March 23, 2010
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A trilinguist speaks 3 languages, a bi-linguist speaks 2 languages and a uni-liguist is....
AN ENGLISHMAN or kablunac!
The above joke or variations of it gets tossed around when we get into debates about the merits of speaking more than one language or the education of our children, no matter what ethnic or cultural background. Should it be early immersion or late entry immersion? Should the parents be fluent in both languages? How will the child cope in the later grades in science and math? When raising my own children, two out three which went to a french immersion school, these were some of the questions asked. Attitudes have changed alot for the better in the last 20 years but still the debate continues.
Found the following in my email today from Ron Elliot which you might find of interest....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 – 17:30
CBC North Iqaluit Regional Radio English News
Lead: Researchers: parents who want bilingual children should speak Inuit language at home
Researchers say parents should speak exclusively in the Inuit language in the home if they want their children to be fluently bilingual. Researchers undertook a study on behalf of the Nunavut Literacy Council. Part of the team traveled to the communities to interview those identified as language role models – people admired for their use of the Inuit language. Shelly Tallack is an Associate Professor at St. Mary’s University in Halifax and a Research Advisor on the project.
“The parents who had used only Inuktitut in the home said that they saw their children now being excellent Inuktitut language speakers and excellent English speakers even though they’ve never used English in the home. The parents who said they used both English and Inuktitut in the home because they wanted their children to grow up bilingual for the most part tended to see their children grow up with strong English skills but weaker Inuktitut skills.”
Tallack says during workshops around the territory, Inuit were particularly keen on developing language skills. However, they felt they often didn’t have the proficiency needed in the oral language to develop other skills such as reading and writing. She says what’s needed is an environment where only the Inuit language is used. Tallack says the home can be one. More Inuktitut daycares or land camps are other possibilities. He also says he understands why some people think the standardization of Inuktitut is the only solution.Another link is: http://www.nunavutliteracy.ca/english/research/research.htm
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