Raewyn from New Zealand
Jul 17, 2014 20:55:31 GMT 9
Post by Raewyn on Jul 17, 2014 20:55:31 GMT 9
Hi everyone
I am a speaker of French, though it is not a native language for me - I learned it at school and university and while living in France for a total of about two years (non consecutive). I would describe my French as reasonably fluent. Having worked hard to learn French as a teenager and adult I dreamed of being able to pass the language on to my kids in their prime language learning years. My kids are three and one.
I have been attempting, falteringly, for nearly a year now to pass some French on to my son. I have a good collection of French books and we use French DVDs. I also try to use French regularly throughout the day e.g. giving instructions or when we are chatting at the playground...although with a lot of English interspersed. I live in Auckland, New Zealand, where I have access to a French speaking playgroup, kindergarten and primary school bilingual unit (when the time comes)...I am surrounded by lots of possibilities.
We attended the French speaking playgroup for two terms but I then decided to see if I could get more traction with private tutoring (basically just playtime one on one with a native French speaker). We also have French people to stay on a regular basis and I encourage as much French as possible in their interactions with the kids and myself. I am also wondering about the possibility of employing a French speaking au pair in the future...but I enjoy time with my kids and am somewhat reluctant to give them over to others to care for!
If this all sounds a bit confused - that's because it is! This is an experiment for me and I feel I am flying blind...although the external support in terms of schooling/education is available to me here if I could get the kids to an initial level to cope with it. I also find my circumstances to be a little out of the ordinary compared to most of the information I read, in that I am attempting to pass on a language which is not my mother tongue.
My three year old regularly shows resistance to French being spoken to him, but he nonetheless appears to have some basic understanding now. He will also listen attentively to books being read to him in French and will watch French DVDs attentively. He always responds in English.
Any thoughts or comments welcome! In particular, would love to hear from anyone in a similar situation to myself...attempting to pass on a non-native language while surrounded by a different majority language.
I am a speaker of French, though it is not a native language for me - I learned it at school and university and while living in France for a total of about two years (non consecutive). I would describe my French as reasonably fluent. Having worked hard to learn French as a teenager and adult I dreamed of being able to pass the language on to my kids in their prime language learning years. My kids are three and one.
I have been attempting, falteringly, for nearly a year now to pass some French on to my son. I have a good collection of French books and we use French DVDs. I also try to use French regularly throughout the day e.g. giving instructions or when we are chatting at the playground...although with a lot of English interspersed. I live in Auckland, New Zealand, where I have access to a French speaking playgroup, kindergarten and primary school bilingual unit (when the time comes)...I am surrounded by lots of possibilities.
We attended the French speaking playgroup for two terms but I then decided to see if I could get more traction with private tutoring (basically just playtime one on one with a native French speaker). We also have French people to stay on a regular basis and I encourage as much French as possible in their interactions with the kids and myself. I am also wondering about the possibility of employing a French speaking au pair in the future...but I enjoy time with my kids and am somewhat reluctant to give them over to others to care for!
If this all sounds a bit confused - that's because it is! This is an experiment for me and I feel I am flying blind...although the external support in terms of schooling/education is available to me here if I could get the kids to an initial level to cope with it. I also find my circumstances to be a little out of the ordinary compared to most of the information I read, in that I am attempting to pass on a language which is not my mother tongue.
My three year old regularly shows resistance to French being spoken to him, but he nonetheless appears to have some basic understanding now. He will also listen attentively to books being read to him in French and will watch French DVDs attentively. He always responds in English.
Any thoughts or comments welcome! In particular, would love to hear from anyone in a similar situation to myself...attempting to pass on a non-native language while surrounded by a different majority language.
Very positive podcast review of my book Bilingual Success Stories Around the World at Kletsheads 
