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Helping multilingual children hear English sounds

Speaking Hindi, Marathi, or Tamil at home is a superpower, not a problem. A few English sounds just need explicit attention.

Asha Nair
Reading Specialist
Published14 July 2026Reading time1 minute
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The superpower

Multilingual children are expert sound-switchers - they already know that different languages carve up sounds differently. That awareness is a genuine head start for phonics.

The handful that need care

A few English sounds don't exist in many Indian languages or work differently: the two th sounds, the English w versus v distinction, and the schwa that hides in unstressed syllables. These deserve explicit, playful practice - never correction-by-embarrassment.

Keep the home language loud

Research is clear: a strong first language helps English reading, not hurts it. Read, sing, and chat in your home language freely. English phonics is an addition, not a replacement.

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Helping multilingual children hear English sounds | PhonicSky