tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505236.post4298145725372648162..comments2023-08-24T13:02:58.128-04:00Comments on Italian Moments: We speak English. Sort of.Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14119053515951615279noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505236.post-81678276014327407802007-09-09T05:38:00.000-04:002007-09-09T05:38:00.000-04:00You're right, Katia--they say that bilingual child...You're right, Katia--they say that bilingual children have an easier time learning new languages later in life, because of the synapse connections made in the brain when they were acquiring two (or more) languages as children. It's such an important window of time, and it is neat to see my children emerging as bilinguals. I just need to remind myself that "bilingual" doesn't necessarily equate with a native-like command of two languages...one language will always be more dominant, depending upon where we're living at the time, etc. Thanks for chiming in on this!Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14119053515951615279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505236.post-51019701158940086212007-08-23T04:13:00.000-04:002007-08-23T04:13:00.000-04:00See, I told you with live similar things. I can so...See, I told you with live similar things. I can so totally relate to what you write. About bilingualism, Nathalie, actually, a connexion happens in the brains when kids speak two languages. And it happens before the age of 6 or 7. After that, gone, finish, it will never happen again. And that special connexion makes it easy for them to learn more languages later on. Now, I'm not a scientist, but studies have been made about that. You know what ? I'll post something on the subject on my blog. It's such a fascinating subject.Katiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01423190518569699882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505236.post-13185872607500293362007-08-03T13:15:00.000-04:002007-08-03T13:15:00.000-04:00Thanks for your comments, Rilla! The term "Hinglis...Thanks for your comments, Rilla! The term "Hinglish" reminds me of "Spanglish," which many of my former ESL students spoke with their families. Do you speak Hindi? How interesting about Alzheimers and bilingualism!<BR/><BR/>And yes, I WISH I were going to LA for the conference--I'm so jealous! You'll have to fill us all in when you return. <BR/><BR/>And (hanging my head) I know I haven't been posting very often this summer! I promise to pick up the pace once we return to Italy at the end of August. :-)<BR/><BR/>Ciao Tina--<BR/>What a cute comment from your 3-year-old! It's funny what kids come up with, isn't it?Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14119053515951615279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505236.post-73853028981580325712007-07-31T00:11:00.000-04:002007-07-31T00:11:00.000-04:00Hey Natalie,you sure you don't want to change your...Hey Natalie,<BR/>you sure you don't want to change your mind and come to the LA conference after all...it's a bit of a shame your being in the country and all and not coming...rilla jaggiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17259015787424108654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505236.post-82548490536435352502007-07-28T19:11:00.000-04:002007-07-28T19:11:00.000-04:00I agree--write it all down. Kids adapt to situatio...I agree--write it all down. Kids adapt to situations so quickly that I'm betting they'll fit in with slang-speaking Americans before you know it, and you'll be nostalgic for these days!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for those cute examples. Here's one from my family from years ago:<BR/>After a month or so of total immersion in Italian, we had an English guide showing us around Venice. My youngest, three at the time, asked me, "How come she talks normal?" :)TinaFerrarohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14356148823775352938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505236.post-53728595504064035072007-07-24T14:40:00.000-04:002007-07-24T14:40:00.000-04:00Yes, Natalie, you must record them because they wi...Yes, Natalie, you must record them because they will be gone before you know it. Unfortunately so as well, because the language they speak...it is so beautiful...and other than the bride bit...grammatically more sound. Sigh...gone in no time. And if you need convincing that spending summers in Italy is only good for your kids, studies suggest that people who know more than one language are less susceptible to alzheimers amongst the other thousands of benefits of being multicultural. They may take time adjusting to the US but they will be totally comfortable in the REST OF THE WORLD!<BR/>We have a term for what Hindi-speaking Indians do to English as well...it is called Hinglish and is widely used even in the press, sometimes in serious news reports. After all that is the way English came to have such a large colorful vocabulary ;0<BR/>For e.g. did you know that the word 'widow' is derived from the Sanskrit vidhawa? <BR/>AND if you don't want such long rambling comments to your posts...you need to start posting more often...;9rilla jaggiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17259015787424108654noreply@blogger.com