How can I help my Mum teach my son Spanish

[Starbear]

My lovely Mum is 69 years old Spaniard (in UK for 50 years) and looks after my DS two afternoons a week. For a variety of reason, I'm not very good at languages (I think we both have dyslexia)Can anyone recommend simple teaching material for her? It has to be fun.

You don't need teaching materials. She just needs to speak it ALL THE TIME.
Did she not with you?

Just get her to BE with them IN SPANISH. So, that means playing with them in Spanish, reading books, listening to songs, etc etc.

In terms of practicalities, a bumperload of books, magazines, games, films, cds could be useful. But all you REALLY need is time and exposure.

What a fantastic opportunity for your sons.

Sorry you don't seem to understand my Mum has been in this country since she was 19 years old. She now speaks only English. She only spoke to me in Spainish until I was 5 years old. I was told by my very nasty Gran that my Spainish was rubbish and I then only spoke in English. We no longer have any family left in Spain. My mum was an only child to a woman who broke all ties with her own family. Sorry I know you are only trying to help and I didn't give you the full story. Where do I get this bumperload of books,comics and DVD's in the UK?

There is really no point trying to teach a language (irrespective of quality and quantity of useful resources such as dvds, CDs and magazines unless people around the child actually speak in normal everyday manner.

Very sad that you havel ost this link with your heritage.

Unless she is fluent in her mothertongue and conversing it is going to be very hard. Agree with Moondog at this age it is very much about verbal immersion than formal materials but it really needs to be consistent (ie she only speaks to him in Spanish when she has him). By all means have her read stories in Spanish (try Amazon for books and dvds, Usborne do simple picture vocab books, Scholastic do Spanish language stuff for the US market) as a vehicle for introducing it but unless it can be reinforced naturally he probably won't pick much up.

moondog on Sun 28-Sep-08 13:18:07
"There is really no point trying to teach a language (irrespective of quality and quantity of useful resources such as dvds, CDs and magazines unless people around the child actually speak in normal everyday manner."

Afraid I totally disagree with this. IMO any knowledge of a language is better than no knowledge; and it can form a foundation on which you can build later in life.

My Mum taught me English out of Ladybird books when I was little. It gave me the basic structure and an interest in the language which I then explored by reading more difficult books with a dictionary. By the time I got to England as a teenager I had a very good grasp of the grammar and an extensive vocabulary - I found I then picked up the intonation and the modern slang extremely quickly. I now consider myself pretty well bilingual, and have in fact worked as a proof reader for an academic publishing firm; I also teach at an English university and write up my research in English. So I'd hardly say there was "no point" in those early lessons.

And even if I hadn't gone on to that higher level of proficiency, being able to read "Fo Fi Fum" was still worth doing simply because it was fun, it enriched my life. Singing Spanish nursery rhymes with Grandma would still be immensely worth doing even if it doesn't lead to perfect proficiency in later life. You wouldn't tell somebody that there was no point in reading a book about dinosaurs with their lo because they're not going to grow up and be palaeonthologists. Or because Mum hasn't got expert knowledge of palaeonthology.

The global economy would hardly hang together if the speakers of minority languages thought there was "no point" in learning a language unless you had daily access to a native speaker.

IMO people worry too much about learning things "wrong" when it comes to languages. Even if Grandma's Spanish is a bit antiquated by now, it's still a start and can be adjusted later. (I learnt a lot of my English out of Sir Walter Scott; I have modified it since ).

In the present case, the main problem seems to be that the OPs mother may have forgotten a lot of her Spanish, so maybe that is a good point to start, to encourage her to reconnect with her roots, through things like CDs and DVDs, and maybe just through talking to her about her past. And then encourage her to interact in Spanish in any way she can think of with her grandson.

I am frankly astounded at the idea that you should not do something unless you can achieve perfection, or because there is a possibility of failure. Just do it, starbear, and while you are doing it you and your mum will also learn so much and it's so much fun. And you haven't got anything to prove. Just have fun.

Lizs, It not sad at all that I've lost this link with my heritage. My grandparents were very abusive, the further the better. She has reinvented their self here and never told us about the past until recently. (Clever woman I say) Now that that is dead and buried (literally) she would like to start again.
Cory, Thank you. We just want to know where in the uk we can get the material otherwise I'll start teaching him Italian because the people are more understanding!!!

You misunderstand Cory and Sing.

It's not about perfection, its about functional application of a language. Without it, it is of no more use than the ability to stand on one's head or recite the alphabet backwards.

Interesting, amusing, but essentially worthless.

Don't think it was me who mentioned losing past ties ...

Sorry LIZS it was Moondog. Sorry everyone this is about shopping Where can I find some Spanish story books, comics and DVD's that would be a useful talking point. I have already tried Amazon but find it very poor. I have already brought Usborne Scholastic books but that isn't much fun even for me. I would like full blown Dora books only in Spanish as he likes the English Dora and comics and as Spanish is phonetic I can read to him. Would just like to see before I buy.

ah we are fans of Dora spanish here too although its not the full blown thing, the dd's are picking it up nicely. How about that BBC series stuff that gets the odd bit of tv advertising Muzzy, that's it www.early-advantage.co.uk/ hth's

moondog on Sun 28-Sep-08 20:56:49
"You misunderstand Cory and Sing.

It's not about perfection, its about functional application of a language. Without it, it is of no more use than the ability to stand on one's head or recite the alphabet backwards.

Interesting, amusing, but essentially worthless."

Worthless if it enabled me to go to England as a teenager and pick up enough English to do exams aimed at English teenagers after a few months?

Worthless if it meant that I could go to another country and communicate (albeit haltingly at first) with my peers, thanks to the language I had learnt at home as a child?

Worthless if it gave me a base to build on that enabled me to then develop near-native competence in a very short time?

Worthless if it meant I understood from a very early age that different people express themselves in different ways and that our way of speaking/our culture is not the only one possible?

Worthless if it gave me the dream of accessing and understanding more and more cultures through their language?

I think perhaps we have different ideas as to what is worthless in life.

Functional application in life can be all sorts of things. For me, the functional application of English started out as the ability to understand rhymes and songs I could not otherwise have understood. Is this not a function? Then the ability to read and enjoy stories I could not otherwise have read. Surely that's a function? Then I got penfriends from all over the world- another function. And finally, I did actually meet some English speakers and found that my English could easily be expanded to fit this new function. None of these functions seem to me worthless.

Sorry for thread hijack, Starbear. Am trying to think of the name of the foreign language book shop in London.

Gosh Cory, you have completely contradicted yourself.
You are citing examples in which you were using English functionally.

Furthermore, you're a foreigner qho acquired English which is a completely different kettle of fish for many socio-linguistic reasons.

I wish it weren't the case but it is.

Try this

Here's a list of websites for Spanish resources

If your mum is going to be speaking to your child every day then her Spanish will gradually come back. My mum also left her country when she was quite young and spent most of her life in anglophone countries but after a creaky start her native language did return to a decent level of fluency. With your mum having been a native speaker when she was a child will help a lot with affectionate terms (the language of love), nursery rhymes, songs etc., things that non native speakers find harder.

ladies, ladies just a name of a bookshop will do! Frizbe I've seen Muzzy advertised and read thread here that the programme isn't very good and you have to fork out £80.00 for something your not sure about. Dora or Diego in full Spainish would be good. I used to read comics as a kid but they don't sell them in Victoria Station any more. I can't remember names for everything I want to say to him. Some have it some don't.

Starbear, try fnac or el corte inglés for online shops direct from Spain.

Can´t help you wrt actually being able to touch things before buying, but hey.

I really would say to your mum ´just go for it´. Maybe her Spanish will be a bit rusty, but if she wants to brush up and get back to using it, then that´s great.

Don´t know where you live, but would it be worthwhile seeing if there are any Spanish speaking baby /toddler groups around. Or just Spanish speaking parents to meet up with. Or au pairs...?

Brangelina, Thank you I will have a look and see what suits us. Cheers Sadly Mum never had nursery rhymes sang to her but she is willing to learn.

Cies, Thank you. Mum not keen on baby/toddler groups she's a bit shy but thank you anyway. You have the right idea and now I can go shopping.

moondog on Sun 28-Sep-08 21:58:51
"Gosh Cory, you have completely contradicted yourself.
You are citing examples in which you were using English functionally."

I don't think I am contradicting myself: my point was that valuable functions can be found in other contexts than speaking a language every day with a native speaker. In other words, if the OPs son is sharing Spanish nursery rhymes with his Grandma, that in itself is a function and as such something to be celebrated.

If I could use a foreign language functionally in all sorts of ways before I ever heard a foreign speaker, then perhaps the OPs son might also find some sort of worthwhile function in sharing a special language with his granny.

Also, as I tried to illustrate, a very basic beginning (I think it was The Three Little Pigs) may form the foundation for more advanced learning later on. Many of my compatriots have had the same need as myself to perfect their English, but frankly I do speak (and write) it better than most of them: I can't help thinking that I did had the edge on them due to my early training. Not least because it left me with the feeling that English was something relevant to me, something that belonged to me, something that I was meant to do. And that's not a bad start.

moondog on Sun 28-Sep-08 21:59:57
"Furthermore, you're a foreigner qho acquired English which is a completely different kettle of fish for many socio-linguistic reasons."

Yes, but I do know quite a few English-speakers who have acquired a native-like proficiency in other languages so it clearly can be done (I teach in the Modern Languages department at the uni- so I do meet that sort of person). For most English people it's a question of motivation IMO. Which makes it a little pointless to tell someone that they won't be able to do it because they're not motivated enough. The reason why the foreigners can do it is precisely because nobody tells them that. Self-fulfilling prophecy and all that sort of thing. I think we should be wary of creating or encouraging the same socio-linguistic reasons.

Well Cory, it's my professional field too. I also grew up 15 000 km from my home country yet my father spoke his language to us at a time when there were no resources (we had about 5 tatty books) and no other speakers of our language around (in fact I never really spoke it to another person until I was about 22).

I now work professionally and bilingually in Welsh and English and my job (a SALT) demands me to know it to a very high standard.

So yes, it can be done but the odds are stacked very high against the OP's child.
It's a shame but it doesn't stop it being true.

Has anyone suggested the Spanish Bookshop Online? They are part of the European Bookshop in London (Regents Street, I think), but do online books.

Not clever enough to do links but you should find it by googling.

Cies, I think you've done it. 'El corte Ingles' Just looked, down to earth and not to fancy. I going to try and figure out how to pay in Euros and buy 'Menos Lobos' Fab suggestion as I can now buy Mum adult books from Spain. (Sorry not those kind of adult books Ta.

moondog on Sun 28-Sep-08 22:20:13

"So yes, it can be done but the odds are stacked very high against the OP's child.
It's a shame but it doesn't stop it being true. "

Yes, but my point is that you are stacking them yet a little higher by telling the OP that it is pointless and worthless. Why not simply point out that it's difficult? That IMO is nearer to the truth. It was the very negative words you used that struck me. Even if you only learn a little, that still seems to me to be a positive thing to do.

Anyway, hope the bookshop suggestion is of some use, OP.