Language: El Pollito Pio

Language is something I have an amateur interest in. While I've never formally studied linguistics, I find language and its development very interesting. So occasionally I'll have some posts tagged "Language."

The next two years will be what I call an "inter-lingual" experience. My life will be conducted in the languages of English (at home with other volunteers) and Spanish (at work, outside the home, and even at home if we have guests). Hopefully there will be a smattering of Quechua added to the mix (if you haven't heard of Quechua before it means you didn't read the FAQ section. Busted!). This inter-lingual life is normal life for many people, especially for immigrants and their children inside the United States. There's a lot to learn from it, and sometimes the ability to understand things in different languages allows new ideas to develop, and lets you notice things you never noticed or considered before.

For example, language informs not only how you say things but also how you hear them. Did you know that the animals sounds children learn vary by culture? I don't mean by animal. I mean the same animal makes a different sound depending on the native language of the child you ask. Ask most kids in the US what a rooster says, they'll tell you "cock-a-doodle-doo!" Ask a Spanish-speaking child what a rooster says and you'll get a very different answer. This video shows you what most of the barn animals say in Spanish.*

*I know the whole video is in Spanish, but I don't think it should be too hard to follow. 

PS-Pollito Pio is a hit on youtube. If you missed the lesson in elementary school, there's an English version of the video here.