This was presented by Paola Dieci at La Scuola's parent education series on growing up bilingual.
BILINGUALISMThemes, problems, strategiesPaola DieciLanguage Immersion CoordinatorItalian International School • Preschool - 8th Grade
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Becoming bilingual:Is the same as building two houses on the same land?Is the same as building two houses with the material for one?So at the end of the construction they will be incomplete!!THE ORGANIZATION OF LANGUAGES IN THE BRAINMetaphors and simplificationsPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
realobjectSIGNIFIERREFERENT SIGNIFIEDMental object,conceptthe "shape" of a word, graphemes and phonemestree /triː/ - albero /ˈalbero/MENTAL OBJECTS REPRESENTATIONSemiotic triangle, De SaussurePaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
REFERENT SIGNIFIEDSIGNIFIERtree /triː/ albero /ˈalbero/ICEBERG MODEL - Cummis
Teacher: “Sofia, when you write in Italian and in English, is it the same?”Sofia: “They’re…they are not… They are the same words but it’s not thesame.. the same… I don’t remember the name…Language! ”How Sofia (4 y.o.) explains this:Sofia is writing a book in Italian and she tells the teacher thatshe’s going to write the same book in English too.Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
www.DisegniColorare.ComNOT AN INCOMPLETE HOUSEBUT TWO HOUSES AND… A GARDENPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
Thanks to the expanded semantic field,bilinguals have an EXPANDED CONCEPTUAL FIELDwith the outcome of major flexibilityand a DIVERGENT THINKINGThe bilingual child has two words for the sameobject and for the same idea, or conceptHe has an enlarged semantic fieldColin Baker - Centre for Research on Bilingualism, Bangor UniversityBENEFITSPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
• English/Wales bilingualIn Welsh, school is "ysgol",That means also means “stairs”/ “ladder”.EXPANDED CONCEPTUAL FIELDPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
CONVERGENT THINKINGMake a wall Build a house Build a ovenPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
DIVERGENT THINKINGBlock a holewhere mice liveBreak a window TrivetPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
How to support the children in the acquisitionof another language ?How to avoid the risk of erosion of the mothertongue?BILINGUALISM, HOW?Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
Fundamental aspects tobecoming bilingual:MOTIVATION EXPOSUREPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
CloserelationshipsFamilyMOTIVATION • Need to communicateFriendsCommon experiences in Italiane.g. Routine / Cartoons• Linking positive experiences to a languageCommunity (school)FriendsPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
IdentityBe proud ofMOTIVATION “Feeling Italian”MOTIVATIONPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
“I speak Italian and English” (Sachin, 3 y.o.)“I speak Italian and a bit English. My sister isEnglish so I have to speak English at home.But I know songs in Italian and English. Mysister is just English” (George, 3 y.o.)“I am Italian and English” (Sofia, 3 y.o.)Kids dialoguesPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
“Io voglio fare mio passaporto”“I want to do my passport!”(George, 4 y.o.)“Sto facendo miopassaporto rosso e bluperchè sono italiano eamericano”“I’m making mypassport red and bluebecause I’m Italian andAmerican”Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
exosureQuantity(30-40% of the awake time)QualityNot just “frutta” but “pere,mele, banane, mandarini…”EXPOSURE EXPOSUREPersistency8-9 years of commitment. Ifpossible keep going!Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
Not learning a language butlearning IN a language• school activities:inquiring,discovering,laughing,reading,listening,story telling,singing,eating….A varied experiencefor a whole linguistic experience(balanced bilingualism)Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
• Language shiftMigrations cause the loss of the native language in the secondand third generationCfr. Prof. Hakuta Kenji (Stanford University) e Lily Wong Fillmore (University of Berkley)• Language slippery stage5-6 years oldSUBTRACTIVE BILINGUALISMRISKS RISKSPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
“children learn to talkby talking”Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
To have anotherlanguage is topossess a secondsoul.CharlemagneOne language sets you ina corridor for life. Twolanguages open everydoor along the way.Frank Smith,PsycholinguistIf we spoke a different language, wewould perceive a somewhat differentworld.Ludwig Wittgenstein, AustrianphilosopherPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013
Growing up bilingual is like havingtwo eyes.If we didn’t have two eyes wewouldn’t see so clearly.Prof. Kenji Hakuta, StanfordGrazie per l’attenzioneThanks for your attentionPaola Dieci - La Scuola©2013