Latest Brooklyn Trend, French Classes for Babies: Reasonable or Ridiculous?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/09/03 02:44:16

Related Topics: French, Classes, babies, Brooklyn, Trends

504 votes
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	Reasonable	238 votes	47%
	Ridiculous	266 votes	53%

They may not be able to speak, but the trendiest babies in Brooklyn are already attending French classes. During the Tuesday morning lessons, held at a local candy shop, the tots sing "Frère Jacques" and watch puppet show renditions of stories like “Les Trois Petit Chochons” (The Three Little Pigs.) It may sound a bit over the top, but a number of studies show that early exposure to a second language makes it easier to acquire new languages later in life.

"It’s really good to start those pathways forming at a very early age," said Lyndsey St. John, the Montessori-trained teacher of Baby French. "Anywhere from 8 months to 3 years is when children are really sponges. They’re picking up everything,” she added.

Sounds good in theory. But we’re curious to see if this makes any difference later in life. So SodaHeads, what do you think? Are French classes for babies reasonable or ridiculous?

+18

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CAPISCE 2012/09/03 03:22:32

Ridiculous

+15
French classes? What do they teach them not to take a bath?
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More polls by SodaHead Living

Piwan 2012/09/06 21:35:15

Ridiculous

WTF! What next..."Legoo goo, Le gagaaa!"

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♛Littlɘ Ǫuɘɘn~ƿɦɐɘϯ 2012/09/06 20:24:58

Reasonable

If French babies can learn to speak French, why not all babies?

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DP 2012/09/06 19:59:16

Reasonable

The people who are saying ridiculous are mostly doing so for stereotypical reasons. Reality check, I'm pretty sure that other countries when teaching their children English are like, "Say hamburger like the baby Americans do as their first word! Haha, they're all so fat!"

I think it's awesome, but it should be Spanish with all the Mexicans flooding our country for "La Reconquista."

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paul 2012/09/06 19:01:30

Ridiculous

wee wee

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MageBoySa 2012/09/06 15:30:26

Reasonable

It's really actually a good idea to teach children a second language at a very young age. though why French?

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TikkiPurdy 2012/09/06 01:18:23

Ridiculous

I could only keep up once I got in freaking 6th grade!

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sara 2012/09/05 23:47:53

Ridiculous

That is ridiculous if babies learn French at that age they couldn't even speak it.They are too young.They should be doing what a normal baby does PLAY.

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Aly Hart to sara 2012/09/06 04:52:27

+2
Hurr durr, if babies are introduced to languages early it makes it easier for them to pick up on them and become fluent. Obviously they're not going to pop out speaking perfect french, the point is to just dip their toes in it for now.

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Michaela★ 2012/09/05 20:42:00

Ridiculous

They dont even know how to speak! and when they do learn to speak the first language they should learn should be their homeland language, which in this case is english. duh.

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Aly Hart to Michaela★ 2012/09/06 04:56:10

+3
Hurr durr, if babies are introduced to languages early it makes it easier for them to pick up on them and become fluent when they get older. And considering this is in NYC, a place where MILLIONS of people from all different countries and cultures live together, learning more than just English is beneficial.

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Michaela★ to Aly Hart 2012/09/07 20:01:11

yeah I'm all for learning different languages young but not that young, they live in america, they should learn english first and then when a little older defitnely get into learning other languages.

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Enya 2012/09/05 20:10:01

Ridiculous

If they're just learning English, why would you confuse them with French?!?!

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imsmarter to Enya 2012/09/06 05:21:21

its not confusing its word associating. Children in that age group have great receptors for language. It easier for them.

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KeeganT... to Enya 2013/01/02 23:47:36

1. About a third of English words come from French, so you wouldn't be confusing them, you'd actually be helping them! (That's why there are so many words in English that end with a silent -e or -tion [e.g. confuse, destruction].)

2. That exposure makes learning languages easier for the kid later in life. I know personally - my mother played lullabies for me in at least 10 different languages, and now I can pick up a language as if it were second nature.

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eliza 2012/09/05 19:13:55

Ridiculous

Ok wen i had my forst born her dad spoke spanish aswell right nd wen he wanted to be involved in the pregnancy nd help me even though we wernt together he wanted to teach her spanish well i was like wtf shes australian and she will speak english first before any other language. Well after time he had nothing to do with his kid took him to get off hos arse and demand for a paternity test wen she was 2 mnths and ovcourse i hated his living guys for even denying her but i couldnt control what she was taight. Shes now 2 years old and can speak both english and spanish. Shes still learning spanish as shes starting to develop in acumulating words into sentences and she can also count to 3 in japanese! It is proven that childrens brains soak up more info than an adults thus irs hard for a grown adult to learn a 2nd language without heaps of difficulty.

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imsmarter to eliza 2012/09/06 05:21:51

+1
You can't even speak English.

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eliza to imsmarter 2012/09/06 06:55:14

Wtf yes I do do you need English lessons? U should have written you can't even write English! Moron! If your having a go at me for poor grammar sure go ahead doesn't mean I cantbspeak English fuk wit!!!!!!!

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imsmarter to eliza 2012/09/06 17:57:39

+1
What? I understood none of that.

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eliza to imsmarter 2012/09/09 15:43:33

Lol don't you read English?

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imsmarter to eliza 2012/09/09 15:46:24

cantbspeak? No... that's not English.

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eliza to imsmarter 2012/09/09 16:00:32
eliza to eliza 2012/09/09 16:01:09

Sory made a spelling mistake was ment to type acused*

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imsmarter to eliza 2012/09/09 16:10:26

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*Mahoga... to imsmarter 2012/09/06 17:58:40

So true lol.

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Ron Hanforth 2012/09/05 18:56:34

Ridiculous

why invest in a dying language?

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imsmarter to Ron Han... 2012/09/06 05:22:58

+2
French is spoken in 29 countries world wide.

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Ron Han... to imsmarter 2012/09/06 17:58:22

AND in those countries French is only spoken by a minority of the population!

Signs of decline are there...

their language is dying, both globally and within France itself.
Many French-speaking observers of the French language in Quebec point out its decline over the last few decades. Even a UK former Foreign Office minister has branded French a 'useless' modern language.

Ach!! Is French passe!!

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imsmarter to Ron Han... 2012/09/06 18:01:36

Not in Brooklyn... derp.
All our babies speak French here.

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Ron Han... to imsmarter 2012/09/06 18:05:15

and Brooklyn is the epicenter of the Franco universe?

I was born and raised there and this little fashion trend shall pass just has every other ethnic influence in the city has...

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*Mahoga... to imsmarter 2012/09/06 17:58:55

Exactly!

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Barbi Rose 2012/09/05 18:38:29

Ridiculous

+1
Lets be real Spanish would be far more useful

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imsmarter to Barbi Rose 2012/09/06 05:24:39

+1
French is spoken in 29 countries. Although I do speak Spanish and am ALSO teaching her that. We're a lot closer to Canada here in NY then any Spanish speaking nation.

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Barbi Rose to imsmarter 2012/09/06 14:26:36

Lets see in Maryland Often I had a hard time communicating because so many people spoke Spanish. Everywhere Polo signs (chicken) and bi-language signs. It was like I was visiting Mexico it's that bad. Most don't know or hardly know english. Go to a fast food place and it's english by committee. Never had the issue with Canada and we have more countries in north america and central america that speak spanish then french so no french is of little use around here.K

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BigKwell 2012/09/05 18:17:11

Ridiculous

Let the kids grow-up first, jackasses!

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imsmarter to BigKwell 2012/09/06 05:26:13

+3
Right... so learning new and beneficial skills isn't a part of going up? I can see thats how your parents raised you.

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Mike56 2012/09/05 17:50:43

Ridiculous

As everything "liberals" come up with

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Aly Hart to Mike56 2012/09/06 04:57:34

+3
> making everything about politics as usual.
> ignoring the point and practicality of the study.

Good job.

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Mike56 to Aly Hart 2012/09/23 02:38:44

there is nothing politics doesn't touch

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imsmarter to Mike56 2012/09/06 05:27:16

+3
RIGHHTTTT... the liberals! the liberals! god don't you get tired of saying the same thing over and over? 'MERICA FUC YEAH

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Mike56 to imsmarter 2012/09/23 02:39:53

I am more tired of seeng - you

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