@lizelle -
This language thing really gets me going. Both my parents were British (English and Scottish) and we immigrated to South Africa when I was three. I grew up in a household where English was the only language. Although my parents would occasionally speak in broken kiSwahili to each other when they wanted us kids not to know what they were talking about. Anyhow, what that meant was that learning Afrikaans at school and then being required to do a year's worth of it at university was unbelievably difficult. To this day, I have no idea how I managed.
Language acquisition is so interesting - and parent.com is right - and having recently done a TEFL course that included the "mechanics" of language acquisition, immersion is the best way (I'll come back to this) - and the earlier the better. And that's what you did with your children. Instinctively. Also, the younger, the better.
The first time I really began to "absorb" Afrikaans was when I stayed with an Afrikaans family - the children were toddlers. I really did begin to learn it and even dreamed in the language. It didn't last long - and I forgot it. The same happened in one of my jobs where my secretary used to speak to me in English and I to her in Afrikaans. When I left, I lost it again. Since we've moved here, and it's the dominant language, my Afrikaans has improved again - HUGELY - but not enough to give me much confidence.
This is all a long way to saying, again, how much I admire people who write in a language that isn't their mother tongue. It's really hard.
I take my hat off to you!
I just love languages, and you're right about having to speak it daily as one loses it so quickly!
I took German at school and it was my best subject but can hardly remember anything about it; like knowing which noun is die, der or das! I knew it in school but it's all lost now.
I also find the different dialects fascinating; how this happened in the beginning remains a mystery to me, like the Afrikaans folk from certain parts in the Cape who brei. Really strange as I had friends at school who grew up in KZN and also breied like their parents.
Back to our children; if we were living in the Free State for example, they would have been sent to an English medium school as they definitely would not have had much English speech practice outside the home!
Friends used to ask me what language I think in; the answer is the one I'm speaking at the time, definitely can't think one and speak the other!
In elk geval, dankie vir jou interessante bydrae Fionatjie, lekker dag vir jou tussen die mooie Kaapse berge ;);)
Lizelle I wrote a long reply yesterday and then...well, let's just say, cyber gremlins got in the way. So, I'm trying again... lol
Tell me about it! I did a few French lessons a gazillion years ago, with the Alliance Francais and then learned a smattering of Spanish when I spent 3 weeks in Spain. I also learned a little isiXhosa when I returned to, and lived in the Eastern Cape for two years doing community work. Now? Hiabo!
As do I. Kaaps is a dialect and it's mostly "hidden" in that the more "privileged" part of the commununity is rarely exposed to it. I love listening to the locals when they talk among themselves - it has a rhythm all of its own. Mostly onverstaanbaar, maar... lol. I'm not sure if I've shared it here, but a few years ago, when I shared one or other chutney recipe, I also looked at the etymology of that word and blatjang...how words originate is equally fascinating.
That brings me to the brei. All the locals here, brei. I've got used to it and hardly notice it and like all quirks of language, it's learned. So the farmers around here don't brei, but their workers do, which brings me to the other issue - which we shan't discuss - how language is hegemonic and a tool for power and status.
I think this is exactly why I think I struggle with Afrikaans - although I'm 110% better than when we first got here - I still think in English...
So ja. Fluit, fluit, my storie is uit. Geniet jou lang naweek daar by die see!