7 months ago Sarah did not know one iota of English. As she began speaking in English, her words still had a very Chinese flavor to them. Mandarain does not end with closed sounds, but everything seems to be open at the end of a phrase. Now this is just an observation, don't take it for fact, but I haven't heard anything end at the back of the throat or with a persons lips closed in Mandarin. So she would say I like-a mama, or I want-a a cookie. Sometimes she still does this and it really can crack me up!
Anyway, Sarah has been here awhile now and has emersed in English. I have been ecstatic to hear her utter words like kitty, mommy, bed, and at this point my list could go on forever -because she knows so much.
However, I was stopped short yesterday when she asked me if she could take her bIIIIIble to Walmart with us.
I did not spell bible incorrectly in the sentence above. I hope that you can hear her say bIIIIble with the long i - stretched to an infinitesimal length. It is just the way a Native East Texan would have said it.
So quickly she has gone from being completely Chinese to being a Texas Cutie Pie.
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