I really liked this essay. I think it addressed many of the problems not only faced by children, but also adults when it comes to a learning a new (or second) language. Having real life exposure to the language you are learning is vitally important for retention and vocabulary growth. I listen to German speaking radio stations and bands all the time in order to improve my language skills.
I’m also glad they addressed the phobia that the United States seems to have when it comes to other languages. I would love to be able to say America has gotten over their fear by now, but the recent debacle with the multi-language Coke commercial proves that it is still a hot button issue.
I will never understand people’s fear of other languages. Not being able to understand a language doesn’t make me afraid, it makes me want to learn! There are so many beautiful languages out there, how can you not to learn at least one? Being bilingual opens up so many doors that would otherwise be inaccessible and allows you to communicate with so many more people—shunning that opportunity is ludicrous.
Personally, I too plan on raising any children I may have to be multilingual. Children can learn languages so easily—it just seems like a waste not to take advantage of that fact. If anyone has a problem with them speaking another language then I will happily talk badly about that person in German while laughing suspiciously.
I don't know if I would call it a phobia, but I think it is important to have English as the primary language for all US citizens. To me, it just makes more sense for everyone in this country to be able to communicate fluently from the mountains, to the prairies, and to the oceans white with foam,(God Bless America Reference)
Anyway... I know we are the melting pot, but let English be the musket ball mold where all the metals can combine to take down the oppression of our enemies....
This has been my favorite essay that we have read all semester. I liked how it seemed real, rather than an ideal that is far reaching, or someone’s opinion. I have friends that are bilingual from childhood, and the way they describe it seems so simple. They were immersed in both languages since birth, that’s how they learned, no big deal. This essay explained how tricky raising bilingual children can actually be. First of all, good for them as parents. They could have easily just raised their kids to speak English, but they chose to raise them all speaking English and French. It was very interesting to hear how the children progressed in their learning of the languages, how they spoke later than monolingual children, how they used English more often than French because they heard that more in daycare/school, that was all very fascinating to me. I liked how the parents were always consciously trying to find the perfect balance between their children speaking English and French, and even went as far to vacation several times in French speaking places to immerse their children in French speaking culture. I was upset when the essay ended, I wanted to know what their children were doing today and if they continued to speak French for the rest of their lives. They should make a video like Heather did, letting us know what they are doing now. :)
I really enjoyed reading this project! I can't say that I've heard of parents raising their children as bilingual, but more and more in this society, that seems to be the best option. Some of the ideas that he put forward were really interesting, like the idea that his kids were learning English in spite of them only using French at home. I am learning that it seems narrow-minded to assume that parent-child interaction is the only way to learn a language. Their children were learning both languages equally as quickly, which is fascinating! It makes sense though; because of discussions we've had about language acquisition. It would be reasonable to think the same rate of language can occur in a child's life, no matter what language. I have to say, I will DEFINITELY train my kids up as bilingual members of society. The benefits greatly outweigh any possible negative aspects of this idea. This essay was one I REALLY related to. I lived in Baton Rouge (heart of Cajun country) for several years, and in that time, I was in some of these French programs that they talked about in the essay. I remember going into class after recess, and meeting with Madame Denman (I checked, she is still employed there - that makes it 13+ years!) for our mandatory French class. I can think of times that I was so bothered by sitting still, that I stapled my finger intentionally in order to leave for the nurse's office. Now that I consider it, Madame Denman was a Creole French speaker, and could have been a great influence on my formative years, had I allowed her. As I reflect on school in Baton Rouge, I can definitely see where the French language was something that they were trying to instill in every student. They wanted us to love and appreciate our French heritage, and they wanted us to leave elementary school with conversational French skills (I didn't finish at Shenandoah, so I didn't hit either of those benchmarks - whoops). This idea of language retention and cultural memory is something that is now incredibly important to people in Louisiana, and I am glad that I was able to be a part of it.
I learned that it is fully possible for parents to bring up there kids to be bilingual, but it is extremely difficult. Honestly, I think it would be harder for the "typical" American family to do this because most people don't have a place they can retreat to where there child can practice the alternative language. Instead, the children are constantly consumed in the primary language spoken by their teachers, classmates, and every day people. I thought it was interesting that the twin sisters had almost an identical language development as their brother even though the parents never spoke to them in English.
One thing that we should take into account is how children are able to learn and adapt incredibly quickly. I really think it would be a good idea if public schools here in the United States would teach different languages during these developmental stages in a child's life, but I believe that English should be the primary spoken language. I say this because that is the language that founded this country and the government in which we live by.
The only thing I didn't like about this whole essay is the willingness of the parents to experiment on their kids. I mean what if their plans would've have back fired? The kids could have developed social problems, anxiety, and many other things could have negatively effected the children for the rest of their lives. If I were in that circumstance, I would not have done the experiment like they did. I would've spoke to the kids in whichever way they addressed me. I kind of got the impression that the kids were almost scorned for using English within the home and I don't think that is right. But they aren't my children and if people want to raise their kids in a somewhat careless way for their longevity than that is their rights as parents. Luckily in this case everything worked out okay, but I just hope this doesn't create a type of social awkwardness in the US for their kids in the long run.
I really liked this essay. I think it addressed many of the problems not only faced by children, but also adults when it comes to a learning a new (or second) language. Having real life exposure to the language you are learning is vitally important for retention and vocabulary growth. I listen to German speaking radio stations and bands all the time in order to improve my language skills.
ReplyDeleteI’m also glad they addressed the phobia that the United States seems to have when it comes to other languages. I would love to be able to say America has gotten over their fear by now, but the recent debacle with the multi-language Coke commercial proves that it is still a hot button issue.
I will never understand people’s fear of other languages. Not being able to understand a language doesn’t make me afraid, it makes me want to learn! There are so many beautiful languages out there, how can you not to learn at least one? Being bilingual opens up so many doors that would otherwise be inaccessible and allows you to communicate with so many more people—shunning that opportunity is ludicrous.
Personally, I too plan on raising any children I may have to be multilingual. Children can learn languages so easily—it just seems like a waste not to take advantage of that fact. If anyone has a problem with them speaking another language then I will happily talk badly about that person in German while laughing suspiciously.
The last paragraph cracked me up! Classic.
DeleteI don't know if I would call it a phobia, but I think it is important to have English as the primary language for all US citizens. To me, it just makes more sense for everyone in this country to be able to communicate fluently from the mountains, to the prairies, and to the oceans white with foam,(God Bless America Reference)
Anyway... I know we are the melting pot, but let English be the musket ball mold where all the metals can combine to take down the oppression of our enemies....
'Merica
Don't Tread on Me.
This has been my favorite essay that we have read all semester. I liked how it seemed real, rather than an ideal that is far reaching, or someone’s opinion. I have friends that are bilingual from childhood, and the way they describe it seems so simple. They were immersed in both languages since birth, that’s how they learned, no big deal. This essay explained how tricky raising bilingual children can actually be. First of all, good for them as parents. They could have easily just raised their kids to speak English, but they chose to raise them all speaking English and French. It was very interesting to hear how the children progressed in their learning of the languages, how they spoke later than monolingual children, how they used English more often than French because they heard that more in daycare/school, that was all very fascinating to me. I liked how the parents were always consciously trying to find the perfect balance between their children speaking English and French, and even went as far to vacation several times in French speaking places to immerse their children in French speaking culture. I was upset when the essay ended, I wanted to know what their children were doing today and if they continued to speak French for the rest of their lives. They should make a video like Heather did, letting us know what they are doing now. :)
ReplyDelete-Tori W.
I really enjoyed reading this project! I can't say that I've heard of parents raising their children as bilingual, but more and more in this society, that seems to be the best option. Some of the ideas that he put forward were really interesting, like the idea that his kids were learning English in spite of them only using French at home. I am learning that it seems narrow-minded to assume that parent-child interaction is the only way to learn a language. Their children were learning both languages equally as quickly, which is fascinating! It makes sense though; because of discussions we've had about language acquisition. It would be reasonable to think the same rate of language can occur in a child's life, no matter what language. I have to say, I will DEFINITELY train my kids up as bilingual members of society. The benefits greatly outweigh any possible negative aspects of this idea.
ReplyDeleteThis essay was one I REALLY related to. I lived in Baton Rouge (heart of Cajun country) for several years, and in that time, I was in some of these French programs that they talked about in the essay. I remember going into class after recess, and meeting with Madame Denman (I checked, she is still employed there - that makes it 13+ years!) for our mandatory French class. I can think of times that I was so bothered by sitting still, that I stapled my finger intentionally in order to leave for the nurse's office. Now that I consider it, Madame Denman was a Creole French speaker, and could have been a great influence on my formative years, had I allowed her. As I reflect on school in Baton Rouge, I can definitely see where the French language was something that they were trying to instill in every student. They wanted us to love and appreciate our French heritage, and they wanted us to leave elementary school with conversational French skills (I didn't finish at Shenandoah, so I didn't hit either of those benchmarks - whoops). This idea of language retention and cultural memory is something that is now incredibly important to people in Louisiana, and I am glad that I was able to be a part of it.
What's up everybody??
ReplyDeleteI learned that it is fully possible for parents to bring up there kids to be bilingual, but it is extremely difficult. Honestly, I think it would be harder for the "typical" American family to do this because most people don't have a place they can retreat to where there child can practice the alternative language. Instead, the children are constantly consumed in the primary language spoken by their teachers, classmates, and every day people. I thought it was interesting that the twin sisters had almost an identical language development as their brother even though the parents never spoke to them in English.
One thing that we should take into account is how children are able to learn and adapt incredibly quickly. I really think it would be a good idea if public schools here in the United States would teach different languages during these developmental stages in a child's life, but I believe that English should be the primary spoken language. I say this because that is the language that founded this country and the government in which we live by.
The only thing I didn't like about this whole essay is the willingness of the parents to experiment on their kids. I mean what if their plans would've have back fired? The kids could have developed social problems, anxiety, and many other things could have negatively effected the children for the rest of their lives. If I were in that circumstance, I would not have done the experiment like they did. I would've spoke to the kids in whichever way they addressed me. I kind of got the impression that the kids were almost scorned for using English within the home and I don't think that is right. But they aren't my children and if people want to raise their kids in a somewhat careless way for their longevity than that is their rights as parents. Luckily in this case everything worked out okay, but I just hope this doesn't create a type of social awkwardness in the US for their kids in the long run.
Thanks,
Mark Byers