Here's a summary of Marc's progress and some ideas based on my experience about input and use of calendars and internet.
Regarding language, I've focussed here more on some of the more idiomatic uses of English that seem to be more and more frequent and mark the difference between a child learning a foreign language, and one acquiring it as a bilingual native from a native parent. I find that if I don't write the words down immediately I forget them, so plenty of omissions.
Here are some of the (very few) examples I've written down since April:
"These brands come up with the wackiest ideas."
"Bet you "Dude Perfect" has made a video with those games." (a youtuber) "I can't wait to sink my teeth into this chicken."
"This chicken isn't as good, not by a long shot .""It gave her a run for her money. "
"Daddy, stop rubbing it in my face."
"Growley (our cat) is smelling that bag like there's no tomorrow. "
"That old guy was going up and down the street like there was no tomorrow. "
"How did you get on with your cousins? "
"They're messed up crazy baby things."
"A sight for sore eyes."
"Phone me, I don't keep track of time."
It was sick! (meaning amazing)
"This trick is so old school."
"I unloaded everything single-handedly." (in supermarket)
" I'm lolling at everything. " (using LOL as a verb)
"What in the World was that?! ( In surprise at a result in a video game )
"It's gonna be epic!"
"I haven't got a bull's notion! " (an Irish phrase he remembered when playing with the words, 'notion', 'motion' and 'devotion' .
There is still 'cross contamination" between the different languages. It's normal amongst consecutive native bilinguals/trilinguals and nothing to get worried about!!!!!
I haven't written down many or remembered them, but they do come up. Sometimes he mixes language phrases because it sounds funny!
In Catalan:
"Vas a arruinar la historia." (using 'arruinar' translated from English, "ruin the story", instead of 'estropear').
In English:
"I need to put it (the mobile) to charge. " I explicitly corrected this as lazy language. Correct options are: "I need to charge my phone." I need to plug in my phone (to charge it).
Between Spanish and Catalan there is the usual language mixing which most people don't seem to worry about overtly and is not my priority.
LANGUAGE INPUT. (EXPOSURE)
This is the first summer since he was born that we haven't gone to the UK for the summer (for logistical reasons). That means I've had to organize my schedule to be with him when I've been working and he's been in our holiday village.
Organizing your time
I've mentioned this before. Try and plan in specific times in your diary / calendar when you'll spend time with your child, and oblige yourself to do so.
If I wasn't able to get back to the village, we spoke by phone or video call once or twice a day, and now we're started texting each other on whatsapp.
Mobile phone
I've got him an old iphone 4 with a limited data package so we can keep in touch and when he's on his own or with other kids in the village.
INTERNET
This is a double edged sword. On the one hand it is a practically limitless resource for language. On the other, a lot of the content is age-inappropriate.
This is what Marc has been doing.
Youtubers
He's become addicted to watching mostly game youtubers explaining strategies to improve scores on the games. Some of them I've listened to use adult language .... They are from a variety of countries: the UK, Ireland, the USA and Australia.
Youtube videos.
These are a mix of multi-interest videos:
Animals, sports, some TV series, some science facts, some music videos. At least 90% in English.
A lot of different ones in fact. My rule is that it's better to watch videos in their original language version, even if that's Spanish. Last week we changed from watching an American series about a "Cat trainer" in dubbed over Spanish to finding the original American English version.
Films
I've always had a rule about seeing original language version films, but decided to relax the rule for the sake of family harmony and avoiding stupidity! We went to see The Incredibles 2 in Catalan in a cinema in Vic. There's no original language cinema there. Earlier in the month we saw a film in English at the Icaria Yelmo cinema in Barcelona, which does have all the films in the original language version.
READING
Marc read his first adult book earlier this year on his own. A spin-off Star Wars story.
Over the summer he reread another Stars Wars book, "The Jedi Academy", and right now we're reading two comic style books together: "The 6th June 1944" about the D Day landings,
The secret is to be consistent and maintain a language rich high exposure environment.
Let me know how you're getting on in the comments.
All the best.
