Language – experience

My first Job was in Mumbai – I had to speak to clients in English as all clients were from international banks. With colleagues I had option of English or Marathi. I continued speaking with broken English (I was pure Hindi medium student). When I came to Banaglore, I had to write many letters to clients in Ad-Mag. And also train Tele marketing staff (in English). Well, I wrote and wrote, I spoke and spoke, I read and read.

I still write, I still speak, I still read, I still hear . I sometimes feel lack of good vocabulary – I try using any new word I come across. I like listening to different languages (Gujrati, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil etc). I have not caught up with (speaking) these languages (do not feel much need)
As I work with kids, I have come across kids – Start with speaking, Listening (songs, adults, movies, stories etc), Use as they need, read and then write. As kids start writing, they began with writing how they speak and realized that comprehension is missing. This is interesting when kids at Aarohi write their reflection at the end of the week or write notices. We read it again and laugh “is this what we wanted to write?” Re-write and re-read again. Its interesting to introduce some of the grammatical rules of English as they move ahead with writing. Comprehension becomes an interesting area to explore. Reading for purpose becomes a challenge – as sometimes kids who can read, speak and understand language, finds it difficult to comprehend. Here lots of reading helps. Also breaking reading helps. Combination of variety of reading and writing helps in moving ahead.

Celebrate language. Share your experience – Some people shared

Nalini, From Maverik Kids, Baroda Amable Centre – Here is my experience with the language :). I remember how as a kid I used to read every signboard, boards put in shops, anything written on buses,cars, any vehicles. I used to love reading comics like Tinkle, Amar chitra katha, children’s story books.That’s how I got my flair for language.I developed my language and also my interest in learning the language. Now I can proudly say that I’m good at spellings 🙂
Aparna from Aham Amable Centre, Coimbatore –When I think of my journey of learning language. I am reminded of how I used to copy my frens style of speaking. Come back home and role play my fren. I have played with jumbled up letters. Sometimes forming the right spellings and sometimes not. Most of my learning happenend during my secondary education.I watched lots of english programme on T.V. I started reading newspapers. Those days The Hindu paper used to have a coloumn ” know your english” on tuesdays. I had a collection of it,cut and pasted in book.Read them, used that line during my conversation. And as I watch those english programmes i noted down the words and phrases and sometimes sentences too..Thats how I built my english.

Vidya from GK Amable centre, Bangalore – me tooooo nalini…my journey is similar to yours!! It’s good to have started on books at an early age methinks:)
Anuja from GK Amable centre, Bangalore –This reminds me of my language development in Tamil in my late 20s! Thanks to A.R.Rahman I developed an interest in Tamil. After I realized I was on my way to marry a Tamilian, I thought I should learn to read and write the language. I downloaded a free course from UT Austin and started practicing writing. Then South India was hit by Tsunami and I decided to go and volunteer. In Chennai, My eyes were wide open as I tried to read every signboard of every shop I passed in my travels. Years passed as i spent time hearing, talking, being laughed at, asking questions about and in Tamil. Alsoread the how to learn Tamil in 30 days book to try to figure out the rules of past present future tense.

I remember how 9 years back Tamil was like white noise I could ignore and switch off my mind, and now i pretty much follow things being said. Im far from good, but I can say I know a new language. Exposure exposure exposure!!
Girija from GK Amable centre, Bangalore –As i am learning dutch, I take every opportunity to listen to the language. When I am travelling by bus, I try to say few words and the driver is saying sentences,then I look at him balnkly:). I read the different sign boards and I am trying not to translate in English. In my mind I am trying to think in Dutch, but it goes back to English. Making my own word wall of the words that i see on the road and of course the ads that come in the post. A rich resource that is for me. Lots to do with that.

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