What does real bilingual development actually look like?
In this episode of Mandarin Monkey, we talk about one of the biggest concerns parents have when raising bilingual children:
“My child understands Mandarin… but won’t speak it. Is that normal?”
We explore:
• What children usually understand first
• Why mixing languages is a sign of competence
• Whether silence means failure
• How long it realistically takes to become conversational
• Why input matters more than early output
Ula shares personal stories of growing up with Taiwanese and Mandarin, and we reflect on our own children’s bilingual journey.
If you’re raising a child in a mixed-language household, this conversation will reassure you.
Mandarin Monkey is a bilingual podcast where Mandarin and English are used naturally, just like in real families.
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