The first step is repetition of cadences and sound patterns. American babies goo-goo with diffferent intonations from English, French or Japanese babies.
This is why baby talk is so important. It builds up the pattern of inflections which will be so characteristic of the native language sound.
Children learning a new language do so with enthusiasm. Heads tilted to one side like inquisitive kittens, they try to find meaningful sounds to imitate.
The most important skill in teaching is that of simplification. Separate each stage in the learning process into small successful steps. Never set up a child, or yourself, to fail.
Teach only what a child will find meaningful or fun. Have patience. A child will ask when and what he or she wants to know. Children are as capable as adults at taking charge of their own learning.
They enjoy copying adult role models. They play at "hospitals," "houses." Encourage them to play at "schools," to teach their new language to a friend or another younger sibling.
Teaching, after all, is the best way to learn.
Some children, like adults, find no difficulty in absorbing grammatical concepts. Others find learning grammar an insuperable chore.
Always remember that the purpose of language is to communicate. We all have different levels of communication. At the start, all communication is success.
It is perfectly possible to communicate using single disjointed words aided by gestures to convey meaning. Try it. We can say "Food?," raise our eyebrows and expect family or friends to say a heartfelt "please."
Someone asking your name does not always use the textbook, "What is your name?"
"Name?" is quite enough. Nor do we answer " My name is.......," or "I am called......" We reply quite simply giving only our name.
Much of our bookish language learning goes towards helping us build up grammatical patterns which at the very start of learning can prove superfluous and unnecessarily complicated.
If your language learning is feeling a bit bogged down, set yourself the following task.
Imagine you have total amnesia. You then remember four words, only four, that you feel are vital to help you communicate.
Do you need "obrigado" for instance (thankyou) or "casa" (house)?
Do you need "amigo" (friend) or "água" (water)?
Choose your own most important four. If you choose them in your native language, make sure you know how to say the words in Portuguese or the new language you are learning.
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