Let’s talk about cognates!
Do you wonder about the importance of teaching cognates? Read on and learn a little more about this important teaching concept.
What are cognates?
Vocabulary/vocabulario, animal/animal, actor/actor, color/color
are just a few of the thousands of English and Spanish word teams.
This great team of words is an important part of learning English. We define them as words in two languages that have the same or similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. Spanish and English cognates include doctor/doctor, family/familia, construction, construcción, and electricity/electricidad. Some languages like Spanish have thousands with English and other languages like Chinese and Arabic have very few.
Discovering words in two languages that have the same or similar meanings and spelling increase English language learners’ vocabularies.
Why teach these together?
These similarities in meaning and often in spelling give second language learners the ability to figure out new words and learn vocabulary in English more quickly. These words give students an instant foundation of vocabulary.
When students can identify these corresponding words from their first language it increases student English knowledge of vocabulary by thousands of words they already know.
English learners need to simply learn the spelling and pronunciation rules that go with the cognate and they have a strong foundation of English vocabulary.
What does the research say?
According to Nagy and Nagy, et al (1988; 1993) many Spanish second language learners need help recognizing and using cognates. Direct instruction by the teacher helps students use them to understand new or unknown words in English.
What are false cognates?
False cognates are words that are spelled or pronounced similarly in two languages but do not have the same meaning. Idioma/Idiom in Spanish and English are examples of these tricky words. Idioma in Spanish means language, while idiom in English means a phrase that does not mean what the words say (raining cats and dogs).
Another important reason to teach English language learners about cognates is to alert them to false cognates.
What can parents do?
Talk with your children.
When you see cognates, words in two languages that have the same or similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation, point them out to your child and talk about the meaning in your first language. Remember, Spanish and English cognates include: doctor/doctor, family/familia, construction/constuccion, and electricity/electricidad. These teams of words are everywhere!
Here is a list of everyday cognates you can use to help teach your child the recognize and use cognates to build English Vocabulary! Have Fun!
Click here to download this list!
ENGLISH | SPANISH | |||
A | animal | animal | ||
B | bicycle | bicicleta | ||
C | coyote crocodile | coyote cocodrilo | ||
D | dance dinosaur | danza dinosaurio | ||
E | elephant | elefante | ||
F | family flower | familia flor | ||
G | giraffe gorilla | jirafa gorila | ||
H | hippopotamus | hipopótamo | ||
I | insects | insectos | ||
J | jar | jarra | ||
L | lemon lion | limón leon | ||
M | music | música | ||
N | necessary | nessesario | ||
P | penguin police | pinguino policía | ||
Q | quiet | quieto | ||
R | rock radio | roca radio | ||
S | secret | secreto | ||
T | telephone | teléfono | ||
U | use | usar | ||
V | vegetables | vegetales |
Click here to download this list!
Happy Teaching!
Lori
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