dropped a tooth

X "dropped a tooth" a few days ago. It started coming loose in one day and by the next morning it fell out with breakfast.

--Mommy, I dropped my tooth.

Losing a tooth doesn't actually make more (or less) sense. After all, you know where it is.

Speaking of knowing where it went. In Sweden a tooth is placed in a glace of water and is exchanged for a coin by the tooth fairy. We put it in water but opted to hybrid the event so that it incorporated the American tooth fairy who comes at night for the "dropped" tooth under the pillow.

The American tooth fairy left a 20kr note. That didn't go over well since 20kr notes are certainly not coins.

Californian lingo

In the late 80s early 90s California-speak caught on as "fly" speak among the youth on the east coast.
'
--I'm going to the pizza place. You comin' with?

X regularly speaks in this happenin' speak.

--Is Daddy coming with?
--Why isn't Kimber coming with?

In Swedish the structure is set up this way ending with the preposition "med" --with. Or is it a throw back to the hip speak of Cali?

your name is what your are

"You're a mom and your name is Mommy. That's silly. Your name is what you are. Ugh."

reindeer go in the rain

This is a mix of a cute contemplation of English homonyms and the Swedish use of "gå" meaning walk. X mulled over how 'rein' in reindeer and rain sounded the same. He had no thoughts about what they might be doing in the rain...walking or going.

speaking "normal"

A preschool mate of X asked him this morning why he spoke English with me and his sister. This led to an impromptu learning moment about speaking "other than Swedish" languages at home. The teacher tried to stimulate an examination of the diversity by asking the children with non-Swedish parents which language they spoke at home. One boy when asked which language they spoke at home replied that he spoke "vanligt" --normally-- at home.

This isn't the first time that preschool mates have reacted to our speaking English around them and each time I wonder how this affects X's willingness to use English in front of his pals. Most often our use of English prompts the other children to show off their language skills, counting out 1-10 in English while beaming with pride. Children I don't even recognize yet smile sheepishly at me and say "Bye bye" as they leave me. Only occasionally does the query of language usage imply a subtle criticism or oddity. Kids don't like to be odd. They want to be "normal."

I wonder if this is the age when the resistance to the "abnormal" language they speak at home starts. I wonder if I can put a marketing spin on it and sell it back to X and his pals as a privilege rather than an oddity.

Today's Svengelska word is "tills" instead of until. This one has been around for a while since I continue to fail in introducing into usage the English word 'until.'

are you tired? no i am pig

X is coming home with more and more to say that he only knows how to say in Swedish. Much of the time it's not only vocabulary but also structure.

When you ask if you're tired in English the reply restricted to "I'm not tired". While in Swedish you would reply that you are "energetic" or "spry" more akin to "alert"...pigg.

So my son isn't tired. He's pig.

raising fluent sweglish speakers

Conventional terminology would label my children bilingual. I'd like to argue that before they achieve true bilingualism they will be fluent Swenglish speakers with an ability to put the emphasis of English or Swedish on their language usage at will.

I'm not only enjoying the humor of listening to the Swenglish constructions of my 4.year old's speech, but when analyzing it it makes me contemplate language acquisition for all of us. These little sponge-brains are fascinating to observe.

I don't know what this blog will become, but I thought I would start archiving the little-studied Swenglish language as spoken by my son (b. June 2004) and daughter (b. June 2007), X and K.

X: "I dropped my ba*LANCE" (emphasis on second syllable) = tapade balansen = lost my balance. (autumn 2008)

X: "I can troll this" = I can do magic (Christmas 2008)

X: "I'm bläddring [through the pages]" = I'm flipping through pages (January 2009)