tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post2144761769832269480..comments2024-02-07T02:40:14.765-05:00Comments on Stories 4 You: You Talk Funny #OurAuthorGangGoldenBoxBookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02469627613746535923noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-86865626313858586712017-06-14T18:30:25.113-04:002017-06-14T18:30:25.113-04:00True that, Erika. True that, Erika. Firetuliphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10657031771377559033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-71533294311193942272017-06-14T16:57:56.400-04:002017-06-14T16:57:56.400-04:00Thank you Ted! Growing up in Hungary it was natura...Thank you Ted! Growing up in Hungary it was natural that people spoke multiple languages. My mother was a business woman and she spoke five languages at conversational level. I constantly heard Polish, Romanian, Slovak, German, Russian words around me and when I listened to the conversation, I could pretty much guess what they were talking about. Since I moved to the US, I rarely speak other than Hungarian and English, therefore, I would have difficulties understanding the languages that I was familiar with, today. But, I'm sure that with a little practice it would come back. My mom told me once, "The more languages you learn, the more cultures you get to know and grow to respect." Erika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-66056011132484455062017-06-14T12:00:28.516-04:002017-06-14T12:00:28.516-04:00A splendid publishing idea, Erika, that I hope gar...A splendid publishing idea, Erika, that I hope garners a lot of attention. This book concept serves so many useful functions while not violating its compact with potential readers as a vehicle for entertainment. Highly commendable.<br /><br />The tutorial on the cognitive benefits of multilingualism brings a scientific basis to something we've always intuited. Like any good exercise in brain functions, learning to discern in multiple languages has benefits beyond communication and humanistic/cultural understanding. The brain's ability to fight off decrepitude is enhanced. Wonderful.<br /><br />Makes me wistful over having lost the facility I once possessed for speaking English/Polish in a bilingual household that lost its immigrant roots over time. And to further lament that I have *sniff* no one to speak Latin with on a daily basis---O, mihi lachrimae!<br /><br />Kudos for this book idea and multipurpose story.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15836588954473087281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-19388513580754539922017-06-14T06:51:35.859-04:002017-06-14T06:51:35.859-04:00Speaking two or more languages is certainly not a ...Speaking two or more languages is certainly not a disability :) Discrimination is learned and it is very hard to break. Those people thought to feel superior to others who don't have the same beliefs, color or ethnicity. They don't even attempt to know the person behind the accent or racial appearance, they automatically put that person they learned to hate and looked down on in a box that is reserved for unworthy people in their minds. Some of them are willing to change, others don't even try because the negative feelings were installed by their parents so deeply that they're not able to change it.<br />Too bad for them, they miss out on meeting a lot of wonderful peopleErika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-59361527244494521432017-06-13T19:55:37.148-04:002017-06-13T19:55:37.148-04:00Speaking another language or two or even three or ...Speaking another language or two or even three or more no matter how well, was considered an asset in my country. I was shocked to find out that's not the same on this continent. Yet, those who speak French have the doors open to many jobs in Canada, especially when applying for the government positions. <br />When it comes to book reviewers, they seem quick to point out errors in the book to authors with foreign names, yet, I read their books and could say the same. I'm super diligent about catching the errors but somehow people seem to find them no matter how many times I proofread my work. I just don't know anymore. Things could be said in different ways in English and their way isn't correct any more than my is wrong. These 'reviewers' and critiquers are usually monolingual. <br />So, embrace your bi or multi lingual and enjoy it. It's been proven time and again that it's beneficial. And yes, I remember studying early childhood education where bilingual was listed as disability, the correct wording was ESL as in English as Second Language. I hope this is no longer seen as disability but rather the advantage.Firetuliphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10657031771377559033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-22165023126951705722017-06-13T12:01:03.405-04:002017-06-13T12:01:03.405-04:00Sounds intriguing ;)Sounds intriguing ;)Erika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-42708266823095360442017-06-13T11:42:32.376-04:002017-06-13T11:42:32.376-04:00Thank you Mary Anne :)Thank you Mary Anne :)Erika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-91041586659563389602017-06-13T11:37:53.879-04:002017-06-13T11:37:53.879-04:00Wow, Erika! Hat's off to you. What an inspirat...Wow, Erika! Hat's off to you. What an inspiration!Mary Anne Yardehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11350612918063788778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-46771832429804786662017-06-13T09:33:42.569-04:002017-06-13T09:33:42.569-04:00Thank you for your insight into growing up in Amer...Thank you for your insight into growing up in America not being able to speak English. It was really fun learning this about you and I understand now why you wrote books in Spanish and English. I would love to have my book someday available in Spanish since the spells I created for my book are based on the Spanish alphabet. Mackenzie Flohrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03822638758299647713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-10495805332232152742017-06-13T07:45:04.584-04:002017-06-13T07:45:04.584-04:00Thank you Rick! Unfortunately it's true that d...Thank you Rick! Unfortunately it's true that discrimination is everywhere. Being treated by some people as a foreigner in the country I chose to live in is just a very small part of it. People who lack compassion and knowledge reject others because they're not exactly like them. They might ridicule skin color, ethnicity, beliefs, being overweight or very skinny, they treat people with psoriasis, burn scars or deformity and disability like lepers, just because they refuse to educate themselves. Yes, it's easier to make fun of something they know very little about than learn about the person or condition they're making fun of. Erika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-21609068189401793042017-06-13T07:30:53.806-04:002017-06-13T07:30:53.806-04:00What an amazing achievement Erika. To write and pu...What an amazing achievement Erika. To write and publish a bi-lingual book is no mean feat and must have been a hard slog. Discrimination is everywhere and I'm pleased that you triumphed.ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03612603666296881239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-54510384677635109492017-06-13T07:27:01.721-04:002017-06-13T07:27:01.721-04:00Thank you Cristina! British English with a Spanish...Thank you Cristina! British English with a Spanish accent must sound unique and interesting! Yes, kids are not born with the ability to judge, discriminate or make fun of others, they learn it from the adults around them. Erika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-62495747311565433502017-06-13T07:23:02.296-04:002017-06-13T07:23:02.296-04:00Thank you Joe! Things change quickly but people ne...Thank you Joe! Things change quickly but people need time to change. It's so wonderful to hear that your young cousins don't have to face the discrimination you did as a child. Their grandparents changed a little and their parents changed more and showed example to their kids not to judge people because of their ethnicity, color, or just because they learning a new language and they "talk funny" Erika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-74354435141688191522017-06-13T07:08:59.248-04:002017-06-13T07:08:59.248-04:00Excellent commentary.
I also have an accent, so I ...Excellent commentary.<br />I also have an accent, so I know firsthand what it is to be discriminated because of the way I speak.<br />I learned British English at school, so that it’s what I spoke when I went to the US. Granted, I spoke British English with a Spanish accent, so I confused Americans even more. <br />When my granddaughter was in first grade I use to go every Wednesday to her school and read to her class. None of those children made fun of me. They all thought I talked funny, however none of them judged me. Nevertheless, they all understood every word I said and all of them loved my readings. <br />Cristina Grauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15737884923759275950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-58913226806588049382017-06-13T06:57:28.987-04:002017-06-13T06:57:28.987-04:00Fantastic article, Erika. I learned a few things a...Fantastic article, Erika. I learned a few things about you I didn't know, and gained new insight into why you write bilingual stories for children and young adults. I grew up in a bilingual family, but the Sicilian dialect I was speaking when I was 3 and 4 was soon forgotten by the time I was 5 or 6, as I started to learn English so I could go to school with the other 'Mericano kids. Growing up in a Sicilian neighborhood, I did not encounter anything more than a lot of street-fights between the Italians and Sicilians. But when I left "the hood" and started working, I met a lot of people who did not like my ethnic group, which really shocked me. Today I watch my 3rd and 4th generation cousins playing with their multi-ethnic and multi-racial groups of friends, and it's wonderful because this is not discouraged as it was in my day, and it's the best for the kids: they do not judge others the way so many adults do. The bad words among these kids are not the "swear words" --- they are the ethnic and racial slurs, which they will not tolerate. I truly envy anyone who can speak more than one language, and especially those who have mastered English as a second language. That's my Dad's family: Sicilian first, English second. Bravo, Erika -- and thank you for showing me how special and fun it is to write for kids.Joe Bonadonnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08053954733485203286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-35714843627444341512017-06-13T04:36:33.379-04:002017-06-13T04:36:33.379-04:00Thank you Tima Maria! Yes, times change but some p...Thank you Tima Maria! Yes, times change but some people don't. They feel the need to ridicule someone so they can feel better about themselves. They can't help it, that's what they learned growing up. Children who didn't learn to hate yet need stories to shows them that with a little compassion, we can make this world a better place. Erika M Szabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183807132586480431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630863509044352054.post-29129496498914503502017-06-13T02:28:23.225-04:002017-06-13T02:28:23.225-04:00Fabulous reason to write a bilingual book, Erika. ...Fabulous reason to write a bilingual book, Erika. My own family experienced the same as you when they emigrated from the Czech Republic to Australia in 1950. Seems nothing much has changed no matter where you go.Tima Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12452821656662304913noreply@blogger.com