How to Prevent Yourself From Losing Your Language

Right after I was born my family decided to move to Brazil. I was so young I have very few memories of my place of birth (Newark, New Jersey). My first memories were of a cute little roça in a small rural town called Lagoa Da Prata in Minas Gerais. Some of my favorite memories were riding my grandpa’s mule-drawn cart to the city and back, I used to feel like a princess riding a carriage. It never occurred to me how lovely and simple that lifestyle was. Later on, my parents moved my sister and me to São Paulo so we could have better education opportunities by taking us to nicer schools and allowing us to take extracurriculars. I had a very nice childhood, and I feel so privileged to have been able to have these life experiences. I traveled often and had a lot of fun being a kid, moving back to the USA was great, but I always find my heart longing for the days I spent riding horses, reading outside in the fresh air, and enjoying the luxuries of my father’s American money in Brazil (if you know you know). Brazil will always hold a special place in my heart.

It’s not like life in the USA has been bad, it’s just different. The greatest tragedy that I’ve experienced since moving back is losing my language. I used to be quite articulate in Portuguese, but the more time I spent here without practice and Brazilian friends, I found myself losing my language little by little. Now I feel like my level of fluency is that of a high school student. Nothing wrong with that, if I hadn’t spent my childhood in Brazil. Having realized this I knew it was time to get it together.

We all have the insecurity of being a no-sabo kid, often no-sabo kids are mocked for not knowing their language well, but is it their fault when they get little to no practice in an environment that expects them to fully assimilate into “American Culture”?

Fear not, there are ways to get back on track with your language learning. Here are some strategies I’m using to get back on track with my language training.

Listen to Music in Your Target Language

Listening to music in a different language is not only a lot of fun but singing along to it will also help with your pronunciation and rhythm of speech. Before you know it, you’ll sound like a native again.

Consume Kid’s Media in Your Target Language

Reading kid’s books and watching kid’s shows and movies in your target language can feel silly, but it will help you with the basics. Kids aren’t born learning their language, it takes years for them to be taught and they also have language classes in their home countries much like students in the USA do. We all remember those nightmare essays and readings we had to do in our English classes.

Start With the Basics

It’s okay to start from square one, maybe you know the language pretty well so you don’t feel the need to go back to the basics, you just want to improve. Remember we all need the basics before we can become pros. Similar to ballet dancers who learn the basics before getting on pointe shoes. They still go back to the barre every day to warm up before they dance. Get a notebook and write down notes on the basics such as pronunciation, alphabet, and characters. Review it regularly.

Expand Vocabulary With Everyday Objects and Verbs

Like most semi-no-sabo kids. We know how to talk and have basic conversations, but sometimes we forget what something as simple as a pen is called. Learning small things like this has a huge impact on your language learning. Mastering this would make huge progress and take you out of the no-sabo category in no time.

Listen to Language Learning Podcasts

Listen to beginner podcasts even if you’re proficient in the language, it will help you review the basics and improve some things you might have missed.

Practice with Your Parents

Ask your parents to only speak to you in your target language (likely their native language). It’ll be a strange adjustment at first, but once you get used to it your household will go back to using your target language as their main form of communication.

Be Consistent

Language learning, like many other things, requires consistency. There will be days when you feel like it’s overwhelming, don’t quit. Take it one day at a time and do everything at a pace that’s right for you. You won’t fully learn it in a week, or even a month. Slow progress is still progress, don’t beat yourself up for not being fully fluent in a day.

Hopefully, these tips will help you go from no-sabo to native. I’m still not proficient in Spanish or Portuguese, but I’m getting there little by little. I’m excited to see where I will be a year from now.

xoxo,

Sarita