Being raised in a bilingual household and speaking fluent English or German as well as Dutch might sound ideal to some. But what if the two languages are Berber and Moroccan Arabic? Or Arabic and Armenian? Those combinations might raise some eyebrows, along with concerns that a multilingual upbringing could be a disadvantage for the child and exhortations to have them learn to speak Dutch as quickly as possible. But attitudes like that are no help to newcomers to the Netherlands. When children are proud of their own language and are allowed to use it in class, they can learn a new language even faster. New immigrants bring valuable knowledge of language along in their luggage. And we should take full advantage of it, rather than leaving it stuffed away in a suitcase in the attic. At Utrecht University, we help children, parents and teachers make the best use of the valuable contents of newcomers’ language luggage.
In our audio stories we explore how researchers at Utrecht University tackle social issues and work towards a better world.
