French Immersion and More!

In Canada, officially bilingual, a French Immersion education is a prized program for many parents, in all parts of the country. Has the time arrived, perhaps, to include other languages, such as mandarin, beginning by age 2? Some educators think so. By the age of 3, we've learned, a child's word-count can easily top one million, depending upon the environment in which he lives. Would a second language thrown into the mix amount to another million words that the child could amass in his 'foreign' language vocabulary?

With language, we have structure (grammar), vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, pronunciation and conversation, these profound academic milestones of the developing human 'plastic' brain. Is it ever too early to begin immersion in a new language? ... In learning a new language, a better, stronger brain is created by virtue of it being stimulated to produce these new 'foreign' sounds. In learning a musical instrument or composing a song, different parts of the brain are worked. In much the same way as musical 'training', speaking any language begins to reconfigure the brain as these audible 'modes of communication' become the building blocks of stored memory, ideas and thought. If dogs are able to associate words and phrases with actions and gestures, then teaching a child one or more new languages is far more easily done. ... Throughout the course of my day with Mr. Wiggles and his sister, Sally, language is all I have to communicate with them. My furry children are a foreign species, learning a 'foreign' language called English. I adore these creatures but speak to them with a certain 'expectation' of understanding me, using language. I endeavour to teach them. “Listen to me or go to your room.”, I say. Ha. Ha. Hand gesturing and the accompanying words help convey meaning in their everyday doggy world. “Go back”, “Do you want to eat?” “Are you hungry?” “Do you want breakfast?' “Do you want eggs?” “Is it apple time?” “Where's the ball?”, “Lie down”, “Take the ball or Rudy, (the reindeer) to daddy'. They cannot speak but understand what is expected of them. Daily reminders of the spoken word aids in building the foundation of dialogue and language.

Our retriever pups know when Mall Cop and Ella are coming to visit. I simply tell them. Their heads turn in the direction of past visits from their cousins: the front door and side door. The carpet bedding is prepared in my clean-up dog and cat world. This action reminds them something special is about to happen. They recognize the car as the 'sound' approaches. I put words to what they hear. The abstract of thought resonates with them. They look towards the door or outside, beyond the glass doors of their room, to see if their cousins have arrived. With all four dogs, the language I speak is understood by all. (The coupling of abstract thought with real everyday objects/places are imperatives in the learning game for dogs.) A gentle touch on the head, back or paw attaches significance to their learning game. ... Mall Cop, this 20-pound dynamo, tilts his head from side to side, his gaze unmoved, wondering if maybe, just maybe, a fruit and veggie platter is being served soon. Ella, his little sister, waits patiently to see what I will do next. Not quite yet, my sweet little one. Mall Cop stares and hopes for the dream. I understand and act accordingly. The  familiar platter is brought, for all to enjoy. Children and animals are attuned to the language they speak to one another. They are one with each other.

Growing up, I was fascinated by language, yet my parents spoke only English to their children: my two brothers and me. ... Regardless of my attempts to change her mind, my mom continued to speak in the language of Canada, the country to which she had immigrated, years earlier as a teen. Though I could read Ukrainian and attended 'school' on Saturdays, I never spoke it fluently or understood its meaning, very well. How could I? My parents rarely spoke the language of their birth country. (Socializing brings context to language.) Being bilingual is a highly developed skill, honed over a lifetime of daily social moments. As a high school student, I was entranced by two languages - Latin and French - in my tough eight-credit final grade 13 year. In those times, English was a mandated two-part subject called literature and composition. It is odd how I struggled in both, yet came alive, as if by magic, in French or Latin class, where speaking these languages was expected.

If we are to ignite a child's learning potential, languages should be a part of his learning from the beginning. The child must be encouraged to speak for this simple act is the beginning of thought!The act of listening and speaking has a dramatic effect on thought processing, problem-solving, attention and memory. The brain gets a workout. Let us not worry about how to start language instruction. Simply speaking the words of any language aids in its burgeoning mastery. I look to Mr. Wiggles and Sally for verification here as I am reminded daily of the power of language on them. ... Music is another 'foreign' language, the child's earliest form of communication. As babies, our children are introduced to lullabies, poetry set to music. ... (Within days of his premature birth, our first-born son had a music box, his first toy, placed inside his incubator to help soothe and comfort him in the healing process.) Language can both soothe and comfort through storytelling dialogue, over and over again. Imagine having the tools to retell a story, in many different languages, day after day, time after time.

The web has bestowed upon us the greatest tool to ever exist. We now have access to the world, a place never envisioned in Momsey's day. We must be ready. The 'walls' today, are not rigid but 'permeable' membranes that afford us untold opportunities to move beyond the boundaries of yesterday using language. ... All things begin with a word, phrase or simple sentence. Words enable us to learn about life, to put meaning into it and let those words take us into the future. When or how we start learning language is much less important then simply starting. To quote the American first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, “The way to begin is to begin.” There is no disputing that simple fact.