| Note: This experience had to do with preserving | | | | group of Latin immigrants to the United States, the |
| Spanish for our kids but the principles are valid for | | | | Italians. |
| anyone trying to help their kids speak and preserve | | | | "Some social critics were aware of the consequences |
| any language and culture. | | | | of sudden assimilation. Mary McDowell, a social worker, |
| COUNTRY OF MANY PEOPLES | | | | wrote en 1904: |
| This country,,, (The authors raised their kids in the | | | | 'The contempt for the experiences and languages of |
| United States but they believe that their experience | | | | their parents which foreign children sometimes exhibit... |
| can be useful for people in other non-spanish-speaking | | | | is doubtless due in part to the overestimation which the |
| countries.) This country is made up of people from all | | | | school places upon speaking English. This cutting into |
| over the world. We or our parents came from Latin | | | | his family loyalty takes away one of the most |
| countries. We now live here. We function in two | | | | conspicuous and valuable traits of the Italian child.' She |
| different worlds, the American world and the world of | | | | attributed the lawlessness of some of the immigrant |
| our parents. All of us live in these two different worlds | | | | children to their disrespect for their parents and |
| in different ways. Some of us were born in the | | | | therefore for all authority." |
| countries our parents came from; others of us were | | | | (La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American |
| born here. This makes a difference in how and how | | | | Experience, Mangione and Morreale, p. 222) |
| much we live in our two worlds. | | | | Finally, the ability to speak another language can be a |
| COUNTRY OF MANY LANGUAGES | | | | great boost to a child's self esteem. If the child's |
| The one thing that is most important in our parents' | | | | parents make it clear that they are proud of their |
| world is their language which is also ours in different | | | | language and of their people, the child will feel closer to |
| ways. The Spanish language of our parents is an issue | | | | his parents and to their heritage, customs, and most |
| to all of us every day. We may be proud to speak it | | | | importantly to their values. |
| well. We may be ashamed at not speaking it well. | | | | HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO |
| Some of us may have gone through periods of trying | | | | SPEAK SPANISH |
| not to speak it because we wanted to speak English | | | | Start early. Try to speak only Spanish to the child. If |
| better. We may only speak it when we come across | | | | only one parent speaks Spanish well, that person |
| someone who needs help in understanding English. We | | | | should always speak Spanish with the child. Do not be |
| may only remember some sayings of our | | | | afraid of "confusing" the child. Children can identify with |
| grandparents or children's songs taught to us by our | | | | different speakers of different languages as they |
| parents. | | | | grow up. |
| You may want to review (or study it for the first time) | | | | 1. Read simple stories and fairy tales to the child in |
| your Spanish. We could only find one reference for | | | | Spanish. if you can't find children's literature in Spanish, |
| you. It is expensive and is a textbook, not too | | | | then make your own translations as you go along. It is |
| appealing but complete. Take a look at Nuevos | | | | not necessary that the translation be perfect. Make up |
| Mundos, Spanish for Native Speakers 2nd Edition, | | | | your own stories. It is important for your child to have |
| Workbook : Curso de espanol para estudiantes | | | | the memories of hearing nursery rhymes in Spanish. |
| bilingues" | | | | 2. Leave your radio tuned de Spanish language |
| F. Bruce Robinson, assistant director in the National | | | | stations. Linguists place a great deal of importance on |
| Endowment for the Humanities' division of education | | | | "passive listening" as part of learning a language, |
| programs asks "How does America preserve this | | | | especially for young children. |
| important resource of people who are proficient in | | | | 3. In most areas there is a Spanish language TV |
| other languages? Instead of trying to depress the | | | | station. Put on the Saturday morning cartoons in |
| knowledge these students come to school with, we | | | | Spanish. |
| ought to be trying to build on it." (Chronicle of Higher | | | | 4. Teach simple nursery rhymes and simple songs to |
| Education, Feb. 2, 1994, page A15) | | | | your child. If you don't remember them or if you were |
| OUR CHILDREN AND OUR LANGUAGE | | | | not taught any from your parents' traditions, look for |
| We all want our children to speak the language of their | | | | them in garage sales, college bookstores, or your local |
| heritage. We discount the opinions of those who say | | | | library. Do you remember el patito or pinpn? Look for |
| that it is better to forget Spanish and to concentrate | | | | songs in Spanish. |
| on speaking English well. These people are just wrong. | | | | 5. Rent videos in Spanish. They are beginning to be |
| It does not hurt your English to speak another | | | | available - and not only in cities with a big |
| language; it helps. Spanish is particularly useful to | | | | Spanish-speaking population! |
| children in their learning English vocabulary. Just today I | | | | 6. Use proverbs and dichos in Spanish. Some |
| taught my daughter the difference between vowels | | | | expressions that you would say in English are just as |
| and consonants. Knowing Spanish really helped with | | | | legitimate proverbs in Spanish. Get your child used to |
| the idea of the consonants. I told her that the | | | | hearing them in Spanish. You can do this even if you |
| consonants have no voice; they can only be | | | | don't speak Spanish well. For example, say mejor |
| pronounced with the vowels. The con-sonants suenan | | | | tarde que nunca instead of "better late than never". |
| con the vowels. | | | | Little by little, poco a poco, you'll feel at home with |
| But although most of us agree that it is a good thing | | | | more uniquely Latin expressions. They have something |
| for our kids to speak Spanish, most kids in the US | | | | of the culture wrapped up in them. They are |
| whose parents were born in Latin American countries | | | | stubbornly different from Anglo Saxon proverbs. |
| do not speak Spanish well. | | | | 7. Get used to saying menos mal in place of "just as |
| Even if both parents speak Spanish at home, quite | | | | well". The English expression is "better than nothing"; in |
| often the kids answer their parents in English. Look | | | | many Southamerican countries, the equivalent |
| around at your Latin friends and relatives and you will | | | | expression is peor es nada. Find proverbs. |
| see that most give up on teaching their kids to speak | | | | 8. Don't correct their Spanish when they speak. Don't |
| Spanish. Chicano and Puerto Rican families seem to | | | | interrupt the flow of their conversation. Don't make |
| have a little better luck than Latinos from other | | | | their speaking Spanish to be another homework |
| countries with keeping Spanish alive in their barrios but | | | | assignment. It should be something special, even |
| even their younger generation is losing fluency in | | | | something "secret" in your family. Kids like the mystery |
| Spanish. | | | | and intrigue of having something special of their own. |
| However, parents who want their children to speak | | | | Their speaking Spanish should be a joyful, |
| Spanish can go against the current and set the stage | | | | non-threatening experience. If they make mistakes in |
| for their children to grow up speaking Spanish. It is not | | | | their grammar, correct their errors by using the same |
| easy. Most families fail in their resolve but it can be | | | | expression correctly a few minutes after. Don't come |
| done. This report will give some hints on how to | | | | right back at them with the correct form or they will |
| improve your chances. | | | | begin to feel conscious of their expression and choke |
| REASONS FOR OUR CHILDREN TO SPEAK | | | | off their freedom of expression. |
| SPANISH | | | | 9. Get a good syllabary to teach them the value of the |
| There are many reasons why it is good for the kids to | | | | letters and how to read in Spanish. If your child's first |
| speak your language. One obvious reason is the | | | | language is Spanish teach them to read Spanish |
| advantage that it might be for them in the job market. | | | | before they learn English. You will be doing them a big |
| As long as we live in a world with shrunken distances | | | | favor. They will learn to sound out the regular spelling |
| and growing international trade, someone has to be | | | | of Spanish which will be a good base on which to |
| able to talk with people from other countries. | | | | learn how to read in English. You will get the same |
| Professor Francisco X. Alarcn of the University of | | | | results as those who spend money on expensive |
| California at Davis says that "now that we are moving | | | | Phonics programs. |
| toward a global economy, it's O.K. to be bilingual in the | | | | 10. The best way to get your children to grow in |
| U.S." (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb.2, 1994, page | | | | Spanish is to send them to spend some time with |
| A15) | | | | relatives or friends where they will only speak and |
| Another good reason for you to work at your | | | | hear Spanish. This works best at around 7 years old |
| children's learning to speak Spanish is because it will | | | | when children play easily with one another and when |
| make you proud to hear the compliments of your | | | | Spanish will just come naturally even to the child who |
| friends and countrymen because your children are able | | | | has very little exposure to the language. Another good |
| to speak your language. You grow in prestige as a | | | | age for a child to be exposed to a Spanish speaking |
| person who values your roots. | | | | environment is at around 12 years old. At this age, the |
| Your children will also be able to speak with their | | | | child has greater mental development and can |
| relatives thanks to improved phone service which is | | | | observe customs and situations in which certain |
| entering the most remote villages of our countries. | | | | expressions are used. At twelve years old most kids |
| Direct dialing from the United States is economical | | | | are still pre-adolescents and are not hampered by the |
| enough to be able call a few times a year. The thrill of | | | | embarrassment, self consciousness, and "feeling |
| being able to talk to their uncles, aunts, and cousins will | | | | different" which hold back teenagers from learning a |
| get the kids interested in keeping up their language. | | | | language or customs different from their own. |
| They will be speaking to their relatives not only by | | | | Use any of the above methods but start! Your efforts |
| phone but will be able to visit them. The experience of | | | | will communciate to your children the importance that |
| knowing another culture will put them ahead of their | | | | you give to Spanish even if these efforts are not |
| classmates who have no ties to their roots. | | | | always completely successful. |
| Another reason to encourage our children to speak | | | | 1994 F. |
| Spanish can be gotten from the history of a previous | | | | |