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Bilingualism: themes, problems, strategies - by Paola Dieci

Bilingualism: themes, problems, strategies - by Paola Dieci

This was presented by Paola Dieci at La Scuola's parent education series on growing up bilingual.

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Transcript

  1. BILINGUALISM
    Themes, problems, strategies
    Paola Dieci
    Language Immersion Coordinator
    Italian International School • Preschool - 8th Grade

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  2. 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 BRAIN
    Metaphors and simplifications
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  3. real
    object
    SIGNIFIER
    REFERENT SIGNIFIED
    Mental object,
    concept
    the "shape" of a word, graphemes and phonemes
    tree /triː/ - albero /ˈalbero/
    MENTAL OBJECTS REPRESENTATION
    Semiotic triangle, De Saussure
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  4. REFERENT SIGNIFIED
    SIGNIFIER
    tree /triː/ albero /ˈalbero/
    ICEBERG MODEL - Cummis

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  5. 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 the
    same.. 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 that
    she’s going to write the same book in English too.
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  6. www.DisegniColorare.Com
    NOT AN INCOMPLETE HOUSE
    BUT TWO HOUSES AND… A GARDEN
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  7. Thanks to the expanded semantic field,
    bilinguals have an EXPANDED CONCEPTUAL FIELD
    with the outcome of major flexibility
    and a DIVERGENT THINKING
    The bilingual child has two words for the same
    object and for the same idea, or concept
    He has an enlarged semantic field
    Colin Baker - Centre for Research on Bilingualism, Bangor University
    BENEFITS
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  8. • English/Wales bilingual
    In Welsh, school is "ysgol",
    That means also means “stairs”/ “ladder”.
    EXPANDED CONCEPTUAL FIELD
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  9. CONVERGENT THINKING
    Make a wall Build a house Build a oven
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  10. DIVERGENT THINKING
    Block a hole
    where mice live
    Break a window Trivet
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  11. How to support the children in the acquisition
    of another language ?
    How to avoid the risk of erosion of the mother
    tongue?
    BILINGUALISM, HOW?
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  12. Fundamental aspects to
    becoming bilingual:
    MOTIVATION EXPOSURE
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  13. Close
    relationships
    Family
    MOTIVATION  
    •  Need to communicate
    Friends
    Common experiences in Italian
    e.g. Routine / Cartoons
    •  Linking positive experiences to a language
    Community (school)
    Friends
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  14. Identity
    Be proud of
    MOTIVATION  
    “Feeling Italian”
    MOTIVATION
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  15. “I speak Italian and English” (Sachin, 3 y.o.)
    “I speak Italian and a bit English. My sister is
    English so I have to speak English at home.
    But I know songs in Italian and English. My
    sister is just English” (George, 3 y.o.)
    “I am Italian and English” (Sofia, 3 y.o.)
    Kids dialogues
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  16. Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  17. Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  18. “Io voglio fare mio passaporto”
    “I want to do my passport!”
    (George, 4 y.o.)
    “Sto facendo mio
    passaporto rosso e blu
    perchè sono italiano e
    americano”
    “I’m making my
    passport red and blue
    because I’m Italian and
    American”
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  19. exosure
    Quantity
    (30-40% of the awake time)
    Quality
    Not just “frutta” but “pere,
    mele, banane, mandarini…”
    EXPOSURE  
    EXPOSURE
    Persistency
    8-9 years of commitment. If
    possible keep going!
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  20. Not learning a language but
    learning IN a language
    •  school activities:
    inquiring,
    discovering,
    laughing,
    reading,
    listening,
    story telling,
    singing,
    eating….
    A varied experience
    for a whole linguistic experience
    (balanced bilingualism)
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  21. • Language shift
    Migrations cause the loss of the native language in the second
    and third generation
    Cfr. Prof. Hakuta Kenji (Stanford University) e Lily Wong Fillmore (University of Berkley)
    • Language slippery stage
    5-6 years old
    SUBTRACTIVE BILINGUALISM
    RISKS  
    RISKS
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  22. “children learn to talk
    by talking”
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  23. To have another
    language is to
    possess a second
    soul.
    Charlemagne
    One language sets you in
    a corridor for life. Two
    languages open every
    door along the way.
    Frank Smith,
    Psycholinguist
    If we spoke a different language, we
    would perceive a somewhat different
    world.
    Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian
    philosopher
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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  24. Growing up bilingual is like having
    two eyes.
    If we didn’t have two eyes we
    wouldn’t see so clearly.
    Prof. Kenji Hakuta, Stanford
    Grazie per l’attenzione
    Thanks for your attention
    Paola Dieci - La Scuola©2013

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