andamu

We are, more or less, a trilingual household. That is if we ignore all the bits and pieces of other languages that individuals in the house know but do not share with another house member.

So, my precious one speaks Telugu, I know the kitchen variety of the same, and Nini and Angel Face have picked up a word or two here and there; mostly things like nemmadiga(slowly, softly) and emitendi(what? - respectfully).

When Nini and Angel Face first arrived here, Miss PipSqueak (at 3 years old) spoke only Afrikaans, barring a few English words that crept into everyday usage like slang. Within three months she was fluent in English, and in less than six she stopped speaking Afrikaans altogether. She still understood and responded to it, and would translate in one direction - Afrikaans to English, but she lost the facility to go the other way, it seemed.

It took much hard work from all for her to regain the ability to speak Afrikaans, and somewhere along the way she has picked up a horrific American accent, even though she has never heard it spoken in that way.

Bear in mind that mpo doesn't speak Afrikaans (beyond a few words he'd picked up through the constant repetition here at home.) The common language for communication here is English -- it seems fair enough since it is no-one's mother tongue. The trilinguality claim is based on the fact that three languages are heard in the house, not that any one person can speak all three.

Now picture this: Angel Face is in the bath for her nightly marathon play session. She is lead actress, supporting cast, villain, hero and stage director all in one, all the while booming and shrieking and emoting at the top of her voice. The closed bathroom door seems to do very little to mute the commotion.

MPO, in a mock-serious tone from the landing asks "What is going on in there?"

Some enthusiastic but a little incoherent explanation of the scene being enacted pours through the door. "But why are you playing in English and not in Afrikaans?" he asks, apropos norralot. (OorikenE)

"Because all my toys come from here -- they only understand English!"