Lotso Fino' Chamoru Lulai

 

Lulai continues to speak more and more Chamoru about more and more things. 
 
In her third year, I've been encouraging her more and more to start responding in Chamoru by playing games, providing commentary in Chamoru to movies or videos she was watching on YouTube, telling stories in Chamoru, reading books. 
 
At first most of her Chamoru was blooming in the areas where I was prompting it. 
 
I would say "nihi ta hugåndo este" and she would start speaking Chamoru in response to the idea that Chamoru has to be used for the game we are about to play. 
 
But in the last week, and in particular since her younger sister has arrived, she has started to use Chamoru more and more organically and unprompted, telling stories in Chamoru that she starts herself and even creating her own games in Chamoru that she now invites me to play.
 
To give you a good example of the language growth in her, take this character, Lotso from the film Toy Story 3. Last year, when watching the movie, I talked about Lotso in Chamoru and she might have responded with hunggan or åhe', or said a few Chamoru words. But she would have talk about Lotso in English for certain. 
 
But just yesterday when we were scrolling through movies looking for something to watch, we came upon Toy Story 3 and I asked her, "Kao un hasso este na mubi?" (Do you remember this movie?)
 
She said, "Hunggan, gaige i båba na osu gi enao na mubi." (Yes, the bad bear is in that movie)
 
I responded, "Hu hasso ayu na osu." (I remember that bear."
 
She continued, describing him, "Hunggan, kulot di rosa i osu yan buente didide' lila i osu. Guaha apå'ka gi pachot-ña. Chukulåti i gui'eng-ña." (Yes, the bear is pink and a little bit purple. He has white on his mouth and his nose is brown). 
 
Impressed by her description, I probed for more details, "Ya håfa ha u'usa gi kannai-ña?" (And what does he use in his hand?)
 
She thought about it for a moment, probably trying to remember the right work and said "Ha u'usa i baston-ña. Anggen un nginge' gui' pao'fresa." (He uses his cane. Is you sniff him he smells of strawberries). 
 
I was so impressed with her random Chamoru knowledge of Lotso the Bear from Toy Story, I asked her if she wanted me to buy her one, she smiled and said "hunggan, malago' yu' uno!" (Yes, I want one!) 
 
Gof banidosu yu' nu hågu neni, siempre bei fahåni hao.

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