Los Angeles: Language as a bridge and an identity

[Francis Hult]

Los Angeles Times

 

Language as a bridge and an identity

 

I was invited to speak on Sunday to a group of 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds, and to their odd, tiny "classmate" -- a stuffed bear.

Like me, the children were all English speakers, born in the U.S. But the stuffed bear spoke only Spanish, the children's teacher told me. So the kids and I chatted in español -- just so el oso wouldn't feel left out.

"Buenos días," I said to the children, and they all answered back "buenos días!" The bear kept quiet, however. 

The "Spanish-speaking bear" is a little trick they use at the Grupo Educa weekend language school to get the kids to speak Spanish.

 

Full story:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tobar22-2009sep22,0,5869385.column

_______________________________________________
Edling mailing list
Edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu
https://lists.sis.utsa.edu/mailman/listinfo/edling
List Manager: Francis M. Hult