Words! Parole! Words! Parole!

Spring day singing

I may be a poet, but my son is better than I am at finding rhyming sounds and combining words in surprising ways. Right now "Elmo," "apple" and "elbow" are getting mixed up in his mind. When he says short sentences like, "eat Elmo," I giggle at the idea and rejoice in his playing with language. 

Children learn extensively from their peers. Our bambino started daycare in December and a combination of the interaction with peers and the developmental stage he's in, he's had bursts of new words. This morning, he surprised me by pointing at the door and shouting, "door!" (He also surprised me by slamming it shut, but... that's something else.)

Toddlers are hard to understand and so I'm only mostly sure that he hasn't said any words in Italian yet. He can point at objects and body parts when I name them in Italian, but he doesn't repeat the words or sounds. There are many myths about bilingual children, including that they learn to speak more slowly. From his actions and spoken language in English, he shows that he understands more words every day, rather than very few. 

Each new word seems to give him a sense of power. Since he could first ask for cheese and then find cheese on his plate, he is visually thrilled by what words can do. I look forward to hearing him not only name things, but describe his more complicated thoughts. 

Toddlers reach linguistic milestones (and every other milestone) at different paces and in different ways. Talk regularly with your kids, even "parentese" conversations that help them to hear and experiment with sounds, reads lots of books to them while pointing at the pictures and discussing the book, and sing, sing, sing. Model correct language use, including vocabulary and grammar, rather than correcting them. 

As for my poems, I'll try to follow his example of surprise and sound relationships between words. I've found my new muse. 

Click through for earlier posts related to bilingualism.

Italian Vocabulary: Giraffes and other zoo animals

I recently had to look up "giraffe" in Italian. Turns out it is, simply, "giraffa."

There were few giraffes in Florence, where I lived for four years, and many giraffes in the bambino's brand-new life. If I'm going to keep talking to him in Italian, I need to be able to describe his (zoo-rific) surroundings. Animals, and especially giraffes, it seems, play a large role in my son's books, clothes, decorations and toys.

I'm not sure how this vocabulary will help him as he grows up in our nation's urban capital city, but I suppose we'll plan a trip to the zoo (simply, "lo zoo") when the weather cools down. Maybe we'll look through this picture dictionary of animal words before we go.

Click through for more baby-related vocabulary (diapers, crib, etc.) 

Bilingual Gifts from il cocco di mamma

One of the many t-shirts available from il cocco di mamma

As I’ve been learning about raising a bilingual child and searching for related books and toys, friends pointed me to il cocco di mamma, an online boutique with books, tshirts, wooden blocks and other gift ideas in a number of different languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Greek. Of course, I’m smitten by everything in Italian.

The founder, Donna Bottari, was kind enough to share some thoughts with us. Read more about her story on the website. I was happy to discover that we both worked at NYU in Florence, although at different times. Small world, eh?

When did you begin the boutique?

The idea was born around the birth of my nephew Massimo. I wanted him to have the same bi-cultural upbringing and at the same time I wanted to gift  him the most unique gifts. The concept was born out of my love for languages, cultures, and children. I tend to bond with people who have had bi-cultural upbringings, there is an unspoken connection between us. 

How has your vision for the company changed (if it did) as your nephew got older?

The vision has mostly stayed the same. My products are for a certain consumer, a certain niche market, and I wanted to stay special that way. I want to add new tshirts and more toys (wooden), books and videos. I like to feature quality items because I believe it makes the gift extra special and a keepsake. 

Has your nephew (and other relatives) learned Italian or other languages?

My nephews and niece have learned some Italian. At the end of the day, I feel you have to be fully immersed to speak it fluently. However, they absolutely have the openness and sensitivity to the Italian culture and other cultures. My sister in law is fluent in Spanish and lived in Spain many years, so there is definitely a European influence in the household. SO between their home and my parents’ home, they have a deep appreciation and comfort with different languages and ways. I grew up differently than them. I consider myself to be near a native speaker as my parents were both born in Italy. I also have traveled to Italy every year since I was 5 years old and lived as well as studied there. I have a passion for the Italian culture and language but not only I traveled Spain extensively and currently learning the French language. 

Thanks, Donna!

Bilingual Baby Board Books

Reasonably priced bilingual English-Italian board books aren't terribly easy to find in the United States. I was happy to discover the English-Italian "My First Bilingual Book"series from Milet on Amazon. There are books for colors, opposites, animals, fruit, numbers and more. Check out some of my favorites (and help support this blog) in my Amazon store.

And a special thanks to our friends who purchased our son his first bilingual books!

For more on raising a bilingual child, you might be interested in reading about The Bilingual Edge and The Bilingual Family.

Book Suggestion: The Bilingual Edge

The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language by Kendall King and Alison Mackey, two Georgetown University professors, was an incredible introduction to raising a bilingual child. This thorough book offers resources and recommendations while dispelling popular myths about bilingual children. I imagine that I will be re-reading this book as our child grows.

After learning Italian in college and spending four years in Florence, Italy, as well as having Italian ancestry, it is important to me to share the language and culture with our child. While my husband has been learning some words and phrases, he doesn't speak the language. It has been daunting to think about being 100% responsible for the child's second language acquisition, especially since I'd heard that  bilingual children start speaking later and experience other kinds of delays.

The Bilingual Edge put me at peace as the authors explained that bilingual children do not experience speaking or other cognitive delays and, in fact, gain additional skills for life. The book also makes recommendations regarding ways that the non-second-language parent can participate in sharing the language with the infant and many resources available for and outside the home.

If you speak Italian and/or are interested in the language, culture or cuisine, you might be interested in my blog, Fare La Scarpetta. I recently blogged about an Italian lullaby and vocabulary words related to babies.

Browse inside the book through the publisher's website. Help support this blog and purchase your copy through our Amazon store today.