The best way to teach a language to children is to make it as lively and fun as possible, says Veronique Tadjo, an award-winning writer and newly appointed head of French studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Tadjo, who was born in the Ivory Coast, was awarded the Grand Prize for African Literature — 2005 for her book, Reine Pokou. Her other titles include As the Crow Flies and The Shadow of Imana, which is about the genocide in Rwanda.
Her children’s books include Mamy Wata and The Monster and The Lucky Grain of Corn. Tadjo received her doctorate from the Sorbonne, Paris, in African American literature and civilization.
Clearly passionate about language, she says that when teachers introduce learners to a new language, it should not ‘require much material. They should bring visual aids to show that language is alive and the use of pictures and music will trigger the imagination of children. Young children want to be intellectually stimulated.”
She explains that is easy for young children to learn a new language as ‘children don’t have too many things on their minds. Their minds are blank pages that are filled as they go along. Children are not afraid to learn new things and they don’t have prejudices. They are open to things.”
From her time in South Africa, she has observed that the quality of French as a matric subject tends to be good as in some cases matriculants are admitted straight into second year French studies at university.
Tadjo aims to raise the profile of French studies at the university, in the light of Africa having more than 20 French speaking countries and she is encouraging students to consider this discipline.
She says that since 1994 South Africa has strengthened ties with counties in Africa and opportunities have opened up and it is, therefore, apt to learn to communicate with people in their own language.
‘Now is a good time to take French or other European languages,” she says.
Tadjo says that there is a perception that French is a difficult language to learn. ‘Any language is difficult if you want to speak it well.” However, some people tend to have an unjust perception of French — they associate it with France.
She points out that just as the spoken English language differs from Nigeria to Ghana, so too does the French language and this is applicable in any country depending on factors including the level of education of the population.