There was this one time I was doing the
same thing and then my son stopped playing, he was on the floor, and then he just looked at
me and he asked me a question about the topic that I was talking about with my wife. And then I was
like "Wait. You got that? You understood?" [Music] All right. So I'm here today with the one
and only Casse. Hey, Casse, how's it going? Hey, Thiago. Hey, everyone.
Before we get started, make sure you hit that subscribe button and bell
down bellow because every week we put out podcast episodes like that to help you go from a lost,
insecure English learner, to becoming a confident, natural English speaker. So hit that subscribe
so you don't miss a single new episode. So, we're gonna be sharing
here some common strategies, right Cassé, that parents use to teach English
to their kids, or any other second language. And... Um, I guess we can start by the main point
we wanna make in this episode. And the main point here is it's important that the child has exposure
to the language you're trying to teach as young as possible, and as frequently as possible. That's
the point we are making here. Early exposure as frequently as possible. (Yeah) And I would like
to illustrate that, Casse, by sharing one story about my son, because, um, my son now is 12 years
old, but a few years ago when he was younger, um, you know, my, my wife is an English
teacher as well, so we both speak English. And sometimes there were times when my
son would be in the living room with us, and sometimes I wanted to talk to my wife,
something more adult-like. (Yeah) So our strategy, instead of sending him to his bedroom, was to
speak English with each other. So I would talk to these, to my wife in English about these
more serious grown-up topics that I didn't want my son to, to hear about. And that strategy
worked for a while, you know. But after, I guess, I don't know, maybe one year, you know,
it wasn't that long. After a little while, there was this one time I was doing the same
thing, and then my son stopped playing. He was on the floor, and then he just looked at me and
he asked me a question about the topic that I was talking about with my wife in English. And then
I was like, wait, you got that? You understood? Your code was completely useless now.
Oh my gosh. That's (It was.) awesome. Yeah. You know, so at that moment, this strategy,
you know, wasn't effective anymore. Butthen I started thinking about it, like, how,
how come he, he came to a point where he, he started to understandwhat my wife and I was
speaking in English, you know? And then it came, uh, the, the realization that it was the exposure.
Yeah. I mean, uh, we were always very casual about this at home, but there was always exposure
to English at home, watching movies together or listening to things in English. My son would
watch me or sometimes hear me teaching from home classes in English, or these moments where I would
talk to my wife in English, you know? So simply by having that exposure that was constant and casual,
eventually he got to a point where he picked up, he started to pick up things and understand
things. And I thought he was amazing. So, um, this, I think, illustrates well, this idea of
exposing the child to the language frequently. And not only that, but there are strategies that
parents use nowadays to, um, accomplish that. And, uh, we're gonna be talking
about some of these strategies today. And, uh, one strategy is actually the strategy
that was used in your case, right, Casse? So, uh, could you share this first strategy and
a little bit about your experience? Because (Sure) I think you grew up bilingual, didn't you?
I did. And I think one thing that I guess worked in my favor was the fact that I grew up in
a multilingual country, so I was exposed to many languages. And, uh, the problem with that
though is that, I mean, you mentioned the sort of passive absorbing of a language, which all kids
do. I mean, they're listening to conversations. They hear, they're noticing your tone or the way
that you say certain things without them having a complete comprehension of what it means. They
piece it like a puzzle. They're making sense of it in their own, um, mind. So I think in my case, I
grew up hearing many languages, but inside of the home, my parents used the strategy, which I don't
think they did deliberately at the time. I don't think they knew they were doing it way, but they
ended up using a strategy, which is now known as one parent, one language. So my dad
would always speak to us in English, and my mom would always speak to us in
Afrikaans. So this would be like, literally every instruction she would give us would be
in Afrikaans. So she would say, for example, um, <speaking Afrikaans> go pick up your shoes.
But she wouldn't use English. She would only use Afrikaans to give us the instruction. So, I
mean, I can see what she's pointing at <speaking Afrikaans>, I just made sense of it, like, I
need to pick up the shoes. So she would speak to us in Afrikaans in that way. And it worked.
It completely works. However, every output, so that was a lot of input. So I wasn't necessarily
having a conversation with mom in, in Afrikaans, but she did the same. She thought she was smart.
She was doing what you and your wife did. So she would, she would have these conversations with
her friends or with my dad in Afrikaans thinking, I don't know what she's saying, but Hello! I've
been listening to you for years. I know what you're saying. So just because I wasn't speaking
Afrikaans, it didn't mean I wasn't understanding. So this is how I sort of ended up learning both
languages, you know, from the time since I was a kid, basically. I, I could speak both languages.
That's so interesting. Yeah. And, now as a grown up and as a mom, uh, would you say that this
is a strategy you would like to try with your son as well, or you are trying already?
Yeah. Well, in my case, I, you know, every other thing, every other method of my education
was in English. My, as you said, you know, tv, movies, books, music, everything else was in
English. But what I want for my son is more, is a little different. So I would like to use
English only in the home. Like I, I don't really want my husband and I to speak, I, I don't want us
to speak to him in Afrikaans, for example. I would like for him to be absorbing from his environment.
So his teachers use Afrikaans and I love that. And his other grandparents use Afikaans as well. So
I would love for him to be able to pick that up. And he's already doing it. So, uh, for example, he
was splashing around in the water, and, uh, he's teacher told us at the end of the day that he used
the word "nat". Now "nat" means wet in Afrikaans. How does he know what "nat" is? Anyway,
it's really, it's really cute. And, um, I think, yeah, I, I think I would like that
for him. I want him to be able to, you know, have that exposure in his environment. But more
specifically, I, I think maybe, um, I would like for it to be a deliberate sort of effort
from the community. So these are his teachers. I, I deliberately want them to use Afrikaans
and my mom as well, but at home, he should feel comfortable to use English or Afrikaans. So I
want him to know that we can use it here, but I, I, I would prefer for him to be really
focused on English for a while at least. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's similar to my daughter, because
now I have a daughter, she's one and a half. And, um, you know, in her first year, I didn't
wanna focus on English yet because, you know, I really wanted her first language to be Portuguese,
Brazilian Portuguese. Cause, you know, I think it makes sense for her, you know, mother language to
be Portuguese. I mean, we live in Brazil. I mean, you know, so, um, I, I, I want English to be
her second language. Now that she's already, uh, she understands pretty much everything in
Portuguese now. And she's speaking already, phrases in Portuguese. Now I am starting to
deliberately, you know, just like your mom used to do with you, uh, maybe speak some English with her
here and there and giving some instructions like, Oh, give dad a kiss. Come on, kiss. Mm, kiss.
Give dada a kiss. She already calls me Dada. Yeah. Since, uh, forever. Because, you know, in Brazil
it's not very common, yeah, to, for kids to call their fathers dada. This is more of an English
word. Yeah. Usually in Brazil it's "papai", right? Papa, Papai, you know. But, yeah, I'm try,
I'm trying to be the, the parent in the house that speaks the second language with the child. Yeah.
Similar to how your mom spoke Afrikaans with you. Um, I have to say that I'm not so deliberate
with it yet. I've been more casual about it, but, um, I'm testing it out, yeah, to see. But the
exposure is important here. Right? And by the way, a great way for you to gain exposure to English
in this case is by using the RealLife English app. Because with the app, you can actually
listen to this week's podcast episode with a full transcript, a full interactive transcript.
So not only can you listen to us, but also read along everything that we are saying. So
download the app. It's free to try and, if you're watching us here on YouTube, the link is
in the description. And if you're listening to us on another platform, just go to Apple App Store or
Google Play Store, search for RealLife English and download the app from there. Alright. Casse, um,
still talking about strategies. You mentioned one that was used with you, which was one parent,
(one language) one language. Right? But there are two others that I found out and I thought they
were interesting. One of them is called the MLAH, which stands for Minority Language At Home.
So apparently minority language at home, majority language outside of the
home. Have you heard of this strategy? I have, I, I actually think that it makes
sense if, for example, you're living in an, I dunno, like in your case, I think it might, it
might be a good idea because, uh, your daughter would learn English at home and then be exposed
to Portuguese in, in the world. Um, and I, I'm doing it the opposite. I reversed this. So I
would basically be using English only at home, and he can be exposed to the minority language outside
of the home. So I, I do find the strategy quite interesting because I think it would, uh, it would
really work for kids who are living in a country where English is not the, the first language or
the, the, the dominant language, I would say. Yeah, I can see why that can be effective. I just
one downside of that structure for me is that I think it takes more effort on the whole family
because in with this (True) strategy, the whole family inside the house has to speak English in
this case or (Yeah) the second language, right? I mean, it is not just one parent. Yeah. Because
your strategy was one parent, one language. But in this case, the mom, the dad, the siblings should
be using only the second language at home. That can definitely work. But you have to analyze in
your family if that is feasible. Yeah. If it is practical for you to apply. Yeah. But definitely
a nice strategy to try it as well. Yeah? Yeah. I think, like, I think one thing that I,
I, I find especially on the point that you're making about it being, you know, really
stressful for everyone involved, is that I think we have to be consistent with these
strategies. I, I'm not saying we have to be strict policemen, you know, if you don't do
it, you know, you are gonna be in trouble or something like that. I think that it just helps
us to achieve results faster or to be more, um, you know, it just helps to be deliberate
when we do these things. And I think with, with being deliberate, you know, the results are
that your kid is probably gonna learn the language a lot faster. You're gonna see results sooner.
And I think there's something very interesting, because I know the downside, or one con of,
uh, that people often mentioned about raising bilingual kids or, you know, exposing them to
multiple languages early on, is that they end up, um, either not speaking very well, they don't
speak the language very well, they're confused, or they end up starting to speak quite late later
on, like at four or age four or something like that. Um, I'm not laughing at those kids because
I think being completely bilingual is worth it. If you're only starting to speak at four, totally
fine. But, um, I, I think every case is different. So I think this is something to think about for
parents, right? Like, what works for you, um, you know, what works for your kid as well. So, yeah.
That's true. And I a hundred percent agree with you with the consistency. So pick the strategy
that works best for your family and be consistent with it. Yeah, I really agree with that.
So, so far we have discussed one parent, one language. Minority language at home,
everybody speaks it. Yeah? And then there's a third strategy also, which is called Time
and Place. That means that you designate, uh, specific activities that the family does, and
during those activities, the second language is spoken only. So let's say for example, whenever
we have dinner together as a family, uh, we only speak English together or the second language, or
whenever we go to the park. Yeah. Every Sunday. Our conversation is all in English. So this is
another strategy, Time and Place. Any thoughts on this one, Casse? It seems more flexible. Yes?
Yeah, I, I think this in my mind, I mean, you can tell me what you think, but I, I feel like
this might work better for an older kid. I feel like when your child is like three, they don't
really care. They, they'll do what they want. They're little rebels at that age. Like, nah,
I'm not doing it. I'll just keep (They are) So I think this is one that you might consider, you
know, for an older kid or a toddler who is, um, you know, a little bit more interested and keen
to, to try the strategy. But I think younger kids might benefit more from the other two strategies.
Um, I mean, like I said before, they're sponges. They really, they, they take in everything you're
saying. So if you're having dinner, I can imagine it might be really nice for you to say, you know,
this is an a lasagna. They're like, oh, cool lasagna. What's that? Um, maybe, I don't know.
I think it's, that's Italian, but I mean, like, um, I, I'm just using an opportunity, or pasta and
um, you know, they might know it by a different name. And, and so anyway, the point that I'm
making is that it's a fun, you should be, again, deliberate, so you, you're making that effort
while you're eating. You cannot just expect, um, the kids should jump in while you're having
a conversation over dinner about politics. So you should make the conversation, include
them in the conversation, you know, mention, you know, teach them new vocabulary, phrases.
Yeah. Yeah. That, that's interesting what you say. I mean, maybe the Time and Place strategy
could work with older kids. Yeah. You designate sometimes, but you know, if the child is so
young, I mean, they are sponges like you said, right? They absorb everything. So either
Minority Language At Home or you know, One parent, One language, yeah, those seem to be,
uh, better strategies. Right. One thing that I do nowadays with my son, cause he's 12 now, yeah,
he's older. So, um, nowadays, uh, I kind of, I don't know if I'm being a bad parent for doing
this, but, you know, I kind of forbid him nowadays to watch dubbed movies. Literally, I forbid him.
Yeah. He's forbidden to watch dubbed movies. He has to watch them in English. Yeah. And, uh, now
he has finally, you know, at, at the beginning, uh, he would complain a lot about this because he
wanted to watch it in Portuguese and everything. Right. So nowadays I allow him to watch
animations dubbed cuz you know, I think, you know, that's okay. It's an animation, fine,
watch it dubbed. But if you're watching any other movie that is a movie, yeah, watch it in
English. And he's already doing that. What he does today is he watches the movie with the audio
in English and the subtitles in Portuguese, fine, at least he's listening to English. I'm happy
with that. But then when he watches something with my wife and I, the three of us together,
sometimes we do that, then it is full on English, like audio in English and subtitles in English.
And nowadays he has already adapted to this habit. And, you know, uh, now, you know, it's been
working well and he understands a lot of things, you know? Uh, so cuz you know, I think it's
important. I started watching movies in English with my parents when I was seven, seven or
eight. Even though my parents didn't know English, they had this habit of watching things in
English because they like to consume the movies in the original language. So maybe, um,
since I was younger, yeah, there was this little seed already like, oh, you know, I'm listening
to English here in the movies. That's great. Even though, you know, I wasn't studying it.
And it's fun. It's like, it's something that he enjoys. (Yeah) So he's not, you know, like you
said, it's not like he's just sitting there taking notes, you know, every phrase that he's, but I, I
think this is a, a brilliant, um, way to include the learning process, you know, into daily life.
I, I think with, with little kids, if your kids are younger, like my son for example, he loves
games and he loves music. And there are so many, um, like songs, kids songs that are translated
into different languages. And so, for example, he, he can understand the songs, he can understand the
music in other languages as well. And the apps, he always changes the apps cause he loves
listening to French for some reason. So you'll hear him say Bonjour, cuz he, he's playing
this game where every time you move the, um, anyway, the characters, anyway,
the point is that they're, they're, the language learning process can be so much
fun for, for little kids, especially because, um, the nursery rhymes, they learn it in another
language, um, which is what he's doing at school and then again at home. And we make it part
of his daily routine. So yes, he, he's exposed to English all the time at home, but we don't
stop him from, you know, if he's curious about, um, you know, listening to French, for example.
He has an obsession with that game. But, um, anyway, yeah, it's, it's something that I
would definitely say works with younger kids. Yeah. I mean, cuz at the end of the
day, children naturally pick up habits and culture from their parents.
Yeah. (Absolutely.) So they, they observe. Yeah. (Yeah.) So whatever the parents
do, the children tend to emulate. So if you, as the parent already has the habit of using
English every day, chances are your child will pick up the habit from you as well. Yeah.
(Exactly) So it will be more effortless, right? Yeah. Pronunciation too. I think, like, let's
not, you know, one thing, vocabulary - yes, but pronunciation, I think like, my son uses
American English, I feel better than me. Um, in South Africa we say, you know, the classic
Water, it's Water or, yeah, Better. He says, Better. He says Water. And he, I just like,
I feel like, (Look at that.) how little one, how did you learn that? It's because he listens
to (Right) all of these songs and programs in, in, in American English. So it's that.
There you go. Yeah. It's the exposure, the constant exposure. Yeah. (Exactly.) And
dear listeners, um, a great way for you to, again, to live your English every day, consume
English every day, is by using the RealLife app. So Casse still talking about bilingual kids,
kids that speak more than one language. That reminds me of a, a nice movie actually that I
saw a long time ago. I think it's from 2004, if my memory doesn't fail me now,
called Spanglish with Adam Sandler. Have you seen that movie?
I have, it's beautiful. So Paz Vega plays a Mexican immigrant who goes
to the US with her daughter for a better life, and she gets this job working for an
American family in their house. And, um, Adam Sandler lives there and, uh, they
start having some sort of, uh, I think it starts as a working relationship that evolves
to friendship or even something else, right, Casse? I don't know if they actually get to have
a romantic relationship in that movie, do they? I, I, I might be mistaken, but I think that
they don't, I think there's just a really deep connection there. Like, I think there's, yeah,
and I think it's beautiful because of that. It's really wholesome, I would say.
I think that'd be beautiful. That's a nice word. Wholesome.
What's that? Wholesome. It's more like, sort of morally good. Like it's,
it's not, uh, corrupt in any way. It's not, you know, there's nothing, no bad, there's
nothing bad about their relation, relationship. But I'm bringing this movie up because I remember
that there is this funny clip where, um, I think the mom, she gets mad at Adam Sandler's character
because he gives, uh, her daughter money. I, I I, I think he, uh, he, he bets something with the
kids, you know? And then, uh, you know, uh, her daughter wins the bet or something like that.
And then, you know, the mother gets mad at that, you know, because he gave her money. But then,
uh, this thing is funny because she doesn't speak English. The mom, she speaks only Spanish. So she
needs her daughter to translate for her what she wants to say. And it's really cool to see like,
you know, the translation, the life translation. So, uh, we have the clip here, T and, could you
please play for us the first part and then we can talk about that a little bit?
<Speaking Spanish> I'm sorry. Did you give this money to my daughter? Okay. I,
I made a deal with the kids, all the kids. Oh no. <Speaking Spanish> Oh no, please <Speaking
Spanish> <Translating fast into English>. And then, you know, it becomes really
hard to understand because, you know, it's like cross-talking there.
(Yeah.) But in terms of language, we have some nice things here to point
out. First of all, the question "Did you give this money to my daughter?"
Did you give this one to my daughter? Um, how would you explain the connected
speech in this question, Casse? So basically we have what's known as
elision here. So the D sound, the D in Did, and the Y in You basically form /j/ sound. So
what you hear is basically Dih-jew:Did you, did you give this money to my daughter?
Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's amazing because, you know, uh, the girl, her daughter,
she speaks fluently, right? I mean, both English and Spanish, right?
She has great pronunciation and, uh, and then Adam Sandler's character
replies. "I made a deal with the kids." I made a deal with the kids.
So what does it mean when you make a deal with someone, Casse?
If you make a deal with someone, you're agreeing to certain terms. So if this happens, I will
give you this. So this would be considered a deal. It's an agreement. We can use that word as
well, like making an agreement to do something. And we also have some nice connected
speech here, right? Because the A gets reduced to a schwa sound: uh, uh, and also
we connect Made with uh, and then it sounds like Mei-duhMei-duh. And then we say, Made a deal, Made
a deal with, I made a deal with the kids. That's how he says it. And then, uh, this argument
continues in the clip, and we have another short clip to watch, uh, T if you could roll it
for us and then we can dissect maybe a couple more, um, meanings and connective speech here.
<Speaking Spanish> $50 is a lot of money. I, I, I know, I know. I <Speaking Spanish>.
Oh shit. <¡Ai, Mierda!> I'm sorry. Come on. I get what you're upset about.
<Speaking Spanish>. Excuse me. It (I love.. ) was funny when, what,
what do... I think, you gotta say the same thing. What, what (Yeah.) is it?
I, I, I think it's like the mom's reaction to when she uses like, the swear word. I think it's like,
like how, what are you saying? How, how could you even say that? Yeah. It's like, it's funny.
Yeah. Yeah. It was funny how even that the girl translate it, right? Even the swear word.
Yeah. And then you see her face after like, Ooh. Yeah. And that's the thing with
kids, it's like you, with your, you know, um, with having your code language with your
wife, I think they're, they're picking up, they know what it means. They might not, you
know, maybe they, you don't want them to know, or you don't want them to use that word,
but they're picking up everything. Yeah. We have some nice phrases here, Casse. The first
one, uh, the girl says A lot of money, right? $50 is a lot of money.
But there is some nice connected speech that she, she uses. Could you break it downfor us?
So the A in A lot is pronounced as a schwa: uh. And then we have the T in Lot, which
is pronounced as a Flap T sound. So we pronounce it as a Duh. And this then joins with the O in Of,
which is also pronounced as a schwa sound. So we have uh-loh-duh, uh-loh-duh, a lot of money.
Again, just pointing out the amazing English the girl has, yeah, a lot of, a lot of money. She
speaks just like a American, right? Then, uh, Adam Sandler's character, he says this phrase, I get
what you're upset about. So just to break down the pronunciation here, he says, I get, I get.
So the T there is a Stop T, he doesn't say I get, but I get, I get. And then What - another stop
T there. Now what? But what, what? So very often this You're gets reduced to a Yir, which is
how we hear it here. So what yir? So he says, I get what yir. I get what you're upset. And then
again, the T here for upset kind of disappears. And then actually it doesn't disappear because,
you know, we have a vowel right after for the about. So the T becomes a Flap T sound. So upset.
You see, Upset about, upset about. And I believe that he says about in the clip, but it becomes
optional. Some people, they say the T here at the end of the sentence. Sometimes you might not hear
it, you might hear just about, but either about or about. Those are common ones, but that's how he
says it. I get what you're upset about. Like that. What does it mean, Casse, when you say, I get what
you are upset about, what does that mean? I get. Yeah. So when you get something, it means
that you understand that thing. So he's saying he understands what she's upset about.
So now it's time for the Big Challenge of the day. All right guys, so the Big Challenge for you to
answer today is in your opinion, what is the best age to start learning a second language and why?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below. If you're watching us on YouTube or simply drop
us a line at hello@reallifeglobal.com. We are looking forward to hearing your responses. And
we also have a very nice comment that one of our viewers here on YouTube left in the video 333
in the episode about values that Ethan and I had. And, um, he says something really nice here,
Casse, could you read his comment for us? Sure. Gil says, "Thank you so much guys. I am
from Brazil. After I discovered your channel, I've been learning a lot. I really like the
content about connected speech. It's very helpful. Yesterday I had my first meeting in English with
a Canadian company, and I will work with them in a video project. Thank you again." Oh, amazing.
Thank you so much, Gil. That is fantastic. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much for leaving the
comment and I keep following us here on YouTube. Okay. Now as a final word, I would say that it's
a fine line because yes, it is important for you to be consistent with the strategy you choose
to teach English to your child, but also you don't wanna be so rigid and strict with it, right,
Casse? Do you have any final words to compliment? So, from my side, I would say that you have to
be deliberate. You have to know that, you know, it's a lot of work now. You know, you have to plan
everything and, and keep going consistently. But it is rewarding. And the reward might not come
today, but it will happen in the future. Your child will be speaking two, three languages and
you would be so proud. And you also benefit from that. Like, it's, it's beneficial for us as
well when we're helping our kids, you know, on their journey to bilingualism. So keep going.
Yeah, definitely be (Awesome.) consistent. Amazing. And remember, early exposure is
essential. (Absolutely.) Very nice. Guys, thank you so much for watching or listening to today's
podcast and stay tuned for next week's one, which is gonna come out really soon. All right. Thank
you so much, Casse, for joining me today. It was great (Thank you) to have this conversation with
you and hope to talk to you again in another one. Yeah. I hope so too.
All right, so 1, 2, 3, (Aww) Aww yeah! (yeah.)
