Identity is something that many if not most all of us wrestle with whilst growing up. However, like most minorities, this is perhaps even more so for many mixed roots, multicultural and third culture kids; from dealing with being treated differently by others and searching for groups to identify with, and feel a sense of …
Challenges and Changes in Mixed Roots and Multicultural Families Read More »
In some of our previous blogs, we’ve talked about Enjoying Reading with your Child and Making Reading a Routine Reality. But how about helping children to become independent readers? Author, teacher trainer, and owner of her own language school in Japan, Mari Nakamura, has developed a Three-Stage Literacy Program at her school, English Square. In …
Recent studies show that “multilingual exposure improves not only children’s cognitive skills but also their social abilities” (“The Superior Social Skills of Bilinguals”, The New York Times, March 11, 2016). Whilst I’m wary of sound bites that may mistakenly encourage us to think that people are ‘superior’ simply by virtue of speaking more than one …
The Social Advantages of Exposure to Other Languages Read More »
1. Make books part of your family life – Always have books around so that you and your children are ready to read whenever there’s a chance. We have a few low bookshelves dedicated to our kids and they’ve always enjoyed being able to access them freely (even if it sometimes drove us to distraction …
It’s generally recognized that most people across the globe are bilingual or multilingual and use 2 or more languages or dialects in everyday life. And the diversity of bilinguals within multicultural societies continues to grow. Beyond sharing fascinating facts about how this came to be (Bilingualism’s Best Kept Secret), Prof. Grosjean addresses 11 of the …
Reading is a key ingredient in a language-learning environment. For infants, pre-schoolers and school-aged children, reading with your children from an early age helps to foster strong learning habits for life with lifelong benefits. The reading of picture books with your child is one of the most important and enjoyable ways of spending time together. …
1 A child’s brain has a higher number of synapses (compared with an adult brain) and greater plasticity. This means children naturally can learn languages better than adults. 2 A study which assessed math and language scores of 2 groups (1 group studied 30 minutes of Spanish for 1 semester and the other comparable group …
French Business Language Culture Communication Taboos and Things to avoid in France Presuming that all French should understand and speak English Sitting legs apart Use the informal version of “you” (tu) instead of the polite form “vous” Calling people with their first names (not a taboo but may be considered informal in the first meeting) …
Please click on Italian “Songs” section to listen to these songs. 1. AMOR DAMMI QUEL FAZZOLETTINO Amor dammi quel fazzolettino, Amor dammi quel fazzolettino Amor dammi quel fazzolettino…vado alla fonte e lo vado a lavar te lo lavo con acqua e sapone, te lo lavo con acqua e sapone te lo lavo con acqua e …
The Urdu language has around 60 to 70 million speakers worldwide. Urdu is the official language of Pakistan having 13 million speakers. India has more than half of the world’s Urdu speakers with 52 million. Other countries where Urdu is spoken are the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United States, and Bangladesh. Pakistan and India have …