This second half of year 3. La segunda parte del tercer año.
December 2009 – 2 years 7 monthsINPUT
Found ‘Ghostbusters’ theme tune which he likes, but mixes up the meaning of ghostbusters with ghosts.
Over the Christmas period we watched more Cbeebies together plus one of their pantomimes which he liked. He learned to boo when the ‘Jingle Jangle’ baddie came on the stage and referred to him at random times for months afterwards! I’m sure he’ll really enjoy a pantomime next Christmas.
Output
Use of ‘No, I didn’t’ or ‘yes I did’ for the first time when answering a question and ‘
While talking about a song he says: “The songs in the computer actually.” Which sounds natural.
January 2010 - 2 years 8 months
Input
The first week of January we got a visit from my mother and my nieces, Serena.
So, he had lots of practice speaking and listening to them in English and watching TV and DVDs with them.
Output
He’s started to become aware that he speaks more than one language. To Serena:’Molt bè’, ‘That’s in Catalan’.
As my wife pointed out, even when I’m not there he plays with his toys in English making up conversations. This means he’s getting even more practice than I could’ve hoped!
He still mostly repeats messages in the original language when we tell him to give a message to mummy/daddy. The difference is that his mum accepts the message in English while I pretend not to understand: “what does that mean Marc” and then he repeats it in English or I help him reformulate it in English if he has problems. Although he occasionally translates: “ Daddy, mummy says’ thank you”
Question forms
Request: “Can you turn the volume up Daddy”
He’s started using typical question forms correctly:
What’s happened? / What’s this?
Normally parents dread this stage as the child ‘never shuts up’ asking questions. In my case this means he’ll be learning more and more English words!!
Past
I was watching CBeebies. I was hiding. I got it (Catching a ball)
First question tag
It’s frog, isn’t it?
Others
Gimme some!
It’s over here / there.
Singing a song: “Wow wow what a feeling when I’m dancing on the ceiling.”
Pron.
He uses the English ‘schwa’ or ‘weak form’ in a noticeable way: e.g.in paper.
‘Says’ is said correctly as /sez/. As in it says ‘airport’ (pointing to a label on a toy).
His says our names and his own with an English accent as he’s learned them like that.
February 2010 2 years 9 months
Input
I had a busy month so my notes are as detailed as previous ones.
Continuing to increase the amount of reading with him. This month I introduced Little Red Riding Hood.
Doing songs and nursery rhymes on the computer.
Output
He continues to surprise me with his retention of Cbeebies songs and scripts.
Question tags: It’s not too loud, is it? (referring to the electric piano)
They’re yours (plural possessive pronouns) in fact he’s practically mastered these.
You’re big! He’s starting to compare himself in size versus other people and things.
I want to go to the bowling alley (uses complete sentences with correctly remembered vocab).
Mummy’s working on the computer (correct tense use and the realization that we work!)
I’m getting him to realize that he speaks three languages.
At the bowling alley:
Me: ‘Ask the lady for the darts in Spanish.” How do you say ‘darts’ in Spanish?
Silence.
Me: ‘Dardos’ Now ask the lady.
He still repeats ,messages in the same language they were asked in.
‘He’s started saying ‘And this?’ instead of ‘What’s this?’influenced by Spanish /Catalan
‘Blue’ doesn’t sound quite right!
March 2010 – 2 years 10 months
Input
We’ve continued the same watching the TV for an hour most mornings and playing and reading him stories at night. His mother is nearly the only input in Catalan now as the two carers at the playgroup are South American and the children all speak Spanish. He’s there from 10am – 3 or 4pm Monday to Friday. Interestingly, he almost getting as much English as Catalan.
Youtube: ‘rain rain go away’ and we looked for snowmen and snow boarding as he metioned snow. Wiggles: Hot potato song
Cbeebies programmes most mornings
Madagascar 1. And singing ‘I like to move it move it.’
Books: The 3 Billygoats Gruff and the Troll and then we found a bridge in the fields nearby that looked exactly the same as the book and we roleplayed ‘trip trapping’ across the bridge!
Finger scales. I got him to practise arpeggio scales using my fingers as the notes and then getting him to say words that I wanted him to improve the pronunciation on. E.g Blue, yellow.
So, we would ‘sing’ ‘ Blue blue blue blue blue blue blue’ up and down he scale focusing on the pronunciation. He loved it and it’s a great introduction to basic music. Later on we did the same on the piano although he gets distracted and wants to play the notes himself! His pronunciation of the words also improved greatly.
Output
This is the first month I’ve really noticed how much he’s talking. He plays with his toys in English even when I’m not there and he only speaks English to me, but now often speaks more in English than Catalan to his mother using whole phrases: “I want to play basketball.” Or he mixes Catalan with English (not Spanish). He also still uses “No vol”, (he doesn’t want) instead of “No vull” (I don’t want). Both situations can be attributed to his mother not correcting him or enforcing the one language, one parent rule. We’re not worried about the amount of English he speaks to her as this is extra practice and he’ll get a lot of Catalan input from September, when he starts school. If I’d be complacent and lenient then he probably wouldn’t be speaking English to me now. Parents should remember that if they are the speaker of the minority language, they should allow no exceptions to the rule of just one language to them.
- I continue reformulating and getting him to repeat wrong verbs and language:
Marc: “I take a photograph”
Me: “ok, so you TOOK a photograph. What did you do?
Marc:” I took a photograph.”
He’s picked up a phrase “Yo! Man!” maybe from the TV and when he gets a basket he shouts this out!
- His use of auxiliaries is coming on, e.g:
No I haven’t. Yes I did. I can’t.
His pronunciation and general use of the language sounds very native-speaker (talking about his socks in mock surprise):
“Oh no, they’re not matching.”
April 2010 - 2 years 11 months
Input
There was the usual input of Cbeebies this month and he liked Alphablocks, which are letters of the alphabet with eyes mouths and legs which say their sounds. And he liked the rhyme “Ten green bottles” which we found on youtube and unfortunately is very annoying… after the first 5 times!! Still, it was good for the numbers and language.
Output
He is so used to me speaking to him all the time that when there’s a long silence and we´re not watching TV or videos, etc, he says “Talk to me Daddy.”
He’s also started referring to me as “dad” and his mother as “mum” even when talking to her directly.
He’s learning to use deception to get what he wants and as an excuse:
“I’m not feeling well.” (sometimes accompanied with a cough!)
He’s driving us crazy with his whims .One minute he wants something, the next minute he doesn’t. He uses the phrase he’s learned:
“I’ve changed my mind.”
He´s showing himself to be bright and talkative this month and speaking a lot to his mum in English.
Phrases. He´s experimenting and using some new phrases which have surprised me.
“Oh my golly” maybe from his paternal grandmother via SKYPE.
“What`re they up to?” (referring to TV characters) In fact he’s repeating a lot of phrases from the TV.
Colours
He´s aware of what the traffic lights mean after teaching him:
Me:Look, a green light!
Marc: “Actually, it’s red.” “Red means stop and green means go.”
Question tags
It’s a big one, isn’t it?
He’s a ghost, isn’t he?
More complex language. Especially phrasal verbs:
I’m blowing up the balloon.
The dirt’s come off.
Present perfect
I’ve dried my hands
I’ve done that already.
Errors
What amazing!
I cut me.
This ones
I see that already.
Pronunciation
Very English in general especially when saying “can’t” which rhymes with “car”.
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