today’s word is another that is fun (and pretty) to say:

mariposa

(mah-ree/tee*-POH-sah)

which in English means, butterfly!

*if you roll your “r” it sounds more like a “t” sound… if you can say “ladder” or “butter” then yes, you can roll your “r‘s”– that “dd/tt-er” part is basically a rolled (or trilled) “r!”

Bilingual Chiquita Update

This past week, I’ve started to feel more comfortable (more on that below) with speaking to Chiquita in Spanish, and my little sponge is embracing these new words and phrases like it’s nothing. I love to hear her say “oh-wah” (hola) and it’s super encouraging to see her sign eating (she puts her fingers to mouth) when I ask her, “¿Quieres comer almuerzo/desayuno?”

Chiquita is also picking up on, and seemingly understanding the meaning of common commands that I say often, like súbete (go up(stairs)), bájate (get down), and ven aquí (come here). I’m not saying she always obeys… but she seems to get what I’m saying.

Thoughts on Language Learning

Here’s my profound (wink, wink) thought for the day on this issue… the more you do it, the easier it gets. I know it sounds simple but it’s true! This is true, of course, in most things we do… practice makes perfect… and while I’m not shooting for perfection, practice also makes easier, better, smoother, etc. And despite the fact that we’re basically having a one-way conversation, it’s good for me to practice, too!

Let’s be honest here, one of my hesitations in starting this “project,” was basically that I thought I’d feel stupid. I’m not a native speaker and despite 2 degrees and teaching experience in the subject, it still doesn’t always come naturally to me to speak or respond in Spanish… and plus, I thought, she wouldn’t understand me, so then I’d really feel stupid!

But then I really thought about it. When I first started speaking to Chiquita (in English), at birth, did she understand anything I said? or respond to me? The answer is no. And at 16 months, I’m going to go out on a limb here, and guess that she still doesn’t understand everything I say in English. So why should I feel stupid speaking to her in Spanish? Eventually she’ll understand everything I say (hopefully, in both languages!), but for now, I have to remind myself that this is a learning process. She’s gradually absorbing words and associating them with their meanings, and it’s an exciting process to watch, as a linguist, and a mom!

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Tagged as: spanish, translation tuesday