Babylonian confusion or what?
THE ENGLISH GENTLEMAN & DIE AFRIKAANSE MEISIE
There are many plusses to being bilingual, but it became a dilemma when this Afrikaans speaking meisie (girl) married a pucker English gentleman, a South African Englishman I must add, not a Pommy Englishman!
Come to think of it, much like my ancestors who were a mix of Scottish, Dutch, German, French and English; although we formed our own South African culture a couple of hundred years later!
THE FAMILIES MEET
When our families met for the first time, both sides did their utmost to welcome these strangers by speaking the other taal or language; the older generation with some difficulty as most of my family hailed from the Eastern Cape.
Here in the last outpost of the British Empire called Durban, there are many more English speakers so even the Afrikaans folk’s English is fluent; there often is no telling that their mother tongue actually is Afrikaans.
Learning about each other's cultures was great, as we got to taste and feel both worlds, making this new marriage and mingling of cultures and languages really fascinating!
Hubby and I communicate in English, but when he addresses the ooms en tannies (uncles and aunts), he is brave enough to attempt the guttural sounds of the Afrikaans language.
BABY LINGO
When Baby number one was on his way, we struggled with the decision of which language to teach this new little Baby Bear, but in the end decided the most natural thing would be for Dad to teach him English and Mom would stick to her mother tongue, Afrikaans.
We did the same with Baby number two, and I must say that although they both became a tad confused in the beginning, they were on the right wavelength in the blink of an eye!
I still remember my littlest Baby Bear insisting that I was wrong in telling him that a bird is a voëltjie (the Afrikaans word), but he soon figured out that Mom and Dad each had their own word for this tiny flying creature.
Before we knew it, they understood that Mom and Dad were speaking a different lingo and surprisingly did not mix their languages.
RESEARCH
According to parent.com research shows that the peak period for anyone to learn a second language is before the age of 6 or 7, while other researchers claim that it extends through to puberty.
Nevertheless, all researchers agree that it becomes more difficult for a child to learn a new language once they’ve reached puberty.
I've certainly experienced that myself as I've done two isiZulu courses but still can only say a few basic phrases, certainly not enough to communicate effectively.
WHICH SCHOOL?
Our sons both attended an Afrikaans school and although this was convenient as the school was right across the road, we also felt it best they attended an Afrikaans school here in the Last British Outpost where they would be speaking more English when meeting friends and as I spent more time with them, it would be easier for me to help them with homework.
They both excelled in languages, and when they attended English-medium colleges after school, they had absolutely no problems.
THE WORKPLACE
Today, our bilingual offspring have a huge advantage when it comes to the workplace, as the most difficult client becomes congenial when addressed in his home language.
Being able to communicate in other languages certainly builds bridges!
Nowadays we have 11 official languages in South Africa, so it is an even bigger advantage if one is proficient in one of the African languages like isiZulu or Xhosa. This of course was never offered in Apartheid South Africa, but it was introduced into the school curriculum along with Mandarin of all languages, all the way from China!
THE DINNER TABLE - A BABYLONIAN CONFUSION?
Back to the home situation, I must say friends still find it amusing when visiting as we switch between English and Afrikaans across the room as if it is totally normal :)
Can this be called a Babylonian confusion?
Some may think so, but it works for us and has certainly proven to be a huge advantage in many spheres!
A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
This has been a trip down memory lane - a much revised version of a post I wrote three years ago on 29 Aug 2017 that was not seen by many eyes!
Can you tell me about your experience with bilingualism?
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