A Word In Your Ear

It’s a matter of mindset. If a young child under six years can acquire new vocabulary simply by hearing it and repeating it, then our role is to guide rather than to teach. Which words will be absorbed most easily by children? Of course, it will be those words which are the most meaningful in everyday life that will be internalized at first, such as the precise names we place on objects in the home or school. There is no need to “simplify” words ( eg. baba for bottle) but there is every reason to keep using correct pronunciation during daily conversation. Gradually, our children come to refine their speech and imitate us perfectly; let’s provide the best possible word specimens for them, while acknowledging that we are not “teaching” them anything. We are simply enabling them to learn from us, which is something quite different, isn’t it?