My Wife And I Want To Practise Each Other'S Language

[Wentworth]

My wife and I converse in English and she's happy for me to practise my Thai, though my Thai is not so good. I've finally found a Thai teacher(I live in the Boonies) and want to practise as much as possible.

How do you approach this so that we can practise each other's languages?

[PhilHarries]

Why don't you have Thai only days? You could alternate them with English days so she gets to practice her English.

[Scottish Thailander]

Wentworth,

I forget the technical term for the method, "Crosstalk"?, but, with each other, you both do what you do well, i.e. speak your own language and support it with guestures, facial expressions, mimes, hand movements, body language, etc. That way your wife gets to hear you speaking native English and learns vocab, structure, and pronounciation of English from you in, and from the, context. She responds in her native Thai and you learn vocab, structure, and pronounciation of Thai from her. You have to work a lot harder to get your meaning across, but this is reputed to work.

(This also works in a similar way when you have a kid (I use "you" as an example, don't feel obliged to go out (or is that in and out) to get one right now ) that you want to be bi-lingual, ie, you speak only English to the kid, and the kid (eventually) starts speaking English with you. Your wife, on the other hand, speaks only Thai to the kid and the kid responds to her (eventually) in Thai. Kids do this pretty much automatically, and/or easily switch between languages mid sentence.

Eventually, you will have absorbed enough Thai to "naturally" start speaking it instead of English, and your wife will do the opposite.

If you continue to only speak English with your wife, and vice versa, but both, when you are ready, speak the non-native language with non-family (as you are already doing with your Thai teacher, and, I assume, street vendors, taxi drivers, and so on), to physically practice your speaking skill), then you will continue to learn and help each other (and the sprogs you may have spawned) by maintaining a native target language listening source at home whilst practicing the target language outside of it.

(Ok, take a breath, that was a long sentence!

Ok, now I have stated a technique(s) that is (widely?) used but, as far as I know, not certified as "proved", let the more academicaly and linguistically qualified and research-laden members, and those that just believe you need to speak from day 1, begin the battle .... :jap:

ST.

[SoftWater]

There simply isn't enough research to prove such a method works, ST, and I doubt there ever could be. The variables in such a condition are too great, and the definitions too unclear. It would be almost impossible to quantify what the minimum levels of input of each would be, or indeed to lay down clear criteria for what would count as success.

My personal experience of doing pretty much what you describe while living in a bi-cultural household and having two ลูกครึ่ง kids makes me sceptical, but I'm sure there are others that will offer the opposite anecdotal experience. It's probable that both stories could be true, but detailing and understanding the subtle differences is another matter. As I say, hard data is almost impossible to come by.

Back to the OP's question - I'd suggest you find something that you can teach to each other (not language). e.g., teach your wife to drive using English; have your wife teach you how to cook using Thai (sorry about the stereotypes). The more you can expand this kind of dialogue where the language is a vehicle for something else rather than the object of study the better.

However, like almost everything else said about language learning by both experts and laymen alike, I have to say: this is just a theory...

Edited September 12, 2010 by SoftWater

[Scottish Thailander]

Hi SoftWater,

I suspected you might be the first to nibble at the bait. As I said, and you confirmed, there is no evidence either way, and examples both ways. I suspect that this might do no harm though, and as long as you are practicing outside in addition, it is, as you say, personal choice to try or not.

I do have a small issue with your choice of examples though. Teaching your mrs to drive when you are both native speakers of the same language is a trial that often leads to frustration, anger, and even divorce. Trying that in pidgeon Thai would likely lead to the slightest annoyance in the next cooking lesson getting you drowned in boiling oil, and vice versa, cooking in pidgeon English could lead to a nasty accident. I would have suggested two less dangerous pastimes.

ST.

Edited September 12, 2010 by Scottish Thailander

[Rumblecat]

Make sure it's enjoyable. Me and the girlfriend used to use picture cards (the type you buy for babies- with animals or whatever on them) and then we'd slap them down, see who could be the first to name them in the other person's language- sort of like 'snap'. Or My Little Eye, only in the partner's language- useful for learning items round the house. Basically anything that has a fun, competitive element makes things a lot easier, also it's nice to let her win too.

[Scottish Thailander]

Make sure it's enjoyable. Me and the girlfriend used to use picture cards (the type you buy for babies- with animals or whatever on them) and then we'd slap them down, see who could be the first to name them in the other person's language- sort of like 'snap'. Or My Little Eye, only in the partner's language- useful for learning items round the house. Basically anything that has a fun, competitive element makes things a lot easier, also it's nice to let her win too.

"it's nice to let her win" . . . . lol, Rumblecat. You stick to that story!

But great idea to keep it fun.

ST

Edited September 12, 2010 by Scottish Thailander

[SoftWater]

Hi SoftWater,

I do have a small issue with your choice of examples though. Teaching your mrs to drive when you are both native speakers of the same language is a trial that often leads to frustration, anger, and even divorce. Trying that in pidgeon Thai would likely lead to the slightest annoyance in the next cooking lesson getting you drowned in boiling oil, and vice versa, cooking in pidgeon English could lead to a nasty accident. I would have suggested two less dangerous pastimes.

ST.

Haha...you might be right, ST. On the other hand, constructivist theories of learning suggest that learning in children is driven by a necessity to understand and make sense of the world. So given the possible consequences that you point out maybe my two examples were not so bad after all...

Edited September 12, 2010 by SoftWater

[Rumblecat]

"it's nice to let her win" . . . . lol, Rumblecat. You stick to that story!

dam_n... I was hoping nobody would notice that...