El Nino

By: Cynthia Litman

Pearl of the Day: Speak Easy

Unicef Greeting Card

My grandparents were fluent in over 9 languages combined and believed in the pearl that “language diversity is the way of the world.”

We learn to speak in our mother’s tongue but I wish I could speak in my grandparent’s tongues. My grandma was raised in Poland and their curriculum was Polish, German and Russian and her household language was Yiddish. Along the way, she learned English and my grandfather learned and spoke 9 languages. In any given sentence they’d switch it up and I never quite knew what they were saying, but their smiles spoke volumes.

Me, I speak English, the language of my country where “hello” is um, hello, hi or what’s up.  I do believe, like my mom, that a country’s native language binds and identifies its people. However, learning “foreign” languages and about “other” cultures is a window into “foreign” worlds and a way to bond us all.

Once upon a time, I was a great Spanish student, now, not so much, adios muchacho. With each failed Spanglish attempt, I regret not continuing with Spanish classes. With each trip to a foreign country, I regret not studying more languages. Although I am trying to reboot, I am not picking it up as easily as days of ole.  

I stopped taking Spanish classes because I felt I was good enough. Ah, who am I kidding, it’s really because the college Spanish classes were offered every day at 9am and I am not a morning person! So, I made sure to place out of my language requirements.  

Instead, I took a class called “Religion and Culture”. I was fascinated to learn how other cultures count, speak and adapt. Instead of using a clock or a calendar, they used baskets, beads, notches on a staff, etc. Primitive, yes, but there are many ways to remember Christmas and countless ways to say “hola”.

The makeup of a language says so much about a culture. Is the culture isolated or globally influenced? Is it group or individual focused? One of my favorite examples, is the French way to answer a sneeze, you say “à tes souhaits”, which means “to your wishes” (ah, the French, all about pleasure, desire, un chocolat chaud s'il vous plaît).

From birth, we learn and teach language all in the desire to communicate and make sense of this world.  Your influences and exposure will shape your vernacular as you go, thank you, Snooki and Paris Hilton.

Language originally formed out of a necessity to share knowledge – danger, safe, yes, no. We are hardwired to speak and our fourth basic necessity is to communicate. When you have children and see them struggle to vocalize – you realize this necessity. There’s so much to say and they can’t find the words or don’t understand the words coming out of your mouth.

Language is like electricity and its expression is like flicking the light switch. 

A more comprehensive vocabulary helps avert overload or a child's spontaneous combustion. If your child has been evaluated, you see in the reports how they are measured by their ability to understand, identify and decode language. Language is the fundamental building blocks for all other knowledge.

In the parent-child relationship, a little understanding goes a long way to fuse the bond and prevent wires from crossing.

Words are powerful and best when shared. We are preparing our children for a global world and the more flexible your tongue the better.  Through language we gain insights into eachother and ourselves and alternative perspectives.

Being able to speak is the first step in having a voice.  I find my voice changes with each language spoken. It softens with French, animates with Chinese, grows robust with Polish, tightens up with “British” English and lets loose with my Long Island Italian-Jewish influenced accent.

I look forward to re-learning Spanish with my kids. We started watching the Little Pim language DVD’s and my kids are first flexing their muscles. I admire my friends who have “foreign” language speaking relatives speaking native languages to their children.

Communicating is the language of love. All children are fluent in love.

As for math, well that’s Greek to me.

Copyright © 2010 Cynthia Litman d/b/a Tigris Imprints. All Rights Reserved.

Little Pim, Co:  Please view our review of the Little Pim, Co., foreign language products for children by clicking here.