One of the best thing about being bilingual is being able to pick and choose le juste mot - to say exactly what you want to say. Some of the greatest words in language relate to how people think and see the world, so it follows that some things just can't be said "right" in … Continue reading Being Bilingual: Words I like from other languages…
Tag: codeswitching
OPOL: Does it always work?
Over the last decade or so, the OPOL method of raising bilingual children has gotten a lot of positive press. It sounds pretty simple - One parent, one language. So I speak French to my kids and my husband speaks English to them, and they will grow up bilingual. Sounds easy, yes? But the reality, … Continue reading OPOL: Does it always work?
The Multilingual World of Irish Dance
Over the weekend, I spent many hours running the canteen at an Irish dance "Feis". My daughter is a dancer, and every year they host a competition, attracting dancers from various parts of Europe. Over the weekend, I spoke to people from Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Finland, England, Ireland, the US and Canada. The most … Continue reading The Multilingual World of Irish Dance
Bilingualism Boot Camp: Day 3
Tired, tired, tired... seriously more brain work in three days than in the last three months (maybe even more). 1. Issues in Bilingualism: Bilinguals have better "Executive Control", ergo, bilinguals are better at multi-tasking... (my own extrapolation). 2. Bilingual Education in Wales: Today's topic was language use in schools. Question: Should teachers (or can teachers) … Continue reading Bilingualism Boot Camp: Day 3
Updates from Bangor: Day 2
So, the end of day 2, and I have just finished my homework. Yes, after almost eight hours of lectures today, we still had homework for tomorrow! I think I am going to rename this the "Bilingualism Boot Camp"... Thoughts from today: 1. Issues in Bilingualism: There used to be some thinking that bilingual children … Continue reading Updates from Bangor: Day 2
Breaking news from Bangor: Day 1
As promised, updates from Bangor. It was quite a day - I haven't spent this much time in lectures in many, many years. All were interesting, but some were more challenging than others. Thoughts of the day: 1. Issues in Bilingualism - Statistic: 56% of EU citizens speak a second language. 38% master two foreign … Continue reading Breaking news from Bangor: Day 1
Maman, I love suiker!
As I was walking by the oilieballen van just set up for the holiday season, I recalled the above sentence exclaimed by my 3-year son last year at the same time. For those not in the know, "Maman" is French for "Mummy", "suiker" is Dutch for "sugar" and olieballen translates to "oil balls". A classic … Continue reading Maman, I love suiker!
