Thursday, May 31, 2012

You say Potato, I say Potato

And you are both wrong...

because it's actually a pineapple.

One of the things that is hardest around here as it relates to proper English acquisition is the fact that there are 3 in process of learning.

3.

So 1 says it wrong
and thus sayeth the other 2.

So as I bee teaching them that there proper Enklish

I am
at the same time 
undoing what they are hearing from each other when I am not around.
A bit like the blind leading the blind.

And well,
with their dynamic...
if it comes from their brother...then it's like Gospel truth.
Thus it doesn't actually occur to any of them to do a little fact checking or to ask me or one of their other brothers.

So a tomato may be a potato
Darth Vadar is apparently Luke's brother
And we might be pronouncing words completely incorrectly

but somehow I have a feeling
this too shall pass. 

6 comments:

  1. My kids mess up tomato and potato too. I'm trying to tell myself that's because they're little and cute and not because they don't see enough of either to know what they really are.

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  2. If it makes you feel any better a couple of my English as a first language boys mix up tomato and potato...one who's old enough to know better still slips every so often.

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  3. Can you please write a how-to manual on raising boys? 'Cuz I am going to have five girls and one BIG boy soon, and I don't have a clue what I am doing, haha. :O)

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  4. Oh too funny! I have a slightly different issue...Lilly, who speaks wonderful English now home 3+ years...feels the need to imitate isabel's odd English expressions. So instead of saying "may I please be excused" when she's finished eating, she says bella's version "Excus-A Meeee!" I am wondering if Isabel will ever learn real English with all of my Chinglish speaking children and Lilly's lack of an example!

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  5. hahaha well if Luke is Darth Vader's brother, they can always talk like JarJar and the Gungans. :)

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  6. Yes, I totally understand. And we have 2 who have been home a year, and their little brother (bio) picks it up from them! So I have a 2 yo, 4 yo, and 5 yo who all say "I want anuger (another)." No matter how many times I correct them! ;)

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