French immersion
Feb 16th 2015 | 2:49 am
#16
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,188
Re: French immersion
I wouldn't want my children to dip stale cakes into their coffee. Its a disgusting practice. 
Feb 16th 2015 | 3:18 am
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,001
From: MB rural.
Re: French immersion
speaking as someone that's lives in a franco/Canadian community and works for a franco /Canadian company our local school teaches both official languages with the same teachers so for us it was a non event for our daughter,but so saying the next town west of us is English only education and the town east of us French only.
So what you think? from speaking to people I have come to realise that most of the government jobs (ag offices ,border & even one of the local highway depots) the workers speak both official languages = better wages,conditions & pensions than most of us sons of the soil.
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So what you think? from speaking to people I have come to realise that most of the government jobs (ag offices ,border & even one of the local highway depots) the workers speak both official languages = better wages,conditions & pensions than most of us sons of the soil.
.
Feb 16th 2015 | 3:23 am
#18
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,345
From: Ottineau
Re: French immersion
Having been educated in French in Canada made a huge difference to the lives of two of my children and did no harm to the third. One now works in a francophone country, the CAR, she works in Italian but the school system isn't to blame for that. She's of particular value to her organisation because she speaks French. Possibly she was able to quickly learn Italian because she already spoke French and English.
The second lives in Vancouver where she has a government job due, in part, to speaking French. Her language skills allowed her to be on two "mooting" teams for her university which, she said, was advantageous so the benefit went beyond just "the feds will hire you if you speak both languages".
It worked for them, YMMV.
The second lives in Vancouver where she has a government job due, in part, to speaking French. Her language skills allowed her to be on two "mooting" teams for her university which, she said, was advantageous so the benefit went beyond just "the feds will hire you if you speak both languages".
It worked for them, YMMV.
Bringing kids up bilingual has its pros and cons.
I went to college (degree level) with several kids that had been brought up bilingual anglo-franco, usually because of parentage. They were undoubtedly bilingual but a bit behind in both languages.
There are very few truly bilingual people.
Feb 16th 2015 | 3:37 am
#19
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,695
From: Vancouver, BC
Re: French immersion
I can understand the Italian bit. I was in a bar in Milan a few years ago. I speak no Italian and the barman didn't speak English. We got by fine with French.
Bringing kids up bilingual has its pros and cons.
I went to college (degree level) with several kids that had been brought up bilingual anglo-franco, usually because of parentage. They were undoubtedly bilingual but a bit behind in both languages.
There are very few truly bilingual people.
Bringing kids up bilingual has its pros and cons.
I went to college (degree level) with several kids that had been brought up bilingual anglo-franco, usually because of parentage. They were undoubtedly bilingual but a bit behind in both languages.
There are very few truly bilingual people.
Also the possible effect on science/math of switching to another language half way through schooling.
Feb 16th 2015 | 3:50 am
#20
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,345
From: Ottineau
Re: French immersion
The verbs won't be different to those used in general conversation and the nouns are often very similar.
Feb 16th 2015 | 4:10 am
#21
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,448
From: Calgary
Re: French immersion
There is a perception amongst a certain type of competitive parent that somehow French immersion is better. There may be some truth in this - I don't know - but learning in two languages may suit a brighter child so it becomes a high achieving stream. I suspect it is more that the kind of parent who will camp out overnight to be first in line to sign up their offspring for the French immersion stream is the kind of parent who will make sure their kids do all their homework, and more.
Feb 16th 2015 | 5:08 am
#22
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,695
From: Vancouver, BC
Re: French immersion
I wouldn't be too worried about science and maths. The more "technical" subjects may well be the easiest to adapt to. Numbers and scientific principles are the same whatever language they are expressed in.
The verbs won't be different to those used in general conversation and the nouns are often very similar.
The verbs won't be different to those used in general conversation and the nouns are often very similar.
Feb 16th 2015 | 5:27 am
#23
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,345
From: Ottineau
Re: French immersion
No worries.
I often read technical texts in languages I don't speak. I can usually extract what I need from a bit of creative thinking with the nouns. Thinking with my far-from-perfect French brain makes it a lot easier to decipher Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
I often read technical texts in languages I don't speak. I can usually extract what I need from a bit of creative thinking with the nouns. Thinking with my far-from-perfect French brain makes it a lot easier to decipher Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
Feb 16th 2015 | 5:33 am
#24
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 10,000
Re: French immersion
I've spoken to co op students who have chosen to leave FI and study in English so that they get better grades for university applications. They felt that studying exclusively in French was a disadvantage to them.
Feb 16th 2015 | 5:35 am
#25
Dichotomus tinker
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 6,700
From: Ontario, Canada
Re: French immersion
Bringing kids up bilingual has its pros and cons.
I went to college (degree level) with several kids that had been brought up bilingual anglo-franco, usually because of parentage. They were undoubtedly bilingual but a bit behind in both languages.
There are very few truly bilingual people.
Feb 16th 2015 | 5:41 am
#26
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,695
From: Vancouver, BC
Re: French immersion
in what way? Would love to know more about this if you don't mind sharing.
Feb 16th 2015 | 5:57 am
#27
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,345
From: Ottineau
Re: French immersion
Back in the days when I lived in Oakville, I had a couple of German mates. They were not young (60s). They rarely spoke to each other in German and both assured me that they thought in English.
This bilingual thing is complex. My missus often talks to me in French. I don't translate in my head because I'm so used to her. It confuses the hell out of people in public when we have rapid two-way conversations in two languages.
I can only do it with her.
Feb 16th 2015 | 5:59 am
#28
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,695
From: Vancouver, BC
Re: French immersion
If he's mentally translating before replying, he's not bilingual. Competent, yes, but not bilingual.
Back in the days when I lived in Oakville, I had a couple of German mates. They were not young (60s). They rarely spoke to each other in German and both assured me that they thought in English.
This bilingual thing is complex. My missus often talks to me in French. I don't translate in my head because I'm so used to her. It confuses the hell out of people in public when we have rapid two-way conversations in two languages.
I can only do it with her.
Back in the days when I lived in Oakville, I had a couple of German mates. They were not young (60s). They rarely spoke to each other in German and both assured me that they thought in English.
This bilingual thing is complex. My missus often talks to me in French. I don't translate in my head because I'm so used to her. It confuses the hell out of people in public when we have rapid two-way conversations in two languages.
I can only do it with her.
Feb 16th 2015 | 6:05 am
#29
Born again atheist
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 30,259
From: Europe (to be specified).
Re: French immersion
I think in German when I'm speaking German and increasingly, in French when in France. I don't consider myself anywhere near bilingual though, certainly not in French.
Feb 16th 2015 | 6:18 am
#30
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,345
From: Ottineau
Re: French immersion
that happened to me in france. my spoken french was pretty crap, but my comprehension was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better. There was one woman I knew who had the same problem with English. We would have conversations where she would speak in french and I would answer in english and vice versa. Kinda cool.
At the end of the day, all language is about communicating.
