Articles about 'Languages'
May 23rd, 2013
Italian singer and songwriter, Giada de Gioia sent us the following song with this note, "I’d like to submit this song. I am the author of both lyrics and music. It was awarded in Bimbofestival 2011 as best lyrics of the whole competition. Published by Map Milano Italy."
Here’s the mp3 recording, the song lyrics in...
May 19th, 2013
Here’s the French poem Le Thé (Tea) by Théodore de Banville with an mp3 recording. After the poem you’ll find an English translation.
MP3 of Le Thé
Le Thé
Miss Ellen, versez-moi le Thé Dans la belle tasse chinoise, Où des poissons d’or cherchent noise ...
May 17th, 2013
Here’s a lovely poem about The Wind by Robert Louis Stevenson with a couple of mp3 renditions.
MP3 of The Wind
2nd MP3 of The Wind
The Wind
I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies’ skirts across the grass–
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind,...
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May 10th, 2013
Debra wrote asking for help with a Yiddish rhyme:
The following has been passed down through the ages (at least 150 years) by my mothers family, though we can only guess what the words mean now or the correct spelling of the words. I am hoping you may recognize it or be able to decipher it...
May 10th, 2013
Jeff wrote asking for help with a Yiddish song. Here’s his email:
Hi,
I grew up reciting a Yiddish rhyme or song where we pinched the skin on the back of each others hands and bobbed them up and down while saying something like (and I’m just writing what it sounded like):
"Sipicle sipicle amadal, kimsimir and kamadal,...
May 10th, 2013
Reduplications are words or phrases that contain a duplicated element. An example is the phrase "riffraff". The two parts of the word are almost the same (i.e. "riff" and "raff"), but they have a small change (the vowels).
When you have a rhyming reduplication, the duplicated element rhymes with the original element in the phrase. ...
May 9th, 2013
Rachel wrote looking for help with an Italian song:
My Italian grandmother used to sing to me a song that went something like.
Peter peter pastela. canavane canela canela cususi felule mascule di...
May 9th, 2013
Jeff Gilpin sent this lullaby with the following note, "Here is a song I wrote after visiting my wife’s sister in Ayase which is outside of Tokyo, Japan. I think it is very kid friendly and I hope you like it add it to your list of children songs. It is called Ayase Lullaby. Here...
May 8th, 2013
Peter wrote asking for help with a song his grandmother sang him. Here’s his email:
Hello, I was hoping you’d be able to help with a song my grandmother sang to us when we were kids. It seems nobody can remember the whole thing but it starts like this:
"There was a young man who lived on...
May 8th, 2013
Kim wrote asking for help with a Russian song. Here’s her email:
I believe this is a Russian folk song I learned at school many years ago. I am unable to remember the last verse, but I do remember the tune. I would appreciate any help to fill in the blanks I believe it ends with,...
May 3rd, 2013
MP3 of Hope is the thing with feathers
"Hope" is the thing with feathers By Emily Dickinson
"Hope" is the thing with feathers- That perches in the soul- And sings the tune without the words- And never stops-at all-
And sweetest-in the Gale-is heard- ...
May 2nd, 2013
Jen wrote to me looking for help with a childhood rhyme. Here’s her email:
I stumbled onto your site while looking for an answer to an age-old family question. When I was a little girl, my grandma and grandpa, both of whom were Portuguese, used to recite a rhyme to me in Portuguese while...
April 26th, 2013
Booktrust did a survey of over 2,500 people in the UK to determine the top nursery rhymes. Here they are with links to their lyrics (most of the links have mp3’s or videos too):
1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
2. Incey Wincey Spider
3. Round And Round The Garden
4. Baa Baa Black Sheep
5. The...
April 24th, 2013
Here’s a musical video to inspire kids to speak French. The song is called J’aime parler français. Enjoy! -Mama Lisa
April 17th, 2013
Monique was here visiting from France for the past two weeks and we worked on creating Spanish and French versions of our books and apps. (They should be available soon.)
Here’s a link to our current books and apps.
April 17th, 2013
French Pronunciation is a site that helps you improve your French pronunciation. You can listen to recordings of the sounds you find difficult to pronounce and then practice along with them.
April 1st, 2013
"La nuit porte conseil" is French for "sleep on it". It means, think about it overnight and don’t make a decision until tomorrow… often good advice!
The photo is this saying on the door of a Broom closet in Herald Square (New York).
–Mama Lisa
March 26th, 2013
Debbie wrote from Japan about cherry blossoms, which are called sakura in Japanese. Spring is a favorite time to view the sakura and have picnics. Here’s what Debbie wrote:
Everything comes in sakura colors right now. Doughnuts. Noodles. Even the exercise ladies in my morning exercise show were wearing sakura-colored t-shirts. Never mind that the cherry...
March 23rd, 2013
Bonnie wrote asking for help with a Swedish lullaby. Here’s her email:
Hello! I just discovered your lovely site when looking for more words to a Swedish lullaby my father (85) tried to remember all his adult life. We only have this little bit:
Ro, ro sharen
Placka biben baren
Do you know any more? We would love to...
March 22nd, 2013
Cristina wrote asking for help with a childhood song her grandma sang to her. Here’s her note:
Mama Lisa,
I am trying to figure out the name of a song my Nonna used to sing to me as a baby. She is from Bari and I cannot find the song anywhere. It went something like “chic de...
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