In order to map out the Hungarian culture of participation, in 2023 we will pay extra attention to those initiatives and actions that are somehow linked to ambition. Amigos for Children’s most recent book on foreign language development, published by Kolibri Kiadó, is an important example of local involvement in both its method and purpose. In our previous article, we already wrote about the book show in Budapest, and this time we will give a critique of it.
He has come a long way, starting with the children’s clinic on Tűzoltó Street Amigos Children’s Foundation, whose primary business is to smuggle fun into the daily lives of children in need of long-term therapy. This year, the non-profit organization promoting fun (language) learning, a Colibri Publishing House in care, Warsaw Orsi He published his fourth publications with his drawings, which invite those interested in foreign cultures on a flight of fancy even from a hospital bed.
Already the previous organization You are a linguistic mess His volume is also titled Language Learning: He molds learning the simplest words and expressions of sixteen different languages into playful tasks. Accordingly, two more “Friends” action books (in English and German) have been published, as well as a series of hilarious mission books, in which two superheroes, Abigail and Aldar, visit the most unique landscapes in the world.
Like its predecessors, it is A world famous find. – Language guide for adventurers And it wasn’t made just for “indoor use,” ever since A colorful and informative leaflet can also be of great help outside the hospital walls, for example in choosing a foreign language for (younger) students.. The guide presents eight countries (Australia, Austria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Jordan, Canada, Italy and Portugal) from a linguistic and cultural point of view, Gastronomythe colloquialthe Traditions and holidaysthe Milestonesthe Historical symbols and the Culture Pop Art She delves into her subjects, combining the statistical properties of children’s atlases with the diverse world of languages and travel books. The help of the Internet may be required to solve some puzzles or puzzles, and they are marked with a smartphone icon in the folder, thus encouraging readers to do independent research “beyond volume”, which can also be interpreted as the real purpose of the guide.
Matei, the little world traveler, accompanies us on our adventures around the country (next to volunteer helper Amigos). In some places he explains the technical terms of the foreign origin, in other places he invites you to solve problems, and at the end of the chapters he says goodbye in the language of the given country. Introductions to each country begin with a nice, striped map, with information bubbles on it, including the name of the capital, currency, form of government, and, in some cases, the country’s designated ruler (the volume is so new that the ruler of the United Kingdom is actually Charles III).
As perhaps best to engage young readers through their stomachs, each “real” excursion begins with a gastronomic review in Hungarian, which is usually followed by food assignments, menu planners or recipe puzzles in a foreign language. In more places than these – for example, already in the first chapter dealing with the United Kingdom – There are minor matching errors regarding singular and plural numbers (For example, “eggs” are listed as “eggs” not “eggs,” and “mushrooms” aren’t just a piece of “mushrooms”).
By the way, coordination problems also occur in syllables of Hungarian text, along with word repetition and phrase rotation; As if the linguistic diversity is sadly combined with the simplicity of the Hungarian language in many places. Of course, all this can be explained by the nature of the book as a development book, but – and this is both a disadvantage and an advantage of the publication – the guide does not have a specific target age group.
The most classic part of the volume that is reminiscent of a language book is the table of slang words found in each chapter, however, In some places the exact dialect and name of the local dialects just compared are missing. This appears prominently perhaps only in the chapter dealing with the United Kingdom and its countries, but by “visiting” Jordan, for example, in addition to slang words, we can also learn about basic expressions important in everyday life, such as “exchange”.
As part of the linguistic and cultural definition, traditions, holidays, attractions, and historical figures join the newer, trendier lists of pop culture: names of bands, singers, athletes, actors, and other public figures (the volume also includes TikToker as a profession), slightly clumsy word translation tasks, Harry’s quiz Potter, crossword puzzles and mazes summary.
Just as sticky visas are collected in passports that can even be snapped off the end of a book, the promise of a second world travel book constantly floats before us, in which young adventurers will be able to learn about nine countries that are also better known and that are more linguistically accessible. The guide written and corrected by Amigósereg is a demanding publication overall and despite minor thematic, grammatical and logical errors, a creative skill development book that can be a real help in developing everyday language learning strategies and making it more fun. However, it is probably not so important for us to know what the world-famous discovery is promised in the title (besides, of course, learning languages \u200b\u200bis cool) …
Featured image: Amigos Children’s Foundation websitethe
