Helping 6 year old with the French language

[Bastet]

Friends of ours, (who don't have a computer therefore can't post for themselves,) have 4 and  6 year old sons at school in our village. The 4 year old is doing well but the 6 year old is finding it difficult to pick up the differences between French and English pronunciation, specifically the vowel sounds. Our friends are wondering if there are any CDs or other educational products (not web based) that could help.

If anyone has any ideas, we would be very pleased to hear them.   Thanks.

[KathyC]

Do they watch French television and videos/dvds? I would've thought that hearing the language at home as well as at school might help this age group more than any educational products. After all, that's how they learn their native tongue. How long have they  been in France?

[Bones]

I sat and watched my french partner spend every school night drilling our (then) six year old with proper french vowel pronunciation, and that continued for a loooooong time!

Now that that has been conquered we both cuff the little tyke for refusing to utilise the feminin! Un pomme? No, you can have this instead...

I feel for your friends - and their kids!

It will all come out in the wash, the kid will pick it up when he/she is ready. Overnight - bang; we were told this and never believed the parents who said it at the time. We do all the worrying and the kids just get on with it anyway! I think that there's a certain amount of guilt attached to moving the kids out of their country of birth, but we need to accept this and let nature take it's course (so to speak).

Also we can make the mistake of expecting too much of our kids, by that I mean it's difficult to seperate their progress in a french school from what their progress in an english school might have been; it's nigh on impossible to know. I'll bet it's difficult as hell diagnosing dyslexia in an expat kid!

Your friends need to speak to the teacher about the pronunciation - maybe the teacher can help, and if it isn't affecting the kid's progress otherwise, then don't worry too much for now: I defy anyone to produce an anecdote of a six year old moving abroad and retaining a strong mother tongue accent forevermore when speaking their second language. I know of plenty of bi lingual kids - none of whom speak english accented french/german or whatever.

Sorry for going on, please pass on my best wishes and support to your friends.

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Bastet"]

the 6 year old is finding it difficult to pick up the differences between French and English pronunciation, specifically the vowel sounds. [/quote]

Children are humans too, they're all different, and there will always be some who don't follow the "oh but they'll be fluent in a week" line.  It's normal.

A French child with a problem like that would be taken straight to an orthophoniste.   If you're very very lucky you might even find a bilingual one.

[Bones]

[quote user="SaligoBay"][quote user="Bastet"]

the 6 year old is finding it difficult to pick up the differences between French and English pronunciation, specifically the vowel sounds. [/quote]

Children are humans too, they're all different, and there will always be some who don't follow the "oh but they'll be fluent in a week" line.  It's normal.

A French child with a problem like that would be taken straight to an orthophoniste.   If you're very very lucky you might even find a bilingual one.

[/quote]

But that's part of the difficulty isn't it? Perhaps it's normal for an english kid to have these problems, so why panic and send him to an orthophoniste? Then again: how do we know?? Arrrgh!!! Existential nightmare!

I'd say see how it goes and for the parents to master the vowel sounds first (I should talk!) so they can  practice with the kid at home.

P.S. -- I'd love to track down these people who disseminate the 'fluent in a week' myth, for adults and kids! 

[Chancer]

Lots of people (Brits living in the area who have no intention of learning the language) say to me "oh it's alright for you, you are now fluent" - I have been here for 18 months but only get to speak english one time per week if I am unlucky!

What they mean is "you speak it better than us"

I say to them "you are still not fluent in english and I am a lot less than I used to be"!

[Anyone for Cricket?]

Hi

I have a 7 year old who is in his 4th year of school in France.  We came over when he was 3 and he had no french at that time and neither did we.  He said nothing for approaching 4 months in school and then one day he was spouting like a native and has never looked back.  I am told that they learn this way, soak up like a sponge until they feel able to converse and then it all comes out at once.  He is now in CE1 and his last teacher said a few months back at the end of last school year that he struggles with the odd vowel sound and that we should consider an orthodontiste.  I haven't taken him yet as I feel that this problem is soley down to him being english and will ask his new teacher at the end of this term his views.  When he speaks french he sounds exactly like any other french child and so we are not worried at all, we may go down the orthodontiste route if his current teacher thinks it's necessary.  I agree with the other posters, you are bound to get the odd issue, he is in the top few percent of his class and his reading, maths etc. are great.

I also think that speaking french myself has helped his progress, I studied at uni here doing french as a foreign language, it's cheap (600 euros's a term) and quick (after one term I was speaking and understanding)but intense  (20 hours a week) and painful (back in class with lots of 18 years olds) but well worht the effort!

 

 

 

[Loiseau]

Isn't an orthodontist someone who is a specialist in straightening teeth etc?
Do you think this is what was being suggested, or was it not perhaps the "orthophoniste" mentioned higher up?

You don't want to condemn the child to unnecessary tracks on the teeth, if it was really a question of improving the vowel sounds!

 

Angela

[alma]

At 6 years old in England children would still be struggling with learning english correctly so why put pressure on them to be 'fluent' in french quickly?  Let him do it in his own time.  So long as he's happy and confident at school he will catch up.  Talk to the teacher and make sure they understand the 'problem'.

Also I think quite often the parents have the problems because they perhaps feel inadequate about not being able to converse properly (unless they are fluent in french of course!) 

[Frenchie]

[quote user="Loiseau"]

Isn't an orthodontist someone who is a specialist in straightening teeth etc?
Do you think this is what was being suggested, or was it not perhaps the "orthophoniste" mentioned higher up?

You don't want to condemn the child to unnecessary tracks on the teeth, if it was really a question of improving the vowel sounds!

 

Angela

[/quote]    It is an orthophoniste. Yes, I think it may help. Bon courage à vous tous. I admire your children and yourselves, for making all those efforts to learn our language.