Learning about literature
An illustration by William Wallace Denslow of the nursery rhyme Hush-a-bye baby (also known as Rock-a-bye baby), which is said to be inspired by Indigenous people’s use of the cradle board. (Courtesy: Wikki Commons)
Story told by Vivian Oak
From the time we were in our cradles, my mother sang and read to us. We knew all the lullabies, the children’s songs, the fairy tales. My father would bring home books from Montreal - which is where he worked - and he would read to me every night after supper.
When I was about five or so, dad would read a series of illustrated stories from the Montreal Star with me that told of a small community that lived within the shelter of a rose bush. The series was called The Teenie Weenies. Several months ago, I was telling my son how I had enjoyed those stories; he looked them up online, and found me, for this Christmas, an original Teenie Weenie book published in 1944. I now have a memory of my early childhood and my father.
When I was six or seven, I was reading books on my own. At that time, my father was into pocketbook westerns, so he’d bring home some westerns and eventually I started reading them too. I was a fan of Zane Grey and Bret Hart. I also liked poetry books. My father bought me a book of 365 poems when I was small, one poem to read for every day of the year.
Mom and dad were very encouraging and enthusiastic about us going to school. That’s why I say, “If the parents don't encourage the children, then they could have more difficulty enjoying literature.”
I was teaching in Deux-Montagnes when we got our Scholastic book orders. At that time, you could get the Scholastic Books with a vinyl record to go with the books you ordered so you could play the record and read at the same time.
We got our daughter a little record player for Christmas when she was three. When she had trouble reading a word, she’d hear it play on her record player, and she’d memorize whole words. That’s the way my father taught me too. He didn’t teach phonics or anything because he didn’t learn phonics in school. He just knew how to read, so I would memorize and learn to read the whole word.
When I was in grade nine, I was in my North American Literature class. Our teacher was talking about the Alamo, and she pronounced it the ah-lam-oh instead of ah’-la-moh. Some kids in the class burst out laughing. She got very red and corrected herself. I was embarrassed and sad for the teacher.
We should never make fun of someone who mispronounces words because most likely they learned that word through silent reading. If anyone mispronounces a word, I don’t correct them, unless I know the person well or if I can use the word in conversation. Most of the time, I prefer to let it go because I don’t want to cause embarrassment.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Aieweientéhta'ne' ne kawennahnotónhtshera'
Vivian Oak IAKOKÁ:RATON
Tsi náhe' kahrhonhserà:ke shiionkwaia'tanentá:kon, istén:ha wa'onkhiiaterennótha'se' tánon' wa'onkhiwennahnótha'se'. Akwé:kon iakwarennaienteríhne' ne iakota'stén:ni, eksa'okòn:'a akorenna'shòn:'a, tánon' iakwakaraienté:ri ne iakotinenióia'ks aotikara'shòn:'a. Rake'níha enthahiatonhserénhawe' shos ne Tiohtià:ke nitiawé:non - kwah tho nón:we nihoió'tehkwe' - tánon' thia'tewahsón:take iotohétston tsi na'teiontskà:hons enhakewennahnótha'se' .
Aktóntie' wísk shitewátien', Rákeni enhakewennahnótha'se shos tsotióhkwa karónnion okara'shòn:'a ne Montreal Star nitiawé:non néne wathró:ris shos ken' nikanakerahserà:'a néne ohì:ktate' tsi io'rhenióhkware' thonate'kwáhshen. Teenie Weenies konwá:iats ne tsotióhkwa. Tohkára niwenhnì:take tsi náhe', rihró:riskwe' riièn:'a tsi na'kenòn:we'ne' ne tho nikakarò:ten's; wahatken'sénion' ki' na'arà:ke, tánon' wahaketshénrie'se', nòn:wa Ratonnià:ne', néne kahiatonhsera'ón:we Teenie Weenie ne 1944 tetkaristohrará:kon. Ó:nen nòn:wa skehiahrastáhkhwa' nahò:ten' néne ken' shikà:'a tsi nitiohtòn:ne' tánon' ne rake'níha tsi nihaia'to'ténhne.
Ià:ia'k tóka' ni' tsá:ta shitewátien', kwah wa'kkwé:ni' akonhà:'ak akewennahnó:ton' ne kahiatonhsera'shòn:'a. Né: tho shitkahá:wi, ranòn:we's shos rake'níha ne kahna'tahtsherakón:ha kahiatónhsera' iakohsá:tens iekaratónhkhwa', entháwe ki' ne tho iakohsá:tens na'kakarò:ten's kháre' ó:nen tontakatáhsawen' sakewennahnó:ton' ò:ni'. É:so tsi khenòn:we'skwe' ne Zane Grey tánon' Bret Hart. Né: ò:ni' ateriáhsaien' kahiatonhsera'shòn:'a kenòn:we'skwe. Rake'níha wahakhní:non'se' skahiatónhsera ne 365 niwateriahsaientahtsherá:ke karátie' ken' shikà:'a, sewateriahsaientahtsherátshon akewennahnó:ton' ne tsi niiawenhniserá:ke ne tsóhsera.
É:so tsi wa'onkhihretsá:ron' tánon' ronatetshenhserowanèn:ne' ne aiakwaterihwaienstà:na' ne Istén:ha tánon' Rákeni. Nè:'e tiorì:wa' tsi ká:ton, "Tóka' ne shakotiièn:'a iah thahshakotihretsá:ron' ne ronwatiien'okòn:'a, sok ki' sénha enhonentó:ra'se' nahonon'wéskwen' ne iewennahnotáhkhwa."
Deux-Montagnes shitekherihonnién:ni sha'ontió:ta'se' nonkwá:wen Scholastic kahiatónhsera' waterihwaniéhton. Neh shitkahá:wi, ensó:ta'se' shos thí:ken Scholastic Books ne watkehra'tsherahéhrha' karátie' tsi nikahiatonhserò:ten's satenhnhà:'on ne ki' aón:ton' khénska ahserennà:ren' thí:ken watkehra'tsherahéhrha' tánon' ahsewennahnó:ton'.
Ken' niwà:'a watkehra'tsherahéhrha' wa'akhihní:non'se' ne iakhiièn:'a ne Rotón:ni aó:wen áhsen shitiakó:ien'. Sha'akawentó:ra'se' tsi ní:ioht tsi iewennahnótha', akó:wen waterennahéhrha' shos eniakothón:te'ne' tánon' entsakehià:ra'ne' akwé:kon tsi niién:son's owenna'shòn:'a. Tho ní:ioht tsi rake'níha wahakerihónnien' ò:ni'. Iah othé:nen tehakerihonnién:ni ne ohiatónhkwa' tsi nikawennò:ten' tóka' ni' othé:nen eh ní:ioht ase'kén iah nè:'e tehoteweiénston ohiatónhkwa' tsi nikawennò:ten' shahaterì:waienste'. Kwah ki' nek raweién:te' ne oh ní:ioht tsi ahawennahnó:ton', sok ki' enkehiahrà:seron' tánon' enkeweientéhta'ne' kawennakwé:kon.
Tióhton nikahiá:ton shikhá:wi, North American Literature raotitióhkwakon kateweiénsthahkwe'. Alamo iakohtharahkwèn:ne' ne ionkhirihonnién:ni, tánon' tho ki' ní:ioht tsi wa'ì:ron' ah-RÁM-o ne niá:we ne Á:-ra-moh. Io'shátste' wahshakotisté:riste ótia'ke ne ratiksa'okòn:'a. É:so tsi wa'tiontenekwenhtarón:ten' tánon' saiontatewennatakwá:ko'. É:so tsi wa'kheiatéha'se' tánon' wa'khe'nikonhráksen'se' ne iakorihonnién:ni.
Iah teioiánere' ne thaiethiié:ron' ónhka néne teniontewennawenriehá:ton ase'kén ki' ónhte iotokenhstsíhon iakoweientehtà:'on thí:ken owén:na' tsi shah thí:ken wa'ewennahnó:ton'. Tóka' ónhka teniontewennawén:rie' skawén:na, iah thaonsakhekwatákwahse', tsik tóka' kwah tokèn:'en iontiatén:ro thí:ken tóka' ni' enwá:ton én:katste' thí:ken owén:na' nó:nen tenkhthá:ren'. Iotkà:te' ki', nè:'e kerákwas nakátka'we ase'kén iah té:kehre' ónhka akheiatéha'te'.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde