The French Immersion program is working! (Cue accordion music!) I don't think I've ever been so giddy in my life! Freestone speaks French! How amazing is that? I'm too elated to even apologize for bragging! I've gone through several periods of concentrated effort to learn French, including three months in Paris when I was 14 and living with French roommates in college. I did the same thing with Spanish. Two summers in Spain, stacks of notebooks full of notes, a dog-eared English-Spanish dictionary, close friendships with the sous chefs at Lamb's, where I waitressed. I think I ruined it all the summer I worked for a French man in Madrid.
Ostia and
zut alors, I still haven't sorted out the mess. My Spanish is only passable and my French is so rudimentary that French people I've tried to talk to just sigh and answer in English. Like mixing gin and vodka, amateurs should never mix two foreign languages and expect anything but a babbling idiot as a result. Last year when I took classes in French, I found that everything I translated had to go through a Spanish filter before French came out. Sometimes in desperation, I substituted Spanish words and became incensed when the French teacher didn't understand. It's a foreign language, isn't it? Aren't they all the same!? Highly ineffectual communication process.
But Freestone can speak! Here's what he said to his teacher after school yesterday:
Est-ce que tu as presque sept ans, Freestone?
Non, j'ai presque sept and a half.
Ah, tu as presque sept et demi.
Oui.
Quel jour est votre anniversaire?
juin. juin dix-neuf.
Tres bien. En Francais, on dit le jour avant le mois.
Oh. Le dix-neuf juin.
Tres bien. Alors, tu dois faire votre devoir avant de jouer, d'accord?
D'accord.
I have never heard anything so sweet. He understands! He speaks! He is seven - and a half! - and he can do something I've always wanted to master. I'm so proud of him. After school, two of his friends came over, one from Madagascar and one French, both children of the French teachers, and I heard both languages spoken. Best playdate ever! Of course, speaking French pretty much guarantees that he'll go someplace like The Philippines or India on his mission, but hey! Then I can listen to Tagalog or Hindi. For now, this mom is basking in the sweet sounds of an almost-seven-and-a-half-year-old voice
en francais. I'll have to ask him if he knows how to say, "Help! I'm melting in hot lava!" I bet he does.
4 comments:
I'm so happy for you both. We have yet to hear anything past the numbers. I'm hoping for a break through this year. :)
I can't wait to hear the hot lava conversation between Free and Col
Aidez-moi! Il fait tres chaude. Wait -- that's the weather, not lava.
Did you get any of the French book orders last year? James came home with the first yesterday, and I was absolutely thrilled. It was fun to see that I can read and understand the little descriptions even if I couldn't reciprocate in speech. Someday.
I know what you mean about French/Spanish. My junior high French teacher also taught the Spanish classes. I never did figure out how she kept it all straight.
You still need to read "French Impressions" if you haven't already. There's a great section of dialogue between the American French-speaking dad and his son, who doubts how much French he himself understands. It starts out as an English conversation and ends up completely different.
P.S. Great photo! Is it yours?
Wow!!! So terrific! Way to go. Maybe Free is the thing you need to sort it all out in your head.
My neighbor's little boy started the Chinese immersion thing. It has been amazing to see what he has picked up in a week and a half. He is in first grade.
Congrats again!
That is so cool. Isn't it nice to see all of his hard work amount to something?
I am just surprised that I can actually understand it too!
Way to go Freestone!
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