Claire, on the other hand, didn’t really pick up the Aussie accent until she entered kindergarten this year. We attributed that to the fact that there was not as much language interaction in preschool, both amongst peers and with teachers, and because she was still at home for 4 days out of 7. But now that she has started full-day kindergarten, she has got the same Aussie accent at school.
It is interesting to listen when they are playing with peers but in our presence- they switch back and forth between accents so deftly, but there are always slip-ups. Now they speak in Aussie for so much of their day that even the whining comes at me in Aussie! I assured them the other day that if there was one thing more annoying than hearing my children whine, it was listening to them whine in Australian accents. I have to admit that, although I am thrilled that my children have the opportunity to be a part of every aspect of Australian life, I often find it very unnerving when they speak to me directly with the accent. It can be a surreal experience- as if it is not my child speaking to me, although my child is physically present.
As Lachlan is at home, he does not yet have the accent. But he has started pronouncing certain words the way Australians do, most likely because he has seen it that way on children’s tv. Zebra is said with a short “”, helicopter is said “hel--copter” and airplane is “aer-O-plane”.
Last night, Claire tip-toed into our room at 3AM. Mommy-radar alerted, I asked her what she needed. She proceeded to whisper that she was awake and couldn’t get back to sleep- all in Aussie.
So, this has led me to contemplate- What accent do my children dream in?
Anne
