Bringing Up Babel
Share
[aggregation-styles]
The Economist: 1843
The Economist: 1843
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016
“Her is a bad guy!” This is a nerve-racking moment, not the first and not to be the last. My son Henry is describing the squid-witch Ursula, from Disney’s “Little Mermaid”, to his brother Jack. “She” is one of the most common words in the English language, but Henry has botched it and come up with “her”. He has just turned four. He should be able to use “she” properly at his age. Is his bilingual upbringing holding him back?
My wife is Danish; we met and married in New York. I sweated to learn Danish partly because she emigrated to be with me; I wanted to make the deal fair and be part of her world too. If you don’t speak a person’s native language, there’s always a corner of their mind you can’t quite reach. But everyone who has learned a language in adulthood knows how hard it is, with the grammar books and the flash cards, the pronunciation problems and the awkward rhythm, never quite getting to fluency. How much better to raise a genuine bilingual.
“Her is a bad guy!” This is a nerve-racking moment, not the first and not to be the last. My son Henry is describing the squid-witch Ursula, from Disney’s “Little Mermaid”, to his brother Jack. “She” is one of the most common words in the English language, but Henry has botched it and come up with “her”. He has just turned four. He should be able to use “she” properly at his age. Is his bilingual upbringing holding him back?
My wife is Danish; we met and married in New York. I sweated to learn Danish partly because she emigrated to be with me; I wanted to make the deal fair and be part of her world too. If you don’t speak a person’s native language, there’s always a corner of their mind you can’t quite reach. But everyone who has learned a language in adulthood knows how hard it is, with the grammar books and the flash cards, the pronunciation problems and the awkward rhythm, never quite getting to fluency. How much better to raise a genuine bilingual.
By Lane Greene | Oct/Nov 2019
RELATED TOPICS:
Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports
Crime /
1 hour ago
Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust
Crime /
2 hours ago
Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline
World /
2 hours ago
DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme
Crime /
2 hours ago
Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor
Local /
3 hours ago
Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters
Crime /
3 hours ago
Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating
An 86-year-old Fresno woman was killed Monday in a head-on collision in southeast Fresno County, according to the California Highway Patrol....
Local /
27 minutes ago
Categories
Latest
Videos

Local /
27 minutes ago
Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

Politics /
1 hour ago
Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

Courts /
1 hour ago
Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

Crime /
1 hour ago
Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

Crime /
2 hours ago
Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

World /
2 hours ago