A lot has happened in Max’s language development since my first post here. He now talks non-stop, and his vocabulary is growing every day. With him being almost two-and-a-half now, we’re at that fun stage where he constantly surprises with a new word, phrase or obvious understanding of a concept.
When I wrote that first post, I had no way of knowing how his language skills would develop; mainly, I was ambivalent about what role English would play in his life at this stage, when his exposure to the language is so limited (even his non-Hispanic father speaks Spanish to him a lot, because he’s much more responsive to it).
Turns out, English has played a bigger role than I expected. The simple reason: TV has entered his life, and Barney, Blue, and the Wiggles have all opened the world of English to my son. The funny thing about this is that in the early days of my culture’s exile (the 60’s) in the U.S., many Cubans (namely, my mother) learned English through television.
At the same time, I have eased up some and use some words in English, although it is very unconscious on my part: the phrases just come out. Words like, “cool!”, “oh my goodness!”, and “where is it?”.
But there is something I’ve become more and more aware of in the last couple of months: where English is the language of things (ball, rain, doggie), Spanish for Max is the language of action (”vamos”, “acuestate”, “dame”). Right now, my boy lives in Spanish; it is the language he uses to communicate his wants and needs, while English is the one he uses to identify things. It is like Spanish is his active voice and English his passive one.
It’s an interesting experience, watching him navigate the two languages. He clearly knows the difference between the two, and knows which language to use with whom. Right now, he is comfortable in both, with both. My goal, then, is to keep him comfortable with both. To make him confidently bilingual and help him navigate his two cultures with ease.
by Tere
[tags]home, kids, toddlers, children, parents, parenting, multiculti, multicultural, English, Spanish, language, words, terms, learning[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by Radio Rover, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
2 responses so far ↓
IntheFastLane // Jan 23, 2008 at 10:46 am
I think that is a wonderful opportunity for Max to be able to be comfortable in two languages.
It is amazing how kids pick up when to use which language. In family I know, the mom is from Costa Rica and the Dad is from the U.S. Although both used Spanish fluently with their children, the kids would talk to mom in Spanish and Dad in English.
Stu Mark // Jan 25, 2008 at 9:41 am
I love this piece. As a writer/editor/reader, I am in love with words and language. I believe that helping kids navigate language is as essential as sunshine and laughter and money management. You can’t become a decent adult if you have language issues.
So your sharing of this issue and your ease of tone and confidence is very encouraging. I hope other parents take heed - your kids may not like being reminded that it’s “My friends and I,” instead of “Me and my friends,” but it will make a huge difference when they get out into the world. Me gusta su punto, Tere!
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