Updated Family Language Diagram

It's been a long time but here comes the updated language diagram, now with BK3!

BK1 & BK2 both speak English by default, except when they talk about what they play, which they still do in Arabic. They also speak German and French when the situation is right. The mix a lot when they speak with us, and even when they don't, the grammar more often than not is English.

It is called "majority language" for a reason. *sigh*

BK3 obviously doesn't speak so far. The girls will address her in whatever language is appropriate. They will speak Arabic with her if she is with Babelmum and German if she is with me. If BK3 is alone they will use whatever language first crosses their minds, I think.

We need more holidays in Algeria and Germany, I guess. Or more visitors.

Invasion of the English Accent!

BK1 is jumping about in the living room, singing a nursery rhyme.

It takes a bit before I realise she sings it in French but with a really thick English accent. I turn to the Babelmum and whisper: "did you hear that? She sings in French with an English accent!" when I notice she has switched to German with a really thick English accent.

No idea whether she was making a joke or trying on accents and languages, but she clearly did it on purpose.

All I can think about is how incredible is the linguistic computing power in that head?! I'm completely in awe!

Objects, not Words

Souad was singing a song with Lilia today, an English song. The song goes like this:

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Knees and Toes
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Knees and Toes
Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Knees and Toes

You point to the body parts while you sing it, and you can replace one of the words with "hm" if you feel like it.

Souad & I both use the English word when we decide which word to replace, like "knees". Lilia, though, was using the French word ("genoux"), because she was speaking with Souad, of course.

I guess that means that for her, there is no difference between "knee", "genou" and "Knie". She is truly multi-lingual. English is as much her mother-tongue as German, Arabic and French.

Songs & Chansons

We have a book of French songs and rhymes for children. The book comes with a CD with 30 of those songs.

For some reason, the CD ended up in a CD player in the kitchen, and whenever we are in the kitchen, Lilia wants to listen to it. Of course she started to learn how to sing the songs herself.

When Souad & Lilia started to go to a local Mum's & Tot's group, Lilia was introduced to her first english song: "Hokey Cokey"

They also sang other songs in English, and Lilia also picked up some of the theme tunes of her favourite shows on CBeebies.

Essentially, she has been singing French chansons and English songs all her life.

The only thing missing? German songs, Lieder. That's mainly because I do not like singing to her for some strange reason that I do not understand ;-)