Thursday, March 30, 2006

"Hola" from Gan Canaria: Milo learns some Spanish

We have been on a very much needed and yet "eventful" holiday trip in warm Gran Canaria, about which I will write in detail next week. Just a quick blurb to record Milo's fast uptake of a few Spanish words: he greets everyone politely by saying HI or GOOD BYE ("Hola!", " Adios!"). And he is very aware of the compliments ("Que guapo") he gets from the very sweet and charismatic Spanish people we have been running into: "Guapo, guapo" he has been saying yesterday! His dad, initially convinced they were talking about him, is starting to get jealous!

Milo has been sick almost all last week, which made his verbal communications regressing a little and restrincting to tantrums, screaming and antichrist imitations at random hours of the day or of the night...but this week he´s much better, luckily, and catching up and recuperating fast. He´s finally making little sentences:

"Auto papa" (are we taking papa´s car?)
"Bimbo parti?" (is the kid gone?)
"Caduto per terra" (it fell on the floor)
" Via tutti!" (all gone, when throwing pebbles in the ocean)

Amazingly, he has been asking daily about his parisian friends: his nanny, his friend Antoine and other little friends he sees regularly. As if he wants to be reassured he wil see them again.

The multiple linguistic identity of words is becoming more clear and fluid by the day: we keep naming objects and things and we ask him: How does papa call that? How does mama say? And he replies correctly with the Italian , Dutch or French version of items.

And on a final note, English, which until now has been totally passive for him, starts creeping up!
He imitates us having arguments and he distinctly ends the phrases by saying" OK? OK?" (he actually pronounces it ooh-thei!), and last night when daddy asked him if he was ready to go to bed, he replied: " Yes!"

That´s all for now, gotta scoot to the pool and store some sunshine in my bones before we head back in tumultuous Paris...adios!

4 comments:

Alice said...

Awesome, Clo! What a coincidence: we are going to Gran Canaria as well ... in 3 weeks!! I can't wait !!!! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi there, very interesting conversation. My baby is not actually quadrilingual but we are thinking of a Franco-German kindergarden. I am Italian mother tongue and my wife is French, we don't know if it's a good idea.
Open to ur suggestions

Luca

giovanni said...

Hello family, I like the "Via tutti!", it's a way of doing things adults only seem to return to when they suddenly splt up -- sorry for this nasty association (of a man who lives almost 40 years with his same love). I also like his "Ooh-thei? Ooh-thei?" which sounds softer than OK.
Adios y hasta pronto.

Clo said...

Alice, wishing you already a great holiday!

Luca, can you tell me more about your situation? where do you live (I assume Switzerland?) You can write me directly at multitonguekids@yahoo.com if you wish (even in Italian!). I think your babay stands a fabolous chance!

Giovanni, the funny thing is that he totally makes the senrtences up, I don't recall ever saying "via tutti"...kids are just amazing!