How many words are there for car?!

In the same way British and American English differ, there are sometimes even more variations of the same word in Spanish. For instance, if you ask 4 different Spanish-speaking individuals to tell you the Spanish word for “car”, you might get 4 different answers: “el carro”, “el coche”, “el auto”, or “el automóvil”. No need to worry, though. Most Spanish speakers are familiar with the different words that others use. Just be aware that you may not have been taught the “wrong” word, just a different one.

Cultural Case Study

When you’re speaking to an individual of another culture, you may know the language but could still miscommunicate if you don’t understand the culture. Below's an example on family and work values that explains why:

SITUATION: At work, Melissa (an American native and high-profile manager) has been frantically looking for Juan (a recent immigrant from South America and computer programmer). Finally, at the end of the day, she finds him heading out the door.

• Melissa: Our top customer is demanding that we get their project done by the end of this week! This cuts our timeline in half so I’ve set a meeting tomorrow morning to go over the new timeline.
• Juan: Oh...my son just became ill and I was going to take him to the doctor tomorrow morning.
• Melissa: OK. I’ll try to get a hold of Larry and see if he can attend the meeting for you. We’ll work it out and I’ll let you know what happens.
• Juan: Thanks.
• Melissa: No problem.

EVALUATION:

• How do you think Melissa felt after this conversation? Frustrated due to having to take another step to solve the issue.
• How do you think Juan felt after this conversation? Slighted/uncared for because Melissa didn't show concern about his son.
• Did Melissa and Juan communicate in a way that fostered good relations? That depends on the person being asked. Melissa may have felt so, but Juan not. 
• Melissa unknowingly offended Juan because the work concern was what she focused on and neglected to address Juan's family concern. Melissa may have felt frustrated because Juan didn't resolve the issue which gave her one more thing to address. The resolution? When interacting with another culture, learn their values and beliefs and be mindful of how they might be perceiving your interactions.

Note: Second (and subsequent) generation Latinos usually experience an integration of American values and beliefs with their Latin ones. For example, a fifth-generation Latino could easily have American, not Latin, values and beliefs in many, if not all, areas.

Some consonants you may want to know about

Have you ever seen the letter ñ? It's pronounced like ni in onion. By the way, it's a separate letter from the letter n in the Spanish alphabet. That's pronounced like the English n.

And there are 3 letters that I think are mispronounced the most:

1. The letter j, which is pronounced like an h in hat
2. The letter h, which is silent
3. The letter z, which is most commonly s as in sink (though some areas pronounce it as z in zoo or th in that)

These might be good things to know if you're ordering jalapeños in an hacienda. :)

Overview of Culture Part 2

What’s happening when I learn the cultural values of a person but their behavior differs from their values?

When this occurs, the person’s behavior is probably stemming from their beliefs which are different than their values. Many are usually not aware that a contradiction between their values and beliefs exist. It is when values and beliefs are in harmony that behavior will be a true representation of the person and their culture. When communicating to someone of another culture, tear off the petals and look at the heart. When this is done, you’ll not only understand how to communicate more effectively but also how to overcome incorrect assumptions.

Not all letters are created equal

There are some letters in the Spanish language that aren't just one letter. Two letters in the Spanish alphabet actually have "two" letters if you're a native English speaker who's never been exposed to Spanish.

• The letter "ch" is pronounced the same as in English
• The letter "ll" is y as in yuck
• The letter "rr" is a trilled sound; this sounds like a motorcycle revving up. If this is hard for you, you’re not alone! Just keep trying and you’ll get it.
  
  
  

Overview of Culture Part 1

Culture has three parts that form a whole:

• Behavior: Outward actions and responses that we can see and consequently label and/or stereotype.
• Values: Our concepts about the world, as established by our social environment and authorities.
• Beliefs: Our core ideas about the world which are predominantly formed by personal experience.

These parts of culture are like an artichoke:

• Petals: The outside appearance. Unless we’ve actually pulled apart the artichoke, this would be all we’d think an artichoke is.
• Fuzzy Choke: This is connected to the leaves as well as the heart.
• Heart: This is the core that drives behavior and is confirmed by personal experience.

These three parts are distinct yet form the whole.

Are you self-conscious in speaking another language?

You're not alone! And now you can relate to how it feels for every other human being who's had to do the same.

If you're speaking Spanish, Latinos generally place a high importance on relationships and people, so they probably won't care if you pronounce words incorrectly. In fact, I've tried to speak 3 different languages in numerous countries and I've found that people are just grateful that I'm trying to communicate in their language.

And, chances are they've been in your shoes, too.

How to learn a second language

When teaching kids or yourself a second language, keep the following in mind:

1. Anyone CAN learn another language! 
2. The MORE you put into it, the MORE you’ll get out of it!
3. You can have FUN doing it!

What in the world is a diphthong?!

I like the breakdown at the link in this post. I've also found a simple rule of thumb on where you put the emphasis when you have a word in Spanish you're trying to pronounce:

• When a word has 2 syllables, stress the first syllable.
• When a word has more than 2 syllables, stress the second to the last syllable.
• Clap when you stress the syllable. This is especially helpful for children who don't read yet so they can distinguish audibly. It also adds the kinesthetic learning style.

A cognate's a great starting place

So what's a cognate? It's a word in one language that resembles a word in another language, usually in how it's spelt. A thorough explanation of list of cognates is at the link in this post.

As is applies to teaching kids, I like to start with topics that interest them, like animals. And, since the word for animal is animal (ah-nee-mahl), this cognate provides an easy introduction to that topic. Some of the first ones you could start with is elefante (ahl-ah-fahn-tay) for elephant and jirafa (hee-rah-fah) for giraffe.

The BEST way to learn a culture...

...is to be friends with someone from that culture!

Hopefully it's easy to find someone of another culture in your community. Maybe your child has already developed a friendship at his school who has a different cultural background than he does. The best way to learn that culture is to invite them over for dinner, or for a playdate, anything that'll allow you to get beyond surface level.

If you're not fortunate enough to have this kind of diversity in your area, you can expose your child to another culture by visiting cultural event in a nearby city. Holiday times should have these opportunities available. Another option is to visit a religious center that has services in another language.

Wanna see Ecuador?

Check out this link (click on the title above) to see my visit there! What a beautiful country and culture (and language, of course)! :)

Teach 'em where they're at!

Follow your child's lead - if he loves trains, teach the Spanish words for colors by playing with different colored trains. You can also add in some of the words that are easier, such as tren for train.

Using the play-based instruction model, you'd sit down next to her as she plays with her trains. You'd use all English, except when referring to the words in Spanish that you want to teach her. For example, since tren (trehn) is train and verde (vayr-day) is green, you'd start with holding up the train and telling her it's tren in Spanish. Ask her to then pick up a tren and have her say the Spanish word for it as she picks it up. Repeat this, working it into her natural play, until she remembers that tren in train.

Next, find a tren that's green. Tell her that the color of el tren (the train) is verde. Use similar techniques until she consistently remembers that green is verde. Then, ask her, "Can I play with the tren verde, the green train?" (Remember that, in Spanish, the adjective follows the noun. If she asks, you can tell her this but most children will just pick up on this reversal after repeated exposure.) Once she has tren verde down, move on to telling her the Spanish word for another color and, from that point on, you should be able to develop her vocabulary for all the colors.

Check out our new video!

It's on teaching kids how to pronounce Spanish.

Pronouncing Vowels in Spanish

If you learn how to pronounce vowels in Spanish, you can increase your accuracy in pronunciation astronomically!

A is "ah" in Ah-hah!
E is "ay" in pay
I is "ee" in thee (Y is this sound as well)
O is "oh" in Oh no!
U is "oo" in boo

If you're teaching kids this, have them memorize ah, ay, ee, oh, oo and show them flashcards of the written letter as they say its sound. For older children, you can show them how to spell out a word with these sounds. For example, the Spanish word for bank is banco and can be spelt bahn-coh to help the child visually see the sounds for the vowels. As an aided help, clap when you say each syllable.

What are the most spoken languages in the world?

Across all sources, English, Spanish and Chinese are in the top 4 most-spoken languages in the world - and those are the ones we teach! We offer preschool curriculum that teaches Spanish and another that teaches Mandarin Chinese. Both use American Sign Language (ASL) so your child will learn two languages at a time! The curriculum is available for group leaders or homeschool teachers. We also have tools to help elementary and adult students of Spanish.

We'll be posting more information on our products soon. Let me know if you're interested in learning more.

Why We're Here

Hi! In January of 2001, I started developing a curriculum for teaching kids foreign language and culture. Now, I'm going to blog to share what I've learned with others who are interested in developing future leaders who can communicate across cultures. More to come...