Remember learning language?

I don't.  It's like one of the most fundamental elements of our daily lives and I rarely recall picking it up.  When was the last time you used a word incorrectly or spoke a word incorrectly?  (we'll give everyone - myself included - a spelling and grammar pass.)

So I've been helping with Jacob's class by writing out the word wall word cards (a set of index cards that kids get each week with the words they are learning).  There are twenty kids in Jacob's class.  After writing the word "they" twenty times, you begin to wonder why would anyone (who didn't already know) would assume that the "ey" is pronounced as an "A"?  Or Allison's spelling words this week were "oy" sounds, which are sometimes oy - like employ, and sometimes oi like noise.


And it's not just reading but listening too, especially when your parents tend to use long words - like "recommended."  This one came up in the car last night when Jacob asked if it was impossible to swim across Little Lake Butte Des Morts ("b' you da more" - speaking of impossible pronunciation) and I said that it was not impossible but probably not recommended. 

Jacob - bless him - turns around and tries to use it in a sentence: Cartwheels are not recommended, that's why you have to practice.

Ah.... "not impossible" interpreted as "difficult."  More explanation into the definition of the word "recommended."  Jacob's revised sentence: Cartwheels are not easy, that's why you have to practice.  Ok - it doesn't use the word "recommended" but we'll go with it anyway.

Earlier in the day, we spend a long time with the more difficult concept of "extended family."  That was a long one because language is also nuanced (a word that we'll probably have to define sometime too).  BTW - the kids were sad to learn that Lauri's sisters and their kids were not going to be in Springfield for Christmas.  On a different note - Allison thought that Mackenzie would be a great candidate for president one day (that discussion happened later in the night as I was explaining why there had been no female presidents yet and we couldn't vote for a female president this time because the only one running was, well... crazy - so we were trying to think of good women who could be president).

In addition to the subtle points of definitions - there is the overwhelming challenge of hearing a word once and then trying to repeat it.  This offers some of the most amusing (from our perspective) elements of learning language, but we have to remind ourselves sometimes not to laugh.  For example, Jacob took to calling Oklahoma the "Alcohol State" (likely derived from Oklahoma State football).  How do you not chuckle at that?