Researcher: If an expatriate child doesn't learn Finnish, they may later regret it

Researcher Kaisa Pankakoski, who studies multilingualism, warns that children of Finns living abroad who do not achieve fluency in Finnish may later experience "language regret." This term, coined by researcher Janice Nakamura, describes the feeling of loss and missed opportunity associated with not learning a parent's language, which can affect a young adult's sense of identity and belonging.

Pankakoski, an associate professor at Cardiff University, based her findings on years of doctoral research for her book "Multilingual Family Language Policy and Wellbeing." She notes that while the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates a child's right to their own language, many of the estimated 300,000 expatriate Finns' children do not speak their second mother tongue fluently. Learning a language requires significant, planned effort from both parents and children, and not all families have the resources for this.

She highlights that the challenge isn't just the difficulty of language acquisition but the potential regret if a child doesn't learn. This can lead to situations where a child cannot communicate with their grandparents, causing them to feel regret later in life. Pankakoski debunks the common assumption that simply speaking Finnish to a child abroad will ensure they learn it. Effective strategies involve creating a dedicated space for Finnish in the child's daily life, which can be challenging. This includes leveraging Finnish playgroups and schools, encouraging visits from relatives and friends in the child's country of residence, and organizing trips to Finland.

Pankakoski, who has lived abroad for most of her adult life and speaks six languages, emphasizes that the heritage language is often the parent's "emotion language." Transmitting the language also passes on cultural nuances and heritage. She acknowledges that parents may feel anger or disappointment if they lack the resources to pass on their language, noting that it's common for children of immigrant parents not to speak their parent's language without adequate support. However, she stresses that the regret of not learning can be more challenging than the effort involved in learning.