The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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I read 'Guiding Two Ways' (TL59,2) with growing amusement and recognition. I have been a guide in Oxford for 15 years and Sue Hyde's recollections reminded me of my own linguistically-challenged moments. I usually guide in English and French, but at times I am asked to stray into an additional vernacular, and it is always the duck that gets me. I should explain. At All Souls' College, Oxford, the Mallard Dinner takes place once a century. The 'Lord Mallard' is carried around the quad on a sedan chair in a procession led by a man with a wooden duck on the end of a stick. I was once faced unexpectedly with an eager crowd of Spaniards and I began to explain the story of the pavo real. I had repeated pavo real at least four times when it struck me that it means 'peacock' rather than 'mallard duck' (pato real). All eyes were on me and I was just reaching the punchline, so to speak. Should I interrupt the flow and correct myself? Did it matter which bird I was talking about? Was the essence of the story in the duck or in the ludicrous traditions of the UK's top university? I'll leave what I did to your imagination. On another occasion, I was guiding two Latvians, who turned out to speak no English. We all spoke Russian. Again, the Mallard Dinner story. Could I remember the Russian for duck? No. I attempted to get round the 30 The Linguist Vol/59 No/4 2020 thelinguist.uberflip.com OPINION & COMMENT Email linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk with your views Guiding and the 'duck' problem Bilingual care S 1 O M 2 A L 3 I A 4 B 5 R A 6 V E 7 M E I C A B P A 8 R A M A I C N 9 A R C O L N I E T A N L 10 O T U S N 11 A U G H T Y O T A M E 12 S P 13 A N A G 14 R 15 U M P Y N E C 16 O T 17 U R K I 18 Y E M 19 E N 20 S A 21 I F V L A O U C 22 R E D O T 23 E N U R E D E C R I C G I D 24 O T T Y C 25 L E M E N T problem. "Quack, quack!" I said confidently. "Kvak, kvak… da, lyagushka" ('yes, a frog'), said the Latvians, which just goes to remind us that animals make different noises in different languages. Sue signed off with a well-known guides' greeting: 'See you on the streets!' I am hoping this little piece of guiding dialect can be used again confidently as soon as possible. In the meantime, kvak, kvak. Victoria Bentata Azaz MCIL Crossword solution Puzzle opposite Vanessa Manoli's letter (TL59,3) stirred memories of raising three children bilingually. My husband is Spanish Basque and I am English. We met in London when he came to work and learn English. I had a rusty Spanish A level but we always spoke English. While he finished his medical studies in Spain, I did a BA in Applied Language Studies. We arrived in Madrid in the mid-1970s with a baby and added two more. At the time, bilingualism was not valued and in our neighbourhood there were no English speakers. French was the main taught language. We used English between us and our children always spoke it at home. In 1980, we moved to the Basque Country. English was beginning to be taught in schools, but Basque was being revived. We had to choose between three models: teaching in Spanish with Basque as a subject; teaching in Basque with Spanish as a subject; or half Spanish, half Basque. We chose the first, as we were uncertain how they would cope with an education in a third language. We soon realised that being bilingual gave them an advantage and they learnt Basque quickly. In 1984 we received the first copies of The Bilingual Family Newsletter, which gave us confidence to continue. In these pre-internet days, we had to search for resources, and my parents sent regular packages of comics. On trips to England we bought cassettes and books, and the children spent time without us in the homes of friends and family. We always used English in family interactions. The key is to be consistent; if one parent is not fluent, 'one person, one language' can be used. It is vital to show that bilingualism is an asset; they all took the Cambridge Proficiency Certificate. Our oldest now works in Galicia as an interpreter and translator. Her sister lives in France and is raising her children bilingually with her French husband. We help with subscriptions to English magazines, regular visits and Skype calls. Our son lives in England; his daughter, who has Down's syndrome, is learning Spanish vocabulary and expressions. I wish Vanessa success in her experience of raising bilingual children; the effort is worthwhile and the children will not regret it. Carol Elsden de Digón MCIL © SHUTTERSTOCK