Parlez-vous "childrenese" feature article essay
... decipher the meaning of ‘Childrenese’. “Childrenese is a hidden form of language used by children meaning what they say and the underlying meaning of the response to the question is different. The article appeals to the older age group, mainly parents and people who care for younger children, including teenagers. The purpose of the article is to make people aware of this newly discovered language that children have been speaking since they could communicate with us. Hester Mundis uses a direct approach when speaking about ‘Childrenese’. The opening the article is to the point, very crisp and clear, Mundis starts talking about how hard it is being in a foreign country and not being able to understand the language being spoken, and then successfully relates that problem to how hard it is to understand what your child is actually saying when they give you a response. An example of this is when a simple statement like, ‘I’m not hungry’ is used. The meaning is perfectly clear, the speaker is without appetite. Except if the speaker happens to be speaking ‘Childrenese’. When the kid says, ‘I’m not hungry’, it would mean “I know we’re having liver for dinner. Or, “Alex and I haven’t finished our monopoly game yet”. It is this type of situation that Mundis refers to consistently throughout her article. Kids saying one thing however they actually mean something else. The cartoon drawings around the article help ...