Spot the snake (answer at the end) "There's danger everywhere!" exclaimed the twelve-year-old, after her little sister told her that scorpions like to nest in dry railway sleepers of the kind they were both standing on in the backyard. The twelve-year-old retreated to the security of the house and her phone, the three-year-old found a … Continue reading Danger in nature – all snakes and no ladders
Category: Life overseas
On danger in nature
I've had a note on my phone for months now called 'Dangerous nature post'. It was a reminder to me to attempt to get some coherent thoughts down about nature, danger and the unknown. In February I read a fascinating article in Inkcap Journal. 'A dark miracle in the Forest of Dean' shows how the … Continue reading On danger in nature
The joys of translanguaging
Yesterday, my little one sat down at the table and said "Mummy, I need a prat". I've been enjoying hearing her stop-gap responses to language she can't remember, but this time I thought it best to offer her the appropriate word."Would you like a plate?""A prate?""A plate""No, I need a prat". She has been problem-solving … Continue reading The joys of translanguaging
Birds, bins and Brazil
My obsession with Brazilian birds has definitely been growing over the last year and a half. My husband actually introduced me to the iconic Sabiá-laranjeira (Rufous-bellied Thrush) in the few weeks after we first met, but since I was in the UK for most of our relationship, and then living in favelas after we got … Continue reading Birds, bins and Brazil
New language – shape, sound and word association
I bought a book for my daughter around about the time she turned one. It was £1.99 from the British Heart Foundation and called '1000 Words and Pictures'. She can lift and carry it by herself now that she's getting on for four. This week when we were reading about the parts of a tree, … Continue reading New language – shape, sound and word association
Carrapateiros and capybaras
The gavião carrapateiro is an astounding bird. It goes by the name 'Yellow-headed caracara' in English but I much prefer the literal translation 'tick hawk'. Gavião carrapateiro - @juliano.fabricante Brazil being extremely large, and the gavião carrapateiro appearing everywhere, it has a long list of aliases: caracará-branco, caracaraí, caracaratinga, carapinhé, gavião-pinhé, pinhé, pinhém, papa-bicheira, chimango, … Continue reading Carrapateiros and capybaras
Bilingual children and language development – Confusion between first and third person in Portuguese
On the subject of the confusion that must arise between the first person singular and the third person singular for a child acquiring Portuguese - mentioned in my last post here and back by overwhelming demand - I have some further observations. Not only do the majority of Brazilians talk about themselves in the third … Continue reading Bilingual children and language development – Confusion between first and third person in Portuguese
Bilingual children and language development – Over-generalisation of specific rules
As I mentioned in my last post (which describes our language journey as a third-culture family), my daughter is currently most comfortable speaking in Portuguese. This hasn't always been the case but now, at three and three months, Portuguese is her default language and if she finds it difficult to express herself in English she'll … Continue reading Bilingual children and language development – Over-generalisation of specific rules
Our language journey as a third-culture family
I've written previously about how language fascinates me and how amazing I find it to witness my daughter acquire two languages as she grows up. You can read about that here. She's now three and three months. I'll give a bit of background about our language journey as a third-culture family. [I'm using the term … Continue reading Our language journey as a third-culture family
Memorable haircuts from Bristol to Brazil
Studying 'Educating Rita' in Year 8 has had enduring consequences. Patina and frisson were both new words for me, but I think what has most stuck with me is Rita's comment about how every woman who comes to her for a haircut leaves invariably disappointed that she is unable to transform them into Farrah Fawcett-Majors. … Continue reading Memorable haircuts from Bristol to Brazil
Brazil from the outside in 