OPOL – ML (Majority-Language Strongest)

Mother: I speak my husband’s language when the children are around him
(German mother/English father in Germany) OPOL (minority L – mother).

Father: When the family is together we speak English, alone I speak English,
and alone my wife speaks German (German mother/English father in UK) OPOL
(minority L – mother).

In this situation we have a family whose only source of the minority-language is from one parent. I have called this OPOL – Majority-Language Strongest (OPOL – ML).The parents use the majority-language (usually the country language) together, which they have usually done since they met. In addition since they live in the country where the majority-language is spoken the children will most likely attend school and have local friends round to play. A high proportion of families follow this pattern, typically with the mother having the minority language.

The mother has an advantage in the early years, since her language is often the first choice of the child, while still attached and dependent on his or her mother for emotional and physical bonding. The language of the father tends to be the overall language of the home and if the parents are not using the minority-language together then his majority-language will slowly take over. We have varying levels of partner tolerance of the minority-language; ranging from those who will not tolerate the other language being used in their company
to those who simply ignore and accept it. Their excuse may be that the language is ‘too difficult’ or that they are too old to start learning languages or that it is pointless to learn a less well-used language.

Nevertheless, often parents know more of a language than they think. The majority are male and would not own up to actually speaking another language, due to bad experiences of learning languages at school or barrassment at being made to look foolish in front of family and friends – but they happily live with their Swedish, French, Japanese or German wives. The result is often a partner who in spirit is supportive of the partner’s minority-language. Although the main language in the household is the majority one he or she likes to hear the other one and tries out the odd phrases when people visit and even surprises himself by understanding conversations.This still gives the children reassurance that it is positive to speak both languages and they are more willingly to become bilingual.