As another great week of school is near its end, I sit down and reflect on all the amazing things my students have taught me. Yes, I am the teacher, but they teach me new things everyday as well. This may not be news for many out there, but it was just so amazing that I had to share it with all of you, especially if you are raising bilingual and bicultural children.
“My class was listening to me read Esperanza renace by Pam Muñoz. It has become a ritual that right after lunch, they all come in and ‘cool down’ as they enjoy a wonderful story. After a few lines, I usually stop to think out loud and let them all know what is happening in my head. They also share their thoughts and many are eager to let me know the different connections they have made or are making. It was here that one of my students shared an experience (similar to the one the main character in the book had experienced) in Spanish and all a sudden she went from English to speaking in Spanish with a perfect Argentinian accent. I had heard her speak Spanish several times before but this accent was new. So, I could not help it and asked her about the ‘new version’ of her Spanish. She told me that she usually uses that accent, but at times forgets. Amazingly enough, her mom is from Peru (with a beautiful Spanish accent as well), but my student had ‘chosen’ the Argentinian one. Proudly she said that her little brother has the Peruvian accent, but she has the Argentinian accent.”
What?
I was fascinated by it. Do children actually ‘choose’ an accent or it just happens? I would love to hear from all of you raising bilingual children: Does your child have a Spanish accent? If so, from where?
As always, I am captivated by all your comments and emails so don’t forget to drop a line and let me know.
Much love,
Kelly
Photo by V. H. Hammer
When we moved to Mexico two years ago, my kids started at bilingual schools (5yrs and 3 yrs) They had grown up in the US ( to those ages ) with a Mexican Papi and lots of Mexican family near… so they had and heard some Spanish from when they were born. After my daughter picked up the language in Mexico (like a pro! its almost like her first, and strongest language…) she would talk with an Argentinian accent! We have no idea why or where she started speaking like this, but when we asked about it, she just said, “because that’s the way I speak Spanish! She did have kids form Argentina in her class and a friend with an Argentinian dad… but, most of the Spanish speakers surrounding her spoke “Mexican” Spanish….. We love her accent! Makes her one unique bilingual kid!
Dear Tori,
Loved that you shared your story here….Isn’t that just wonderful? Our kids surprise us in many ways…..Why she chose the Argentinian accent over the ones she listens most of the time…I guess it will be a mystery (besides that she just ‘speaks that way’).
Unique for sure,
Kelly
HELO,,,MY NAME IS LILIAN AND I HAVE 2 BOYS AGED 20 AND 18. WE OGINALY FROM ECUADOR. WE MOVED TO ENGLAND 16 YEARS AGO…THEY WERE ONLY 4 AND 5 YESRS OLD,,,SO THEY STARTED PRIMARY SCHOOL HERE, WHILE THEY WERE STUDYING I NOTICED THAT HOW QUICKLY THEY PICK UP ENGLISH AND THE SPANISH ACCENT WERE CHANGING SO MUCH…BUT I WANTED THEM NOT TO LOOSE HER MOTHER TONGUE..BUT NOW THEY CAN SPEAK SPANISH,, BUT WITH A MIXED ACCENT..THEY SOUNDS LIKE A ENGLISH MAN TALKING SPANISH,,,,I LOVED THEIR ACCENTAND I SO PROUD THEY ARE BILINGUAL…
Lilian,
I do not know what it is about the British accent, but makes anyone fall in love…It sounds just wonderfully. Now, add to this that your boys speak both languages, and their Spanish with a unique accent, is PRICELESS.
So glad you made sure they kept learning Spanish.
Abrazos,
Kelly
My husband is Venezuelan, I’m Mexican and American (“white”). My husband and his family get a kick out of her Mexican accent, while one of my tias in Mexio said she sounded Brazilian.
(I also studied Portuguese, then lived in Spain, so my accent has a mixture of influences as well.)
I am curious what my kiddo sounds like to native speakers. I am not a native Spanish speaker (American/English) but I now speak Spanish with what natives say is “almost no accent.” I try to speak to my daughter every day in Spanish, and we watch videos with Spanish from Chile (I love “Cantando Aprendo a Hablar!) and everywhere else. I worry her accent will sound “American” but I do what I can!
Hola mi pregunta y preocupacion es algo que me agovia frecuentemente, soy madre de tres ninos 3, 5 y 10 anos. Mi hijo mayor su primer idioma era Ingles. Recientemente eso ha cambiado muchoya que mi hijos prefiere hablar mas espanol que inlges autoamicamente y mis hijos mas pequenos se comunican solo en espanol tambien. Cabe agrega que nos movimos a vivir a una comunidad cerca de la frontera con Mexico y el espanol es el idioma que mas se habla inclusive en las esculas. Desde que radicamos aqui (casi dos anos ya) a mis hijos los he educado en casa. Espanol es el primer idioma que mis hijos han aprendido a hablar por que tanto mi esposo como yo solo hablamos espanol en casa, y solo cuando tenemos actividades fuera de casa el Ingles es como nos comunicamos. Mi preocupacion como mama homeschooler (clases que doy y son impartidas a mis hijos en ingles unicamente tanto por mi como por mi esposo) es que mis hijos unicamente escuchan espanol, y si, saber y entender otro idioma es importante, pero me preocupa que mis hijos no logren aprender el idioma y entenderlo de la misma forma que un nativo hablante del idima inlges lo aprenderia. He pensado muchas veces regresarlos a la escuela secular y dejar de educarlos en casa, pensando que quiza asi les facilitaria sobre todo a los mas pequenos el acostumbrarse a la fonica y a el acento en ingles como culquier otro nino americano nativo lo hablaria. Me preocupa mucho que los estoy limitando no educativamente por que definitivamente en ese sentido estoy convencida que estan recibiendo una educacion muy completa, Pero como idioma los estoy limitandolo?. Por favor si tienen alguna sugerencia y comentario se los agradeceria de corazon..!!
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