1 ~In response to the video "Cat and Cucumber"~
Hello! In this video, Yume-chanWhy are cats afraid of cucumbers?He is giving a lecture on the topic.
Yume-chan's lesson is not just to say superficially, "Cats are apparently afraid of cucumbers,"
- Why does this reaction occur? (Because it resembles a snake)
- Why is it so surprising? (Because it appears unexpectedly)
That is,"Cause and effect relationship"We provide easy-to-understand explanations.
It was not just a matter of imparting knowledge, but rather a content that gave the impression of "mental growth as we seek to understand the emotions and phenomena of living things."
2 ~The ability to "learn in English" as seen in Yume-chan's lectures~
Yume-chan's videos include the English she has learned through DWE and Besty's Home English.
- Thinking in English
- Understand and explain in English
This power is clearly evident.
Developing language not just as a skill, but as a tool that connects knowledge and thinking.
This is the most important idea in Besty's Home English.
3 ~Principles common to cat behavior and humans~
A cat sees a cucumber and mistakenly thinks it's a snake.
Feeling uneasy, I jump up...
- A long green object (cucumber)
- A surprise that suddenly appears before your eyes (similar to a ghost phenomenon)
This combination is a "worst case scenario" for cats.
Yume-chan said this,Clear explanations in natural languageHe did it for me.
In this way, it is not just a matter of conveying the phenomenon,The ability to think about causal relationships, such as "why something happens"Besty aims to naturally nurtureSpiral growth of knowledgeis.
4. About linguistic expression
Among the English expressions in the video:
- Third person singular present tense s missing
- Misuse of the verb "be"
- A small mistake in the comparative form of happy
Also seen were:
But these are all
It is something that occurs naturally in the process of language acquisition using the native language method, and as awareness is organized, it will naturally be corrected to be used accurately in the future..
Language
It is not something that is "taught"Like one's native language, "it is something that you embody as your own language"
To perceive it as such.
This is the important principle of Besty's Home English.
We hope you will continue to watch over Yume-chan's growth with warmth and enjoyment.
Besty Home Learning Institute
~Introduction to important grammar~
0:15-0:18
your kitties are scared of cucumbers?
be scared of～
0:28-0:32
If your kitty meet a furious animal,
If Construction If...
1:04-1:08
But let's learn about few things of it.
a few ~ a few, a few
1:22-1:24
They think It's a snake.
S + think (that) ～ I think ～
1:38-1:45
if your kitty sees a furious animal like a big dog,
like ～ like ～
1:55-1:58
fur will be bigger, and it's like.
2:08-2:12
And it's will be More scared and then,
bigger comparative form
More scared comparative form: more scared
※In this way, Yume-chan,The comparative form of big is bigger, and the comparative form of scared is more..
2:39-2:41
And maybe the pooch will go away.
go away to leave the place, to go somewhere
3:14-3:19
And something like a ghost appears in front of your friends or you.
in front of ～
3:53-3:59
So, don't do those things and Make your kitty happy.
make + O + C (causative verb)
- Summary of correct and incorrect English expressions -
0:28-0:32
【Incorrect】If your kitty meet a furious animal,
【Correct】If your kitty meets a furious animal,
[Explanation]
You forgot to add an "s" in the third person singular present tense.
0:42-0:50
[Incorrect]there's three cases; fight or be scared or be like,
【Correct】there are three cases; fight or be scared or be like,
[Explanation]
Since the present tense is used and the subject is plural, the verb to be is "are."
0:50-0:54
【Incorrect】Um.. it's like freezing.
[Correct] Um.. it's like freeze.
[Explanation]
As this is a continuation of the previous sentence, the correct forms would be fight, be scared, or freeze, but here Yume is speaking colloquially, thinking of things as they come to mind, so she says it's freezing only at the end to describe the cat's frozen state.
2:08-2:12
[Incorrect]And it's will be more scared and then,
[Correct] and it will be more scared and then,
[Explanation]
After "will" comes the verb "be."
So there is no need for the verb "to be" here.
3:03-3:06
[Incorrect] They're scared because it's magically appears
[Correct] They're scared because it magically appears
[Explanation]
There is a verb called "appears."
So there is no need for the verb "to be" here.
3:07-3:10
[Before correction] Like, you are smoothing and
[After modification] Like, you are chilling and
[Explanation]
The word "smooth" is used when a person has a calm personality..
When people are relaxing,relaxorchillWe use.
It's not grammatically incorrect, but I don't want to call it a 【Mistake】, so I've marked it as 【Correction】🐱
4:03-4:08
[Incorrect] Then your kitty will be more happier and more like
【Correct】Then your kitty will be happier and more like
[Explanation]
The comparative of "happy" is "happier," so more is not necessary.
Use "much" for emphasis.
Bestie's thoughts on grammatical errors
As those who study English will know, there are some grammatical errors in the English that Yume-chan speaks in the video.
However, Besty's goal is not to enable children to immediately become proficient in proper English (the so-called "correct English for Japanese entrance exams").
They believe that if they focus on things like "You need to use 'the' here" or "It's wrong to have 'in' here" and try to correct every single mistake, it will discourage children from using English, even though they are having fun learning it and are actively trying to use it, and they will end up disliking English.
What's even more important is that at Besty, when raising children bilingually in Japanese and English, we encourage them to learn and use their native language, just as they do so.The aim is to "learn English naturally, intuitively, and through application."That's why.
If adults place too much emphasis on getting children to speak using so-called correct grammar, children will not be able to learn how to use language in an intuitive way, like how we naturally and intuitively learned and became proficient in Japanese.
Rather, the reason why Yume-chan is now able to speak English as well as a native speaker and her English ability is improving rapidly is because she is absorbing English in the same way that a native Japanese speaker learns Japanese."It's because I can use words intuitively."I think so.
Therefore, I don't directly correct Yume-chan's English mistakes.
It's only natural that children will make mistakes when they speak English, but I'm actually really looking forward to watching Yume's growth process, seeing how she will use English as she grows, correct and improve her English expressions, and turn them into adult English.
