Portuguese or Spanish: a WWYD

[jenn-]

DD has had a little bit of Latin and a little bit of Spanish (both were the Getting Started with... series). Latin got quickly to a point that it went over both of our heads. I took Spanish for several years so I figured I could help her with her work, and although I can, it will never get her to a conversational level. Recently one of the guys my DH works with married a Brazilian lady and DH said maybe she could work with DD if she wanted to take up Portuguese. So do I continue down the road of Spanish without a chance of her getting to speak locally to a native speaker (we just don't know anyone fluent here but I guess she could call my SIL in TX), or switch her over to Portuguese where we might be able to get her a local tutor?

[Chris in VA]

Wellll--

I think I'd go with Spanish. There are a ton of people who speak it, and finding a tutor would be easy. It may not be someone you know, but trust me, it's going to be easy to find someone.

 

It's a lot more useful, and your kiddo can practice by watching movies with the Spanish language choice turned on, or the "Spanish channel" that just about every TV carries...Plus, more countries speak Spanish than Portuguese, so it's better for travel...

 

UNLESS--

 

If your child REALLY wants to learn it, go for it. :D

[Melinda in VT]

I'd go with Spanish. It's much easier to find resources (books, videos, TV shows, etc.) in Spanish.

 

Have you looked for Spanish classes and tutors in your area? I live in rural Vermont (not a hopping spot for Latinos), and I know of two native speakers who teach classes and tutor.

[eternalknot]

I'll dissent and say that I tend to favor the here and now, so I'd go with the Portuguese.

 

I don't think I'd totally abandon Spanish, though, just maybe put it on the back burner.

 

Even if she never reaches fluency in Port., the experience (maybe even confidence) gained from first-hand instruction would prove valuable for any language she learns downstream ... particularly another Romance language. I guess my thoughts are: couldn't hurt and doesn't have to be either/or.

 

Good luck, what a great opportunity!

[jenn-]

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking since she was only in 7th grade that a couple of years of Portuguese before switching to Spanish for high school might be nice. I know they are different, but there is a small bit of crossover according to one of my Spanish professors that got stuck in an elevator filled with Brazilians once.

[Ibbygirl]

ooops double post. Sorry. :)

[Ibbygirl]

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking since she was only in 7th grade that a couple of years of Portuguese before switching to Spanish for high school might be nice. I know they are different, but there is a small bit of crossover according to one of my Spanish professors that got stuck in an elevator filled with Brazilians once.

 

There is a lot of similarity between Spanish and Portuguese and that can be a good thing or a bad thing depending upon how you look at it. I speak Spanish and I can understand a lot of what i hear in Portuguese and what I read in Portuguese, but I cannot speak it. Every time I try to speak Portuguese it comes out Spanish. They're just too close. Fortunately everyone I have ever spoken with that was a native Portuguese speaker understands me when I speak to them in Spanish and I understand them when they speak to me in Portuguese, but if the ultimate goal is for your child to learn to speak one language well, then I could see that possibly causing some problems down the road trying to remember which word belongs to what language, kwim? If you want her to speak Portuguese and that's what she wants to learn then I'd say go for it with the Brazilian lady. If however your ultimate goal is for your dd to learn Spanish then it might be tricky for her to keep them separated in her head if she's studied Portuguese and then studies Spanish, kwim?

Edited September 7, 2012 by Ibbygirl

[Melinda in VT]

Does the Portuguese woman have any interest in teaching your daughter? In the OP it sounds like this is something your DH suggested to you. I'm unclear if the woman has expressed any interest.

 

There is a big difference between someone who has thought about how to teach a language to someone and someone who just happens to speak the language. (Yes, babies learn just by being surrounded by native speakers, but that's not the most efficient way to learn. At a couple of hours of exposure a week, your daughter isn't going to learn much anytime soon.)

[jenn-]

There is a lot of similarity between Spanish and Portuguese and that can be a good thing or a bad thing depending upon how you look at it. I speak Spanish and I can understand a lot of what i hear and Portuguese and what I read in Portuguese, but I cannot speak it. Every time I try to speak Portuguese it comes out Spanish. They're just too close. Fortunately everyone I have ever spoken with that was a native Portuguese speaker understands me when I speak to them in Spanish and I understand them when they speak to me in Portuguese, but if the ultimate goal is for your child to learn to speak one language well, then I could see that possibly causing some problems down the road trying to remember which word belongs to what language, kwim? If you want her to speak Portuguese and that's what she wants to learn then I'd say go for it with the Brazilian lady. If however your ultimate goal is for your dd to learn Spanish then it might be tricky for her to keep them separated in her head if she's studied Portuguese and then studies Spanish, kwim?

 

This has crossed my mind as well.

 

Does the Portuguese woman have any interest in teaching your daughter? In the OP it sounds like this is something your DH suggested to you. I'm unclear if the woman has expressed any interest.

 

There is a big difference between someone who has thought about how to teach a language to someone and someone who just happens to speak the language. (Yes, babies learn just by being surrounded by native speakers, but that's not the most efficient way to learn. At a couple of hours of exposure a week, your daughter isn't going to learn much anytime soon.)

 

I actually haven't met the lady, but DH makes it sound like the lady's DH thinks she needs something to do. As you can imagine, she doesn't have many friends here yet (just married a couple of weeks ago). I would be starting her on a curriculum here at home and only using the lady as a conversational instructor. One of these weekends DH and I will have to go on a double date with this guy and his wife so I can feel out the situation.

[Laurie4b]

This has crossed my mind as well.

 

 

 

I actually haven't met the lady, but DH makes it sound like the lady's DH thinks she needs something to do. As you can imagine, she doesn't have many friends here yet (just married a couple of weeks ago). I would be starting her on a curriculum here at home and only using the lady as a conversational instructor. One of these weekends DH and I will have to go on a double date with this guy and his wife so I can feel out the situation.

 

I agree with IbbyGirl. Even as a conversational partner, a person has to be pretty savvy about teaching. I've tried it before even with other homeschooling moms and it really didn't work all that well and we really tried. It's not going to give her fluency. It may help with her pronunciation, but it's more likely to help you with yours.

 

As the years go on, you'll find a lot of very good Spanish programs out there. There isn't the same number of Portuguese programs. If you have Brazilian connections, it still might be a great choice, but if the only reason you're thinking of it is the availability of this woman, I am guessing that the benefits may be less than you are thinking they might be.