During the year before Kaya was born, I gave an immense amount of thought to how I would raise Kaya bilingually. Clearly, it wasn't going to be IF, it was surely a matter of HOW. For months, I exacerbated as to whether to go with Spanish or German, and actually settled on Spanish for about a week. The idea didn't sit well, though, and I changed my decision back to German for a three primary reasons:
1. My heart is in German. I love the language, the culture, the German-speaking nations, Europe in general...I don't feel at all the same about Spanish.
2. German will be hard and expensive for Kaya to learn if she doesn't learn it from me. Spanish, on the other hand, is everywhere, including in a very strong immersion program very close to our house.
3. My roots are German. I am from a line of Schnettlers and Kiefers. Nothing like learning one's "heritage" language.
When I made my list of reasons to raise her bilingually in Spanish, the list was literally 4 times as long...let's see if I can remember some of the most salient reasons:
1. Geoff, my husband and Kaya's dad, knows some Spanish. He has studied it a bit, uses it a bit at work, and has a true desire to know more. Speaking Spanish to Kaya would be the perfect opportunity for him to improve his Spanish.
2. Tons of resources available in the community (schools, libraries, playgroups, signage, etc)
3. My step mom is Ecuadorian. It would be a GREAT connection for them to have.
4. I could give her a jump in her second language and solidify it with a local immersion program at Portland Public (Beech Elementary, or one of the other 2 Spanish immersion programs)
4. Spanish will surely be helpful in finding employment, with all of the Latinos we have in the Portland area.
5. Resources are cheaper than German ones--schools, books, etc
6. I've been learning Spanish longer than German (this feels like a lame reason at this point, but it was on the list)
I have the distinct recollection that there were 12 reasons on our list originally, but now that I've chosen German and have been using it with her for her whole life, the other reasons escape me. But the point is, I chose German because of reason #1--"My heart is in German"--I knew that without THAT, I'd have no chance of sticking with it, much less finding success in the process.
So, with Kaya's birth in January 2009, I started speaking German to her all the time. My step mom told me that it takes 3 weeks to form a habit, so as awkward as it felt in those first hours and days and weeks, I told myself that I'd stick with it for at least 21 days. Once I had that much time invested, it was easy for me to keep going, esp. since I wasn't really saying a whole heck of a lot...it was mostly a matter of growing comfortable with the words coming out of my mouth and passing over my ears. I could go on and on about the comfort level process, but I'll save that for another time and another post.
For now, suffice it to say, I know I made the right choice. I've found plenty of affordable resources (read: German American School, garage sales, and Powell's Books); Geoff is learning German along with Kaya and making some efforts to learn the language on the side, too--he only needs to be able to understand it, we've decided, since I'll be the one speaking to her; I have family in Germany, too, just more removed than my step mom (very distant cousins!); I've found an affordable German preschool option and I'm now more excited about a different elementary school option than Spanish immersion; and German will be similarly as useful for Kaya when she is job seeking...it will just lead her down different roads than Spanish would. And to me, that's what this endeavor is all about...giving her as many roads as possible to choose from when she's ready and wanting to choose.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Language Experience
After writing a lengthy blurb about language assessment, I realized that it would be best if I addressed my experience with German so that there would be some context to the assessments that I did, both self and more official. If you haven't read that post and you are interested, click here, or see Language Assessment in the right column.
I started learning German in 1992, in my first year at Lewis and Clark College. I was tired of learning Spanish, and wanted to learn another language (I took the good advice of my dad and continued to study Spanish as well). So, I decided to add German for a variety of reasons, the first of which was because I'd be able to spend a year in Munich during my junior year. I loved the language so much that I quickly decided to change my major from Biology to Foreign Language (German/Spanish), and was much happier without having to attempt to pass O-chem! I did spend my junior year in Munich, studying through Lewis & Clark College at the Ludwig-Maximilian Universitaet (LMU). Most of our classes were privately taught for only our program participants, so I interacted little with the university system and students themselves in class. But they were all in German, so I learned a great deal about both the language and culture.
I lived in student housing in northern Munich, at Studentenstadt. In my house, many of the students were Germans, but it took me most of the year before I grew to be accepted into their circles. Because of that social challenge, I ended up spending a lot of time with the other Americans on the program, and by the end of the year, found that my German wasn't nearly as proficient as I was hoping it would be.
On the Goethe-Institut Zentrale Mittlestufenpruefung (Central Middle Level Test), I scored as follows at the end of my year there in July 1995:
Listening Comprehension--fair
Reading Comprehension--good
Written Expression--good
Oral Expression--satisfactory
On the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Exam in German, I received a score of Advanced High. This is one level down from the highest rating of Superior, and is described as follows on the American Council for Teaching of Foreign Languages website:
Able to satisfy the requirements of a broad variety of everyday, school, and work situations. Can discuss concrete topics relating to particular interests and special fields of competence. There is emerging evidence of ability to support opinions, explain in detail, and hypothesize. The Advanced-Plus speaker often shows a well-developed ability to compensate for an imperfect grasp of some forms with confident use of communicative strategies, such as paraphrasing and circumlocution. Differentiated vocabulary and intonation are effectively used to communicate fine shades of meaning. The Advanced-Plus speaker often shows remarkable fluency and ease of speech, but under the demands of Superior-level complex tasks, language may break down or prove inadequate.
(for further ACTFL information, click here)
As dissatisfied as I was by my proficiency in German (and my intimidation about life after graduation in the US), I decided to return to Munich for a year in 1996-1997. I spent part of the year living with a host family, teaching their daughters English, and the rest of the year back in student housing in a very international and active house. That year, my German-speaking friendships solidified more quickly than they had 2 years prior. I also had a nanny job, as well as two data-entry jobs with two different companies. After that second year in Germany, my German improved immensely. Unfortunately, there was no assessment that took place, self or otherwise, immediately upon returning to the US after that second year in Germany, but in looking at the above assessments, it's clear to me that I would have been a strong C1 German student, with some areas being at the C2 level.
Between 1997 and 2004, I did little to maintain my German, other than communicate with friends in Germany through email and interpret the random German medical appointment. I maybe read a book or two in German, and still felt just as passionate about the language, but was focusing more closely on my outdoor pursuits as they related to my career than I was on my foreign languages.
In 2002, however, I was hired as a teacher at Pacific Crest Community School. Initially, my position was Language Arts and Astronomy teacher, though the director was clear that I had dreams of starting both an outdoor program as well as a German program. After a year at Pacific University, where I earned my Masters in Teaching with German and Spanish endorsements, I was given the green light to build both the outdoor and the German programs that I dreamed to create.
It was at this point, in April 2004, that my German was once again officially assessed by the Educational Testing Service on my Praxis exam:
German Content Knowledge 186/200
German Productive Language Skills 196/200
Apparently, that 7 years didn't take too big of a toll on my German, as I would have expected. Maybe I did more with it back then than I can remember, but it certainly wasn't anything drastic, like living abroad or taking any on-going courses.
So, between 2004 and 2008, I ran the German program at Pacific Crest, including teaching levels 1-4 of German every day, and coordinating and accompanying two groups of students to Leipzig, Germany, in 2006 and 2008.
Which brings us to 2009, when our precious little love and the whole purpose for this blog came into our lives. And naturally, the next thing to discuss is the concept of why we chose to raise her bilingually in German (as opposed to Spanish). One day I might go into the reasons why we chose bilingualism in the first place, but there are a couple of great articles that I found which lay it all out better than I feel I could. Check out the resources to the right for links to those articles, if you're interested.
I started learning German in 1992, in my first year at Lewis and Clark College. I was tired of learning Spanish, and wanted to learn another language (I took the good advice of my dad and continued to study Spanish as well). So, I decided to add German for a variety of reasons, the first of which was because I'd be able to spend a year in Munich during my junior year. I loved the language so much that I quickly decided to change my major from Biology to Foreign Language (German/Spanish), and was much happier without having to attempt to pass O-chem! I did spend my junior year in Munich, studying through Lewis & Clark College at the Ludwig-Maximilian Universitaet (LMU). Most of our classes were privately taught for only our program participants, so I interacted little with the university system and students themselves in class. But they were all in German, so I learned a great deal about both the language and culture.
I lived in student housing in northern Munich, at Studentenstadt. In my house, many of the students were Germans, but it took me most of the year before I grew to be accepted into their circles. Because of that social challenge, I ended up spending a lot of time with the other Americans on the program, and by the end of the year, found that my German wasn't nearly as proficient as I was hoping it would be.
On the Goethe-Institut Zentrale Mittlestufenpruefung (Central Middle Level Test), I scored as follows at the end of my year there in July 1995:
Listening Comprehension--fair
Reading Comprehension--good
Written Expression--good
Oral Expression--satisfactory
On the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Exam in German, I received a score of Advanced High. This is one level down from the highest rating of Superior, and is described as follows on the American Council for Teaching of Foreign Languages website:
Able to satisfy the requirements of a broad variety of everyday, school, and work situations. Can discuss concrete topics relating to particular interests and special fields of competence. There is emerging evidence of ability to support opinions, explain in detail, and hypothesize. The Advanced-Plus speaker often shows a well-developed ability to compensate for an imperfect grasp of some forms with confident use of communicative strategies, such as paraphrasing and circumlocution. Differentiated vocabulary and intonation are effectively used to communicate fine shades of meaning. The Advanced-Plus speaker often shows remarkable fluency and ease of speech, but under the demands of Superior-level complex tasks, language may break down or prove inadequate.
(for further ACTFL information, click here)
As dissatisfied as I was by my proficiency in German (and my intimidation about life after graduation in the US), I decided to return to Munich for a year in 1996-1997. I spent part of the year living with a host family, teaching their daughters English, and the rest of the year back in student housing in a very international and active house. That year, my German-speaking friendships solidified more quickly than they had 2 years prior. I also had a nanny job, as well as two data-entry jobs with two different companies. After that second year in Germany, my German improved immensely. Unfortunately, there was no assessment that took place, self or otherwise, immediately upon returning to the US after that second year in Germany, but in looking at the above assessments, it's clear to me that I would have been a strong C1 German student, with some areas being at the C2 level.
Between 1997 and 2004, I did little to maintain my German, other than communicate with friends in Germany through email and interpret the random German medical appointment. I maybe read a book or two in German, and still felt just as passionate about the language, but was focusing more closely on my outdoor pursuits as they related to my career than I was on my foreign languages.
In 2002, however, I was hired as a teacher at Pacific Crest Community School. Initially, my position was Language Arts and Astronomy teacher, though the director was clear that I had dreams of starting both an outdoor program as well as a German program. After a year at Pacific University, where I earned my Masters in Teaching with German and Spanish endorsements, I was given the green light to build both the outdoor and the German programs that I dreamed to create.
It was at this point, in April 2004, that my German was once again officially assessed by the Educational Testing Service on my Praxis exam:
German Content Knowledge 186/200
German Productive Language Skills 196/200
Apparently, that 7 years didn't take too big of a toll on my German, as I would have expected. Maybe I did more with it back then than I can remember, but it certainly wasn't anything drastic, like living abroad or taking any on-going courses.
So, between 2004 and 2008, I ran the German program at Pacific Crest, including teaching levels 1-4 of German every day, and coordinating and accompanying two groups of students to Leipzig, Germany, in 2006 and 2008.
Which brings us to 2009, when our precious little love and the whole purpose for this blog came into our lives. And naturally, the next thing to discuss is the concept of why we chose to raise her bilingually in German (as opposed to Spanish). One day I might go into the reasons why we chose bilingualism in the first place, but there are a couple of great articles that I found which lay it all out better than I feel I could. Check out the resources to the right for links to those articles, if you're interested.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Language Assessment
A few months ago, I was asked by a fellow linguist if I would be interested in doing a self-assessment of mine and Kaya's German to help her accumulate information for her thesis on bilingual language development. Though it took me longer to get around to doing the assessment than I was hoping (no surprise there!), I have been very excited about the opportunity, as it will give me a starting point from which to base all progress that is made over the years...hopefully serving as continual motivation to keep on the horse with this endeavor. I will include the link to the global scale and assessment grid so that others of you can do the same, or at least have access to this information, should you so inclined!
Minority Language: German
Global Scale Level: B2/C1
At this point, I feel that I have a blend of both B2 and C1 skills in my German.
B2: Independent User
Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of
various options.
C1: Proficient User
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
The Assessment Grid breaks down the Global Scale according to the specific areas of language: Understanding, Speaking and Writing. It offers a more detailed account of what one can do with language. My self assessment according to the Assessment Grid is as follows:
UNDERSTANDING
Listening:C1
I can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signaled explicitly. I can understand television programs and films without too much effort.
Reading: B2/C1
B2--I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose.
C1--I can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style. I can understand specialized articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not relate to my field.
SPEAKING
Spoken Interaction: B2/C1
B2--I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible. I can take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views.
C1--I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. I can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes. I can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and relate my contribution skilfully to those of other speakers.
Spoken Production: B2
I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my field of interest. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
WRITING: B2
I can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my interests. I can write an essay or report, passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view. I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.
I have also filled out an even more detailed self-assessment checklist, which breaks down the abilities even further within each of the above categories. I have yet to figure out how to post my personal assessment checklist here, but I have linked a blank checklist for you to use should you be interested.
In completing these self-assessments, it reminded me of how my German has deteriorated over time after such a long time in the US with no visits to Germany. It also occurred to me that it would make sense to provide a short description of my experience with the language, so that the assessments are in context of that experience and current life situation.
Minority Language: German
Global Scale Level: B2/C1
At this point, I feel that I have a blend of both B2 and C1 skills in my German.
B2: Independent User
Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of
various options.
C1: Proficient User
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
The Assessment Grid breaks down the Global Scale according to the specific areas of language: Understanding, Speaking and Writing. It offers a more detailed account of what one can do with language. My self assessment according to the Assessment Grid is as follows:
UNDERSTANDING
Listening:C1
I can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signaled explicitly. I can understand television programs and films without too much effort.
Reading: B2/C1
B2--I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose.
C1--I can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style. I can understand specialized articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not relate to my field.
SPEAKING
Spoken Interaction: B2/C1
B2--I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible. I can take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views.
C1--I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. I can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes. I can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and relate my contribution skilfully to those of other speakers.
Spoken Production: B2
I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my field of interest. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
WRITING: B2
I can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my interests. I can write an essay or report, passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view. I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.
I have also filled out an even more detailed self-assessment checklist, which breaks down the abilities even further within each of the above categories. I have yet to figure out how to post my personal assessment checklist here, but I have linked a blank checklist for you to use should you be interested.
In completing these self-assessments, it reminded me of how my German has deteriorated over time after such a long time in the US with no visits to Germany. It also occurred to me that it would make sense to provide a short description of my experience with the language, so that the assessments are in context of that experience and current life situation.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Progress at 18.5 months
I was told recently in one of the comments posted that I'd soon feel the effects of all my efforts, that Kaya's speaking would continue to motivate me each day to continue in this endeavor and improve my German as much as possible. I have been telling myself this, as well, expecting that these benefits would show up around the time she starts putting two words together, or at least has a larger vocabulary of single words that she uses regularly. However, despite the fact that her vocabulary is still very small, I am beginning to feel that motivation as she says more and more German words with every passing week!I've been working on a list of the words that she says regularly--I'd love to have a complete list of all the words she says, but at this stage, she repeats a lot of words or word sounds, often never repeating those words again for months. Like "strawberry" for example...I didn't hear her say this, but my cousins and my sister heard her and it was clear what she was saying. Granted, the consonants were surely vague, and some of the vowels were missing...that's her pattern these days. But she gets enough of the consonants and vowels in there to make many words clear...yesterday, for example, we swear she was trying to say "lila Blume" (purple flower) as she was pointing at the flowers outside of the Huckleberry Inn in Government Camp. It was mumbled, but it was clear enough for us to raise our eyebrows and smile, excited at the fact that she's getting to that point of using two words at a time!
At this point, here's the words that can say clearly and uses on a relatively regular basis:
German: In order of common usage
1. Mama
2. mehr (more)
3. Ja (yes)
4. Hallo (hello)
5. danke (thank you) (soft K, smooth sound overall)
6. Auge (eye)
7. siehst du? (do you see?) (was "deedoo" morphed into "zeedoo" after a month or so)
8. Blume (flower)
9. Kuk-kuk (peek a boo)
10. bitte (please, you're welcome)
11. lecker (said perfectly in context on her own, with no prompting last week!)
12. Auto
13. Affe (very soft, smooth F, almost non-existent--this word is new, just learned to say over the past few days. Very exciting word around here because monkey has become the favorite collectible animal--it's the snuggly that she sleeps with it at night. So, she's been hearing this word for a very long time, and it was the first word that she demonstrated a recognition of when she was 5 months or so (I'll have to check that)...she'll have lots of opportunities to perfect this word over time.)
14. Tante ("ta-ta", meaning Aunt--she doesn't say this that often, but has been saying it for at least a few months, and uses it in context with her Tante Jules)
English: Also in order of usage
1. Dada
2. Bye/Bye-bye
3. uh-oh (has been saying this one for about two months...whenever she drops anything, passes gas, and sometimes when she messes her diaper)
4. Door (muffled almost non-existent R)--perhaps her FAVORITE word and concept these days
5. Dog ball ("doaoh-baaaohh")
6. purple ("puhrpah")
diaper ("dihpa")
7. No ("noooooooooh"--I've only heard her use this twice so far, only when she seems sad or disappointed in something, when things aren't going quite right. Has yet to use it in defiance.)
Same in both languages
1. Hi
2. Yeah/ja
3. Ball (sounds like "Baaoh")
4. Cracker (sounds like "creckah")
5. ok (using more often in context these days, though not regularly yet--last week, I asked her to show me the turtle in the bathtub (in German of course) and she quickly responded with "ok" before she did it.
6. Elmo (this is a new word as of this week...Tante Jules heard her say it twice, very clearly in the bathtub on Sunday night!)
Common Sounds she's been making over the past few weeks/months:
uh! (meaning up, down, open or help)
ah! (similar to above)
da doo
a-e-i-o-u (German vowel sounds. We say these a lot to her, using them now to count down to various actions, like sliding down the slide...she can say them by herself in the right order some of the time, though she often mixes up a sound or two.)
Ga goo
Kuku (the name she uses to refer to Kahlua, our dog)
"khah!" meaning, kalt (cold)
Additional language points:
-lots and lots of "kaya" language, where she is babbling with all sorts of different consonant and vowel sounds
Here's a sound clip (so if you see nothing, that's normal) that I captured last night at bedtime as she was in her bed. Geoff started saying "Night-night" to her, so I think that's what she's saying in part of it, though it sounds very similar to Nana at times...
-In the morning, she'll call out the name of the person she expects to come get her (generally the person who's been getting her a lot recently)
-She can recognize and point out most of the common body parts in both languages at this point: head, arms, elbows, legs, feet, hands, nose, mouth, toes, fingers. She still gets confused about her possessive pronouns at times, meaning that she'll often point to our nose when we ask her to point to her own.
-Seems to know many of her colors, more in English than in German (Dada works on these with her a LOT)
We recently got a new bathmat for Kaya that has Elmo all over it. She has had little exposure to Elmo in the past, so he and his name were new to her. When she saw the bathmat, she grew very excited at it, quickly noticing and announcing the "ball" that she saw on it. When we told her that it was Elmo with the ball, she immediately pointed to her elbow. Apparently, she's more well-versed in her body part recognition than she is in her Sesame Street characters. Nothing like the lack of TV and an aversion to hard-core marketed characters to help make that a reality. And one other story I just have to share here because it's too cute to avoid. Not exactly language-related, but it can contribute to the overall picture of what she's doing to go along with all this other language progress. Geoff was in the bathroom with her, getting ready for work at the sink. He heard her giggling, and looked down at his feet to see her brushing the head of the rubber ducky with a toothbrush. Smiling as well, he asked her what she was doing, when he suddenly noticed her bathtub book (in the bathtub) with a picture of a mouse brushing a duck with its toothbrush!
And, alongside her language development, are the following observations we've made about who Kaya is now!:
-walking everywhere (since July 11), falling a lot without stressing about it
-plays by herself for long periods of time--up to an hour sometimes
-can eat with a spoon/fork, always with her right hand, but prefers to use her left hand to shovel the food in
-adapts well and quickly to strangers--cries for about 1-3 minutes right after I leave, but is then quickly distractible to other activities/things
-will smile on command (or just with a camera pointed in her face) for a camera
-loves to sit on the couch or chair and pile clothing/blankets on top of herself. Will do this activity for up to 45 minutes sometimes.
-Continues to point to what she wants.
-loves to climb (usually climbs up into her Stokke chair alone)
-enjoys throwing balls, bringing me clothes or things she thinks are mine and I might want
-seems to prefer "order"--puts all her crayons, for example, back in the cup they came out of after she's done using them without us asking her to do that
hands us her plate when she's done eating
-goes down the stairs backwards on her own
-LOVES opening and shutting doors
-LOVES the water, bath and pool...goes under the water with no fuss and enjoys sliding down the tube slide into the pool where we catch her
-requests her toothbrush (by pointing at the medicine cabinet) about twice a day, morning and night. She "brushes" her teeth by moving the brush around in her mouth and chewing on it. Gets so excited when she asks for her toothbrush!
-sits on her potty on her own, often when we are sitting on 'ours'; the other day, she motioned for me to go into the bathroom with her and sit down on the toilet after she sat down on hers. She had a diaper on, so I'm not sure if she went after sitting down, but she's certainly close to being ready to potty train. She lets us know a lot of the time when her diaper is full, either by pulling at her diaper or answering our question with a "Ja" if she needs a new one. Sometimes she'll bring us a cover for her diaper.
As always, thanks for joining in for a peek at the ride!
Tamara
Nana Lives On...and On and On and On!
Kaya with her Nana--3 weeks old, Feb. 2009
Wow. It's hard to believe that it's really been two months since I've been able to find the time and opportunity to write again here. There have been at least 3 moments when I was dying to sit down and pop out my thoughts on some profound experience I'd had with Kaya or with some friend in relation to this whole bilingual experience. But alas, life has clearly been crazy: my mom, Kaya's Nana, Karen Ann Lasnover, died on June 11 after an incredible nine-year "fight" against Non-hodgkins Lymphoma. And though that nine years was incredibly full and busy and emotionally draining, the past two months were even more so. Or maybe not more so...just different so. Watching and being a part of the dying process is so drastically different than knowing that it is going to come but not being sure about when.
Being that this is my language blog and not the first chapter of the book that I dream about writing, I'll get back to Kaya and how her Nana's death relates to her language development...cuz I swear, it does. =)
Back when I'd bring Kaya to her Nana's just about every Friday, Kaya would say "Nana" (rhymes with Banana in English) as we'd pull up to her apartment. I'd estimate that she started this about 4 months ago..., when she was about 14 months old? When she'd see my mom sleeping in her room, as she often did when we were there, Kaya would say, "Nana" and eagerly crawl over to her door. She'd get to the doorway, point, and say, "Nana" again and again, slowly, as if she was trying to process the problem: Why is she just lying there while I'm here?
After my mom passed away, we naturally started bringing more of her things into our house, many of them into Kaya's room. My mom always had a penchant for giraffes, which my sister created into an amazing collection of the long-necked mammal. Stuffed giraffes, wall hangings, prints, vases, frames, magnets, socks...by the end of her time, my mom had giraffes in EVERY corner of her life. So, when we brought a couple of the stuffed giraffes into Kaya's crib, she saw them and immediately said, "Nana". When we hung the giraffe and her baby on her wall, she uttered the same in the same sweet, loving voice. Recently, I learned that giraffes have the biggest heart of any land mammal on earth. It's no wonder...
The giraffe label was one thing, but when we brought one of my mom's chest of drawers into Kaya's room, and laid her on it the next day as her new changing table, she let us know, once again, that she knew it was Nana's. The same applied to the wardrobe that we brought into our room. Nana. Funny how they are so observant of so many things that we just take for granted, or don't even know they are recognizing...like furniture in one place moved then to another.
The most shocking "label" of all happened about two weeks ago, as my sister was up here for my mom's memorial that took place on July 24. Kaya was in my sister's arms, facing my sister. She looked at the necklace that my sister was wearing and quickly announced, "Nana", clearly recognizing that the same necklace had been on Nana's neck when she'd last seen it...the aspect that I find that craziest is that my mom didn't hold Kaya all that often, especially in the last few months...what Kaya was remembering were very selective observations of that silver charm.
Nana-labeling isn't just specific to my mom, though that impresses us and makes us smile the most. Kaya constantly points to things and announces their rightful owner. Whether this is her intention or not we can't say for sure: maybe she is saying the name of the person who she thinks of when she sees the item. Clearly hard to know. But, it's certainly something that she takes pleasure in doing these days (and for the past 3-4 months or so). For example, she'll point at my glasses and say, "Mama"; at Geoff's, and say, "Dada." She often points at my plate while we're eating and says definitively, "Mama!" At this point, my mom, Geoff and I are the only one's who's things she "labels", though that may change as she gets more comfortable with others' names. She has said "Tante", referring to her Auntie Jules; "Sah", referring to her Auntie Sara; "Bempa" for her Grandpa Ralph--and perhaps Papa for my Dad and "Gemms" for her Grandma Bev, though I'll have to check with the authorities on that one.
But, rather than post on and on about more progress "notes" here, I'm going to let this one be all about Nana--she certainly deserves her own post after the amazing life she lead. Before adding a couple videos and a tribute link, though, I want to add something that my mom said to me about 4 months ago while I was talking to her about my fears and frustrations in speaking non-native German to Kaya (I think I may have written about this already, but I really like keeping the silverware organized...). I was telling my mom about my tendency to narrate the world to Kaya, often asking her if she sees this or that or telling her what I see in front of us. One day, a squirrel ran across the trail in the park and I realized that I only had one word that I knew to use for "run". I felt frustrated that I didn't know more, that I couldn't be creative with my language and talk about how 'the squirrel had scurried into the underbrush', or 'the critter had clambered across the trail into the bushes'...or fled or scampered or bounded. I felt fearful that my lack of extensive vocabulary would hinder Kaya's development into an intelligent German speaker and US citizen. My mom's response: what's wrong with just saying to her what you know? The squirrel ran across the trail into the bushes. Ok, so in the moment I admittedly felt misunderstood by my mom, was hoping that she'd empathize a bit more and see my fears better. But even more importantly, I really appreciated the simple message that she was sending:
Bilingualism is powerful enough in it's own right,
it doesn't need fancy words to spice it up all the time.
I often think of her words when I'm feeling fearful and they help calm me down and focus on the facts: she is still growing up bilingually, despite my fears or my imperfections or my desire to know the word 'scamper'. (And then I'm validated further when I look up these words, only to come to find that they don't really exist in the same way in that language.)
Thanks, Mom. !! Your confidence has always made me strong.
I know how much this endeavor impressed my mom. She was always SO fascinated and curious by how I was doing this, and just the mere fact that I'm making it happen.
I rode 200 miles on my bike for my mom in 1995, to raise some money for her...if I did that, I can certainly continue to raise her granddaughter bilingually, right? (momentary motivation used when necessary!)
I don't know how long this online tribute will be available, but until it's gone:
www.tributes.com/lasnover
And for some sweet images of Kaya with her loving Nana:
November 13, 2009. Kaya was nearly 10 months old. My mom would always call this stool Kaya's because it was the perfect height for her to stand at and eat at when we'd go over there on Friday afternoons:
"Dai dai dai"
Wow. It's hard to believe that it's really been two months since I've been able to find the time and opportunity to write again here. There have been at least 3 moments when I was dying to sit down and pop out my thoughts on some profound experience I'd had with Kaya or with some friend in relation to this whole bilingual experience. But alas, life has clearly been crazy: my mom, Kaya's Nana, Karen Ann Lasnover, died on June 11 after an incredible nine-year "fight" against Non-hodgkins Lymphoma. And though that nine years was incredibly full and busy and emotionally draining, the past two months were even more so. Or maybe not more so...just different so. Watching and being a part of the dying process is so drastically different than knowing that it is going to come but not being sure about when.Being that this is my language blog and not the first chapter of the book that I dream about writing, I'll get back to Kaya and how her Nana's death relates to her language development...cuz I swear, it does. =)
Back when I'd bring Kaya to her Nana's just about every Friday, Kaya would say "Nana" (rhymes with Banana in English) as we'd pull up to her apartment. I'd estimate that she started this about 4 months ago..., when she was about 14 months old? When she'd see my mom sleeping in her room, as she often did when we were there, Kaya would say, "Nana" and eagerly crawl over to her door. She'd get to the doorway, point, and say, "Nana" again and again, slowly, as if she was trying to process the problem: Why is she just lying there while I'm here?
After my mom passed away, we naturally started bringing more of her things into our house, many of them into Kaya's room. My mom always had a penchant for giraffes, which my sister created into an amazing collection of the long-necked mammal. Stuffed giraffes, wall hangings, prints, vases, frames, magnets, socks...by the end of her time, my mom had giraffes in EVERY corner of her life. So, when we brought a couple of the stuffed giraffes into Kaya's crib, she saw them and immediately said, "Nana". When we hung the giraffe and her baby on her wall, she uttered the same in the same sweet, loving voice. Recently, I learned that giraffes have the biggest heart of any land mammal on earth. It's no wonder...
The giraffe label was one thing, but when we brought one of my mom's chest of drawers into Kaya's room, and laid her on it the next day as her new changing table, she let us know, once again, that she knew it was Nana's. The same applied to the wardrobe that we brought into our room. Nana. Funny how they are so observant of so many things that we just take for granted, or don't even know they are recognizing...like furniture in one place moved then to another.
The most shocking "label" of all happened about two weeks ago, as my sister was up here for my mom's memorial that took place on July 24. Kaya was in my sister's arms, facing my sister. She looked at the necklace that my sister was wearing and quickly announced, "Nana", clearly recognizing that the same necklace had been on Nana's neck when she'd last seen it...the aspect that I find that craziest is that my mom didn't hold Kaya all that often, especially in the last few months...what Kaya was remembering were very selective observations of that silver charm.
Nana-labeling isn't just specific to my mom, though that impresses us and makes us smile the most. Kaya constantly points to things and announces their rightful owner. Whether this is her intention or not we can't say for sure: maybe she is saying the name of the person who she thinks of when she sees the item. Clearly hard to know. But, it's certainly something that she takes pleasure in doing these days (and for the past 3-4 months or so). For example, she'll point at my glasses and say, "Mama"; at Geoff's, and say, "Dada." She often points at my plate while we're eating and says definitively, "Mama!" At this point, my mom, Geoff and I are the only one's who's things she "labels", though that may change as she gets more comfortable with others' names. She has said "Tante", referring to her Auntie Jules; "Sah", referring to her Auntie Sara; "Bempa" for her Grandpa Ralph--and perhaps Papa for my Dad and "Gemms" for her Grandma Bev, though I'll have to check with the authorities on that one.
But, rather than post on and on about more progress "notes" here, I'm going to let this one be all about Nana--she certainly deserves her own post after the amazing life she lead. Before adding a couple videos and a tribute link, though, I want to add something that my mom said to me about 4 months ago while I was talking to her about my fears and frustrations in speaking non-native German to Kaya (I think I may have written about this already, but I really like keeping the silverware organized...). I was telling my mom about my tendency to narrate the world to Kaya, often asking her if she sees this or that or telling her what I see in front of us. One day, a squirrel ran across the trail in the park and I realized that I only had one word that I knew to use for "run". I felt frustrated that I didn't know more, that I couldn't be creative with my language and talk about how 'the squirrel had scurried into the underbrush', or 'the critter had clambered across the trail into the bushes'...or fled or scampered or bounded. I felt fearful that my lack of extensive vocabulary would hinder Kaya's development into an intelligent German speaker and US citizen. My mom's response: what's wrong with just saying to her what you know? The squirrel ran across the trail into the bushes. Ok, so in the moment I admittedly felt misunderstood by my mom, was hoping that she'd empathize a bit more and see my fears better. But even more importantly, I really appreciated the simple message that she was sending:
Bilingualism is powerful enough in it's own right,
it doesn't need fancy words to spice it up all the time.
I often think of her words when I'm feeling fearful and they help calm me down and focus on the facts: she is still growing up bilingually, despite my fears or my imperfections or my desire to know the word 'scamper'. (And then I'm validated further when I look up these words, only to come to find that they don't really exist in the same way in that language.)
Thanks, Mom. !! Your confidence has always made me strong.
I know how much this endeavor impressed my mom. She was always SO fascinated and curious by how I was doing this, and just the mere fact that I'm making it happen.
I rode 200 miles on my bike for my mom in 1995, to raise some money for her...if I did that, I can certainly continue to raise her granddaughter bilingually, right? (momentary motivation used when necessary!) I don't know how long this online tribute will be available, but until it's gone:
www.tributes.com/lasnover
And for some sweet images of Kaya with her loving Nana:
November 13, 2009. Kaya was nearly 10 months old. My mom would always call this stool Kaya's because it was the perfect height for her to stand at and eat at when we'd go over there on Friday afternoons:
"Dai dai dai"
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Internal Language Battle continues
I have been noticing lately how competitive I feel sometimes regarding the language in which I hope Kaya will learn particular words. That sentence is SO complicated, both grammatically and emotionally--it deserves much explanation.
I have read that multilingual children often have certain words that they will only say in one language or the other during the early stages of learning. Kaya, for example, has learned a number of words in each language, none of which she produces in both languages. She can understand most of the words in both, but produces only in one. 'Dog', for example, is a word she only says in English, though she understands 'Hund' just fine, too. 'Ja' (yes) is always stated in German. And so forth.
I find it strange, in a way, that I find myself hoping that she will acquire more words more quickly in German than in English. Strange because she's my daughter, and I would think that a mother would be happy with ANY language that her child were to acquire (minus the obvious obscenities and such!). This is what I tell myself, anyway, the words that I use to 'beat up' on myself when I feel this way.
The reality is, however, that because I am the only one speaking a minority language to her, I naturally fear the consequence of that minimal exposure. But I think bigger than the fear is an overwhelm that I feel as a result of a mental connection that I make between how "well" she acquires German and how strong our emotional connection will be. I recognize that such thinking patterns make no sense at all, that they are merely projections of my fears and insecurities as a mother, as a child with attachment issues. But regardless of the reason, regardless of the irrationality of it all, it certainly adds a degree or three of complication to this whole bilingual "project".
I have been having more doubts lately that sound a bit like this:
Is my German good enough?
Will I be able to keep this up?
What happens when she's 3 and wants answers to EVERYTHING? Will my German keep up with hers?
I feel that I am sacrificing some of our relationship to follow through with raising her bilingually...how much is too much? And is it worth it to me? Do I have bigger fish to fry and can I deal with all of these challenges with German in the mix??!
Sometimes I think I'm just going to abort mission, especially when I use phrases like 'abort mission'--I know some idioms in German, but not nearly like I do in my native language, of course, esp. as I spend more and more time outside of Germany. I feel sad that I can't 'play' with the language with her in my native language, and have as much fun with the language with her as I might want to at times. This is where the sacrifice comes in, I think. Does it really matter, though, that I only have two ways, on the tip of my tongue, to describe how the squirrel moves across the grass? Is it good enough to look up more words and add words later?
I think so. For now, it's gonna have to be, because I'm stickin' to my plan to stick with my plan until she can talk. Granted, she CAN talk right now...in her one word, single baby-sign, arched-back and whining way (at times!). But I'm stickin' it out until there's solid conversation between us, or at least until it becomes obvious to me that this 16 months of doubt and excitement has been worth it for at least one of us! =)
I have read that multilingual children often have certain words that they will only say in one language or the other during the early stages of learning. Kaya, for example, has learned a number of words in each language, none of which she produces in both languages. She can understand most of the words in both, but produces only in one. 'Dog', for example, is a word she only says in English, though she understands 'Hund' just fine, too. 'Ja' (yes) is always stated in German. And so forth.
I find it strange, in a way, that I find myself hoping that she will acquire more words more quickly in German than in English. Strange because she's my daughter, and I would think that a mother would be happy with ANY language that her child were to acquire (minus the obvious obscenities and such!). This is what I tell myself, anyway, the words that I use to 'beat up' on myself when I feel this way.
The reality is, however, that because I am the only one speaking a minority language to her, I naturally fear the consequence of that minimal exposure. But I think bigger than the fear is an overwhelm that I feel as a result of a mental connection that I make between how "well" she acquires German and how strong our emotional connection will be. I recognize that such thinking patterns make no sense at all, that they are merely projections of my fears and insecurities as a mother, as a child with attachment issues. But regardless of the reason, regardless of the irrationality of it all, it certainly adds a degree or three of complication to this whole bilingual "project".
I have been having more doubts lately that sound a bit like this:
Is my German good enough?
Will I be able to keep this up?
What happens when she's 3 and wants answers to EVERYTHING? Will my German keep up with hers?
I feel that I am sacrificing some of our relationship to follow through with raising her bilingually...how much is too much? And is it worth it to me? Do I have bigger fish to fry and can I deal with all of these challenges with German in the mix??!
Sometimes I think I'm just going to abort mission, especially when I use phrases like 'abort mission'--I know some idioms in German, but not nearly like I do in my native language, of course, esp. as I spend more and more time outside of Germany. I feel sad that I can't 'play' with the language with her in my native language, and have as much fun with the language with her as I might want to at times. This is where the sacrifice comes in, I think. Does it really matter, though, that I only have two ways, on the tip of my tongue, to describe how the squirrel moves across the grass? Is it good enough to look up more words and add words later?
I think so. For now, it's gonna have to be, because I'm stickin' to my plan to stick with my plan until she can talk. Granted, she CAN talk right now...in her one word, single baby-sign, arched-back and whining way (at times!). But I'm stickin' it out until there's solid conversation between us, or at least until it becomes obvious to me that this 16 months of doubt and excitement has been worth it for at least one of us! =)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
"Uh-oh"...and more of her latest ramblings
Saturday morning, as some fruit dropped on the floor at the cabin, Kaya learned how to say "uh-oh"...and we LOVE it. The way she purses her lip when she says "oh" is SO cute, it makes us laugh every time. I was able to snatch a photo of it last night when we went out to eat...
Apparently, according to Grandpa Crackers, she also said "FIRE" this weekend, too. He was telling her about the wood, and that it goes in the fire, when she repeated after him and said it "clear as day", he said. I missed both that word, as well as the word "FROG", which apparently she said a couple weeks ago while she was at her grandparents house for the night, looking at a frog toy. Again, they say she said it very clearly, but we haven't been able to get her to say it since then. =) This past week, however, she's been saying "ga-ga", as well as "la-la-la", so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if she nailed that 'g' on the end of her "frog".
A couple posts ago I made a general statement about how she repeats a lot of what we say these days. Then I spent the morning with Nathan, who is 3 months her senior. I realized that HE is the one who actually repeats, without all the clear consonant sounds yet, what we say...whereas Kaya will pick up words every now and again, and TRY now and again to say what we're saying. She is also more likely to say the words that we have said if she is asked if she can say the word in particular--a game that her 'Dada' and 'Bempa' tend to play with her a lot more often than I do (which has lead to my formulation of a new theory on her language development, which I will write about soon).
For now, though, I hear some peeps from her room...it's time for lunch and to continue our day having fun together...and trying to clean up our crazy messes! =)
Apparently, according to Grandpa Crackers, she also said "FIRE" this weekend, too. He was telling her about the wood, and that it goes in the fire, when she repeated after him and said it "clear as day", he said. I missed both that word, as well as the word "FROG", which apparently she said a couple weeks ago while she was at her grandparents house for the night, looking at a frog toy. Again, they say she said it very clearly, but we haven't been able to get her to say it since then. =) This past week, however, she's been saying "ga-ga", as well as "la-la-la", so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if she nailed that 'g' on the end of her "frog".
A couple posts ago I made a general statement about how she repeats a lot of what we say these days. Then I spent the morning with Nathan, who is 3 months her senior. I realized that HE is the one who actually repeats, without all the clear consonant sounds yet, what we say...whereas Kaya will pick up words every now and again, and TRY now and again to say what we're saying. She is also more likely to say the words that we have said if she is asked if she can say the word in particular--a game that her 'Dada' and 'Bempa' tend to play with her a lot more often than I do (which has lead to my formulation of a new theory on her language development, which I will write about soon).
For now, though, I hear some peeps from her room...it's time for lunch and to continue our day having fun together...and trying to clean up our crazy messes! =)
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