You ask your kid something in Malayalam, like കഴിേ ാ?  (Have you eaten?) Without waiting a minute, she says yes, I ate.

Here, your daughter understood everything perfectly; she just answered in English. If all of this is a familiar scene at home, then relax, there is nothing to worry about. Your kid hasn't lost his or her language skills. This process has a name, Passive Bilingualism. This is one of the most common (also the most easily reversible) phases in the linguistic development of Malayali children, particularly when they grow up in the US, far from the reach of Malayalam in Kerala. The easiest method is a Malayalam language communication class online. you will get to know more about passive bilingualism in this blog. 

What is Passive Bilingualism?

Passive bilingualism refers to situations where a child is fluent in a language but replies in another language, which is normally the more common one they hear around themselves outside their homes. Your child is not confused; their brain has just made up its mind that English is efficient since that is the language that is used at school, among friends, on YouTube, and basically most of the time. 

This is not an obstacle but rather like a dormant muscle, which understands perfectly well how to use the language but has not been practiced enough in speaking the language. 

Why does this happen?

Several factors are standing in the way of Malayalam being spoken in an American home, and not one of them has anything to do with bad parenting, some reasons include:

• English is easier - The easiest thing for children to do is to talk the quickest and simplest way. Why put effort into speaking Malayalam if they understand English just as well?
• There is no need to speak it - Languages stick with us only when we need them. If all their Malayalam questions can be answered in English with ease, then they'll just use English without a second thought. 
• Limited real-world exposure - In Kerala, a kid gets exposed to Malayalam outside of the house, in the streets, at the fish market, from the neighbor’s television. Here in America, they aren't getting that exposure anymore. Malayalam remains stuck between four walls. 
• Self-consciousness - Older children might fear pronouncing the words wrong and sounding strange, so silence becomes better than making mistakes. 

Understanding the reasons why this is happening is the first step towards turning this process around the right way. Learning Malayalam for beginners will be a quite difficult task initially, but when they are on the track the process becomes a cake walk. 

Signs That Your Child is a Passive Bilingual

Understanding how a non-speaking child is different from one who refuses to speak in Malayalam may make things easier. Passive bilingual children tend to: 

• Obey directions and engage in conversations without any need for translation
• Respond appropriately when jokes, warnings, or stories are said in Malayalam
• Sing along to lullabies or understand festival greetings in Malayalam 
• Use a few words of Malayalam (typically names for food items or terms of affection), although they will resort to using English otherwise 

This means that if your child exhibits such behaviors, you don't have to worry about teaching her how to understand Malayalam, since he or she is already proficient in doing so. 

How to rectify Passive Bilingualism?

1. Create genuine Need to Speak Moments

Don’t translate immediately when your kid answers in English. Instead, give the child some space to think. Repeat the same question in Malayalam or just ask them to speak in Malayalam with a smile. It is much more effective than any sort of pressure. 

2. Normalize Simple Mistakes

Do allow your child to catch you making mistakes with pronunciation or tenses once in a while and make a joke out of it. Children who regard language as an act which they need to execute perfectly will make them shy away from it. 

3. Make Them Speak More

A video call to grandparents, a visit to cousins in Kerala, or even a well-structured class with peers in the same boat works wonders. Speaking to a Malayalam-speaking teacher or classmate triggers speech more quickly than speaking to parents. 

4. Read Before You Ask Them to Speak

Malayalam helps develop the language and grammar skills of the children before they become able to construct their own sentences. The picture books, rhymes, and stories help them get a blueprint that they can follow once they begin talking. 

5. Celebrate Attempts, Don’t Wait for Accuracy

If ever your child goes for a fractured attempt at communication laced with English phrases, welcome it with enthusiasm, never criticize. Fluency is based on confidence, grammar can be corrected after.

Why Does Structured Practice Make the Difference?

The most important thing for the passive bilingual children is that they do not need more listening. What they need is regular and impartial chances to use the language in production. Preferably among peers and at an appropriate speed, depending on their current level. 

It is this exact problem that is addressed by Akshharam through its online classes. The classes provide a platform where children progressively advance from recognizing Malayalam, to reading Malayalam, and finally speaking Malayalam through practice with peers. 

Conclusion

A child who knows Malayalam but refuses to speak it is not a hopeless case , they have already come half the way. With time and proper support systems, this period of reluctance has a tendency to give them more confidence much earlier than you think, and they will start to make their own Malayalam sentences and also they will pronounce it in a much better way. And when it does happen, it will not be just a phrase. It will be little bit of Kerala living inside your child far away from their native land.