As a former ESL teacher, it has been very interesting for me to watch my Chinese children learn their new language. When Hannah and I were in China, we had to use simple English in an effort to communicate with people. We used some Chinese words mixed with a few English ones in an effort to communicate with the kids. Now that we have been home over a month, both kids understand a great deal of the English spoken to them, even though it is still easier to use simple English and say things like, "no touch!" Both new children are using whole sentences in English, sometimes with a few Chinese words thrown into the mix. They are speaking less and less Chinese to each other. John, who likes to try to keep Therese in line, said to her, "don't do that," very clearly the other day. Therese is not as advanced as he is, both because she is delayed, and because she had never been exposed to English in China before meeting her new mom. Even I can tell that she pronounces some words in Chinese incorrectly--"Ko fa" instead of "Tou Fa", for hair. She seems to do the same t to k switch with English words sometimes too.
The funniest part is how the vocabulary is getting into their little minds. Both kids call any kind of bread, a "sandwich," probably since we ate sandwiches in China at least once a day. I haven't eaten a sandwich since I got home. When I make toast, both kids will say proudly, "sandwich," to show their knowledge. John thinks all meals are called "lunch" , which may be because the first meal we had together in China was lunch. He is so happy in the morning when I am cooking breakfast, and announces that it is time for lunch. They both know the word "helmet," since we have a strict rule on helmets for bike and trike riding. Yesterday, John said that he had a helmet, as he proudly indicated the Cubs cap he was wearing. I guess it made sense to him that anything that goes on your head is a helmet. I wonder if he thinks my mantilla is a helmet.
