Learn a new language and, at some point, you’ll meet native speakers that have you questioning your language abilities. 【小题1】 And what’s that slang (俚语) they’re using?! If this sounds all too familiar to you, then welcome! You’ve leveled up to a new stage of language learning best known as the dialect. The differences between a dialect and a language have a number of technicalities and exceptions tied to them. But as a language learner, you’re probably more interested in the practical takeaway.

【小题2】. We can see how the standard elements of English change across the US, the UK, and even Singapore, where Singlish exists as a hyper-regional dialect of English.

The first thing you’ll notice about each English dialect is the shift in pronunciation. This shift, better known as an accent, is an important element of a dialect. 【小题3】. Don’t worry too much about this. What’s important is that you’re able to identify differences during conversations and feel comfortable adapting to them.

Studies show that children who primarily speak a dialect are hyper-aware of the differences, and are able to reach reading and writing goals more quickly as a result. 【小题4】 Learning a dialect, rather than just the standard language, requires a deeper dig into cultural nuances (细微差异) that aren’t lost on native speakers. In short: Learning a dialect shows that you care! It’s an incredible way to connect with new cultural communities in the process.

Before you learn a dialect, you should have a firm grasp of the fundamentals of a “standard” language. That way, you’ll be able to gain meaning through context. 【小题5】 Movies, music, books, and news are all fantastic ways to pick up on those dialectical nuances.

Today, people cooperate closely with those from different countries and cultures. Cultural diversity in a company can bring individual and organizational benefits, open people’s minds to new approaches, and help them be more creative； on the other hand, it also presents challenges that come from using a foreign language.

No matter how well we understand and speak a foreign language, it’s really hard for us to reach the level that we have in our mother tongue. When people who have different mother tongues use a language that they do not feel as competent in as their own, language becomes a barrier that prevents effective communication. Meanwhile, difficulty in speaking or poor language knowledge is often considered to be a lack of competence and professionalism, which is not true. On a broader and more emotional level, all this causes greater difficulty in establishing relationships of mutual (互相的) trust, making cooperation between the groups more difficult and success less likely.

Behind every language, there is a system of different values and beliefs. These make up the culture of each language. For international teams, it is necessary to have a broader attitude and be able to accept and understand different cultures. Improving intercultural communication skills means building and training awareness of oneself and others. This is done by reflecting on differences actively and learning about individuals who speak a different language and have different values and habits.

It’s impossible to completely eliminate the language barrier when people use a foreign language. Linguistic(语言的) and cultural differences will always exist. To better deal with a multicultural working team, it is essential to acquire and maintain awareness of the limits and strengths of the language. We need to pay attention to the cultural diversity present in the team and to the misunderstandings that could arise, making efforts to use communication strategies that are as inclusive and comprehensive (全面的) as possible.

Keeping it in the family

This can be painful. Not sharing your first language with loved ones is hard. Not passing it on to your own child can be especially tough. Many immigrant(移民) parents feel a sense of failure; they share stories on parenting forums and social media, hoping to find the secret to raising bilingual(双语的) children successfully. Children are good at learning languages but this doesn’t mean that rough exposure is enough. They must hear a language quite a bit to understand it — and use it often to be able to speak it comfortably. This is mental work, and a child who doesn’t have a motivation to speak a language will often avoid it. Children’s brains are already busy enough. So languages often fade away and die when parents move abroad.

In the past, governments discouraged immigrant families from keeping their languages. Former President Roosevelt worried that America would become a “multi-lingual boarding-house”. These days, officials tend to get involved less; some even see a valuable resource in immigrants’ language abilities. Yet many factors combine to ensure that children still lose their parents’ languages, or never learn them. A big one is institutional pressure. A child’s time spent with a second language is time not spent on their first. So teachers often discourage parents from speaking their languages to their children. Parents often unwillingly agree, worried about their children’s education.

This is a shame; children really can master two languages or even more. Research does indeed suggest their vocabulary in each language may be somewhat smaller for a while. But other studies show cognitive(认知的) advantages among bilinguals. They may be better at complex tasks, better at paying attention, and suffer the attack of Alzheimer’s disease later.

Even without those side-effects, though, a bilingual child’s connection to relatives and another culture is a good thing in itself. How to bring it about? When both parents speak the same heritage language, the strategy is often to speak that at home, and the national language outside. But when they have different languages, perhaps the most common approach is “one parent, one language”.

François Grosjean, an expert in foreign languages at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, emphasizes necessity. He recommends reserving occasions on which the only language that may be spoken is the one that needs support.

Sabine Little, an expert in foreign languages at the University of Sheffield, puts the emphasis elsewhere. Making the heritage language yet another task forced by parents can lead to rejection, she argues. She recommends letting the child develop their own emotional connection to the language. She suggests learning through apps and entertainment made for native speakers.

Languages are an important part of identity; it is painful to try and fail to pass them on to a child. Success may be a question of remembering that they are not just another thing to be drilled into a young mind, but a matter of the heart.