Chris and I thought we had the language in the bag. As former Peace Corps Volunteers adopting from our host country (Bulgaria) we'd have few problems communicating with our little one. The biggest concern would be the lack of exposure to speech from being in an institution.
When we changed countries, everything changed.
Hungarian is like no other modern spoken language. There are linguists who believe its linked to Estonian or to an Asian language brought by the Mongols, but its like none of its neighbors. None of the languages Chris or I speak (English, Russian, Bulgarian) or have some understanding (French, German, Spanish) will come in handy in Hungary.
"That's because Hungary is the county that has had the longest most consistent borders in Europe" says my friend of Hungarian decent. It's true, her dad told her. That sounds like something the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding would say. (You tell me the any word and I show you the root is Greek!).
Why don't you just get the Rosetta Stone?
Ah, Rosetta Stone, possibly the most successful and comprehensive language study program, doesn't carry Hungarian. But if they did...
Rosetta Stone Hungarian
According to the Onion, the first disc of Rosetta Stone Hungarian, is just someone telling you in English not to bother.
Chris has started on Teach Yourself Hungarian. I've made it to the alphabet, Hungarian isn't easy. And there are no cognates with other languages I know.
| Book |
I've decided to put my efforts into learning some basic sign language. There is a lot of evidence that children are able to pick up signs earlier than spoken language, even in bilingual children and it does not delay their ability to speak. There's lots of great website and books that help young children (and their parents) learn to sign.
Baby Signs and Language Acquisition
I felt the same way about Armenian. I am bilingual in German and English, I studied Russian for ten years, and I can find my way around a French-speaking country, but Armenian was unlike anything I'd ever seen. In three weeks there, I did learn to identify a few letters, but that was basically it.
ReplyDeleteSign language is a great idea. We also took some sign language flashcards, so we could show the object or activity in a picture and pair it with teaching the sign. Didn't work for our son due to his disabilities, but I think it would work well for most kids.
I know a few signs from working in a school with non verbal Autism kids, but I haven't found a book for simple sign language that I liked. What cards did you use? I have a TreeSchoolers DVD that is great, but I'd like some flashcards to help me and Chris learn.
DeleteThere is a series called Signing Time for kids (http://www.signingtime.com/). I had the flashcards that are part of that series. There are several videos, too, that your daughter might find entertaining. Not sure if any of them are free on youtube. Local libraries sometimes carry them as well.
ReplyDeleteMany parents with cleft-affected adoptive children use Signing Time materials in those early weeks and months and I have heard many great reviews. It really should work for most children.