Ask my four year old daughter, "are you sharchokpa or lhotsampa?" and without waiting for you to even complete your question, she would reply,"I am English."
Sometimes, seeing the way she forces English language and styles into her daily life, I can't help thinking," she must have been a chilip in her previous life. "
She really tries her best to communicate in English all the time. For a little girl who is yet to start her formal schooling, she is doing too good with the language. But because she doesn't have any body teaching her the language and its grammar, there are errors and some of them are so cute, especially the way she uses them that I can't help but put them in writing so that I don't lose them when she eventually learns the correct version of all the following words:
1. Calace: never heard of this word? If you are in conversation with my daughter you would hear this word used atleast ten times in a minute's time. She likes to believe that she is a princess ( yes! A Disney princess) and she lives in a ' calace'. So, obviously this word is a combination of 'palace' and 'castle'.
2. Brone: if she is angry with you for whatever the reason, prepare to get this line," you don't have Brone?" actually she means to say "brain". ;)
3. Nember- no, no, I ain't talking about member here. But every time she wants to remind me of something she approaches me with her cute smile and says," nember? You told me I can eat ice cream?" ah! You are getting smart with my daughter's vocabulary if you heard " remember" shrieking in your brain. The way her pink tongue slurs with this 'nember' word, I wish it was not 'remember' at all.
4. Buyed: as it is evident, here comes the common error most of the students in my class make too. Children feel that all past tense ends in -ed but my daughter who knows nothing about past or present tense also uses words with -ed very conveniently. For instance, she would say," mama buyed this book for me." or " I thoughted you will take me with you. " so, like wise there are many words she suffixes with -ed.
5. Cooker- aww! This is the cutest compliment she gives me whenever I make any dishes for them. While her Ana gulps down the dishes greedily, my lil girl stops to tell me," mama you are a great cooker!" ain't that kinda cute?
Time permitting I can go on and on with the list of words in English my daughter uses, but bell has rung and I have to go to class now. ;).
That's so cute both mummy and daughter...
ReplyDeletei would love to read the whole list of her vocabs...nember that! or I will think you don't have brone!
Passu, I actually heard ur last sentence in my daughter's tone. Lol.
DeleteShall try to put down more ASAP. :)
Anjoiiii this is the cutest post I have read in a long time. Your daughter is wonderful....Hope to hear more of her special vocabulary :)
ReplyDeleteThank u Rekha, motherhood has made me feel blessed n I try to pen down ths blessed moments wenever I can. :)
DeleteHahaha... Your English daughter is so cute! Record more words that she is having now as when she grows up you can tell her about what she ever said before ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.....will try to put some more of her vocabs ASAP. :)
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI think most middle and high class bhutanese young children like speaking english because of the exposure they get. And its like they know speaking english is cool.
My son is also 4 and he loves speaking English. At this age they are good at picking up language but I somehow feel that our children's generation speak a lot less Dzongkha which could greatly undermine our national language.
When my son doesn't know a Dzongkha word I have to explain to him with the English word. For instance the word 'zamling' which means World or Earth.
I try to speak to him in Dzongkha as far as possible because I feel that his English will naturally develop because of his interest but Dzongkha may become a big problem for him later. I once told him to put on his 'Lham' but he didn't know what that meant, so I told him that shoes are called 'Lham' in our language. Now he knows what to do when I tell him to put on his lham.
Your post was interesting.
Totally agreed Novu sir!
Delete