?
What are the best ways to keep up with the previous ML? (majority or country's language) other than making friends with families in a similar situation, books, DVDs etc - all the stuff we've done to encourage English while in Spain in fact....

Thanks for your thoughts!

I have no experience of this.

However, the limited reading I have come across on this area, while researching my own bilingual set-up, is that, without a speaker in the house/a context which is identified with the "minority language", it (the ML) fades and the child becomes less willing to speak it, as it is an unfortunate combination of hard work and a low-prestige game.

If it was me I would definitely want the language consistently represented in the household and I would go for OPOL (but that's just me.)

HTH.

Would do what you're doing now - your dh speaks in spanish & you in english. Don't know what opol is.

While I haven't consistently gone for OPOL (we often speak the majority language together), I do feel someone needs to be around who speaks the minority language A LOT. I have got round this by simply talking lots . And reading lots.

As for how to encourage it in other ways, all the things you've suggested are good, and I would also look for a target-language playgroup for monolinguals and bilinguals(NOT classes) if you live inb a big enough city. In that context, I would consider it even if it was the "wrong" type of Spanish (eg S. American) as the benefits of the similarities will probably outweigh the differences.

Thanks all!

MIFLAW - I think it's going to have to be OPOL, is the easiest, most logical approach and can be introduced gradually from now to moving date this summer without too much linguistic trauma. Am already in touch with bi-lingual families and groups in Edinburgh, where we will be living.

Almeida - OPOL is 'one-parent-one-language' i.e. each parent speaks their own language all the time. We aren't doing that at present, I speak native English and DP speaks non-native, but very good, English. He's from Peru.

cory - I think my kids English is so good due to the amount of talking and reading I do with them and I think DP will have to make a bigger effort to talk and read to them in Spanish, as he does less of that, generally, than I do.

I have a quasi-anthropological theory about women being the ones responsible for the teaching of language - we do most of the talking and interpreting of verbal and non verbal communication after all!

Thanks for explaining opol smum.

Hope your move goes well & the languages work out.