4Real Forums: learning foreign languages from neighbors

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Topic: learning foreign languages from neighbors

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SusanJ
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Joined: May 25 2007
Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 7:05pm \| IP Logged

I couldn't figure out how to make the subject short enough . . .

We've just moved to a very dense urban neighborhood where most of the residents speak a language other than English as their first language. I'd like to maximize my kids' potential to learn from this but I'm not sure how to do it.

Some obstacles:

1. The neighborhood is not homogenous. The biggest language group is Portuguese but there is both Portugal Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. There is also a good bit of Spanish from many countries in Central/South America as well as Spain. There are also many Italians and, in fact, we go to the Italian parish which still has its main mass in Italian each Sunday.

2. I don't speak any of these languages.

3. Many people do speak English and those that don't seem timid about it so they don't tend to speak to us (it's REALLY obvious that we're "not from around here").

Ideas?

Susan

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RA's Mom
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Joined: April 03 2009
Location: Turkmenistan
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Posted: Aug 18 2009 at 9:05am \| IP Logged

First remember that smiles are universal. I'd recommend that you pick up some phrase books for three languages that you mention to pick up some niceties. Eventually you'll want to two sentences in each language: for your children: "Say hello (to Mr/Mrs so and so)" and for your neighbors "Please speak to my children in --. I like them to learn new things."

With any luck you'll wind up with a special friend and can start to pay more attention to learning songs and games with your children in that language (Teach Me cds and coloring books are a good place to start). If you wind up with three or more special friends, rejoice. Sure it might be a little confusing for your little ones at first, but the most important thing for your children at this stage is that they hear meaningful language. Their minds are so absorbent that they could learn any number of languages if they have a relationship with a person who speaks each one.

What an adventure! I loved your post about the bread and my husband (the liturgical baker in our family) is trying to figure out what it might be.

Peace and blessings,
Karen

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