Every now and then, I don't know, maybe once a month, I start to wonder if I am ruining my children by speaking German to them instead of English. This made me feel a little better. (Thanks, Jessica.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31conversation.html?_r=2
And then Abigail said to me the other day "Ein Cup, dass ist auf Englisch" (A cup. that's in English.) And she laughed. It was the first time she verbalized to me that she knows she is speaking two languages. A while ago she started coming up to me with her Baby and a blanket and saying, in English "Wrap baby, please?" I respond always by, "Soll ich dein Baby umwickeln?" (Shall I wrap your baby?) and of course she answers back in German again.
"Wrap baby, please?" is something she learned in nursery at church and instead of trying to ask me in German, she just asked me in English like she does all her nursery teachers. So to see her make the distinction between the two languages is really fun for me to see, since now I know she knows.
On the walk home from church yesterday we were talking about Jesus and she started laughing and said, "JESUS auf Englisch" using the English pronunciation instead of the German. I don't mind her speaking in English at all. In fact, it's cute. It's like hearing her speak a foreign language, as weird as that is. She's like a turned around stereotypical American missionary returned home from Germany. Her foreign language skills are great, but mostly just in religious conversations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31conversation.html?_r=2
And then Abigail said to me the other day "Ein Cup, dass ist auf Englisch" (A cup. that's in English.) And she laughed. It was the first time she verbalized to me that she knows she is speaking two languages. A while ago she started coming up to me with her Baby and a blanket and saying, in English "Wrap baby, please?" I respond always by, "Soll ich dein Baby umwickeln?" (Shall I wrap your baby?) and of course she answers back in German again.
"Wrap baby, please?" is something she learned in nursery at church and instead of trying to ask me in German, she just asked me in English like she does all her nursery teachers. So to see her make the distinction between the two languages is really fun for me to see, since now I know she knows.
On the walk home from church yesterday we were talking about Jesus and she started laughing and said, "JESUS auf Englisch" using the English pronunciation instead of the German. I don't mind her speaking in English at all. In fact, it's cute. It's like hearing her speak a foreign language, as weird as that is. She's like a turned around stereotypical American missionary returned home from Germany. Her foreign language skills are great, but mostly just in religious conversations.
That is really neat that she is already aware of her bilingualism. What a fun experience.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, that's awesome! I don't know if I told you about Vince's first Sunday in Sunbeams in our Portuguese ward - the teacher was explaining (in Portuguese) to the other kids that Vincente speaks mostly English, and that they should teach him the colors in Portuguese so he could pick a colored mat to sit on (she had the kids sit on squares of colored felt). Anyway, Vincente pipes up and says "I speak Portuguese! Heart, coracao, coracao, heart." (coracao = heart in Porguese). He insists that he speaks Chinese, too...
ReplyDeleteI wish I could speak Portuguese like you speak German so our kids would speak more Portuguese. I'm getting there :)
Joshua made up a word today and asked me what it meant in German. I told him it wasn't German. "So what it is in English?" It's not English either. "Is it Spanish?"
ReplyDeleteSometimes he "speaks" Spanish. I'm not sure he has ever heard Spanish.
Isn't nice to know we are not only raising bilingual but trilingual children without even putting forth any extra effort? :)