Multilingual Learning

Okay, that's a pretty ambitious title, isn't it? My topic does involve more than one language, and it is about learning, but isn't near as scholarly as all that. I simply want to share some Christmas carols we are learning in different languages.

I did not intend to get all multilingual with the Christmas carols this year. Except for the Spanish, it was a little tangent-- it just kind of happened in the good way tangents sometimes do, leading to where we were actually hoping to go all the time but were afraid we weren't well enough equipped to get to. I really like it when tangents do that. It is the saving grace of my children's education.

We discovered that we have the lyrics to some of these songs in more than two languages in our various Christmas books at our house. (Adeste Fideles, for example-- Latin, English and Spanish.) It is interesting to compare the three languages and note similarities and differences.

And here are some of the carols we happened upon (and I had enough background-- or enough friends with background-- to figure out how to pronounce!):

In Spanish:

¿Qué Niño Es Este? (What Child Is This?)

1. ¿Qué niño es éste que al dormir
en brazos de María, pastores velan,
ángeles le cantan melodías?
Él es el Cristo, el rey.
Pastores, ángeles cantan,
«Venid, venid a él, al hijo de María.»

2. ¿Por qué en humilde establo así,
el niño es hoy nacido?
Por todo injusto pecador
su amor ha florecido.
Él es el Cristo, el rey.
Pastores, ángeles cantan,
«Venid, venid a él, al hijo de María.»

3. Traed ofrendas en su honor
el rey como el labriego,
al rey de reyes, salvador,
un trono levantemos.
Él es el Cristo, el rey.
Pastores, ángeles cantan,
«Venid, venid a él, al hijo de María.


In Latin:

Adeste Fideles (Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful)


1. Adeste fideles, laeti triumphantes;
venite, venite in Bethlehem;
natum videte regem angelorum.
venite, adoremus Dominum.

2. Cantet nunc 'Io' chorus angelorum;
cantet nunc aula caelestium,
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
venite, adoremus Dominum.

3. Ergo qui natus die hodierna.
Jesu, tibi sit gloria,
Patris aeterni Verbum caro factum.
Venite, adoremus Dominum.


In French:

Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes (Angels We Have Heard On High)

1. Les anges dans nos campagnes
Ont entonné l’hymne des cieux;
Et l’écho de nos montagnes
Redit ce chant mélodieux.
Gloria, in excelsis Deo,
Gloria, in excelsis Deo.

2. Bergers, pour qui cette fête?
Quel est l’objet de tous ces chant?
Quel vainqueur, quelle conquête
Mérite ces cris triomphants?
Gloria, in excelsis Deo,
Gloria, in excelsis Deo.

3. Cherchons tous l’heureux village
Qui l’a vu naître sous ses toits,
Offrons-Lui le tendre hommage
Et de nos coeurs et nos voix!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo,
Gloria, in excelsis Deo.


In German:

Stille Nacht (Silent Night)

1. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

2. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

3. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!

And one more Spanish song, because I think it is our current favorite. Guess what it is (hint-- clap out the syllables, as the words do not strictly translate to the same words in English):

Cascabeles, cascabeles,
Musica de amor!
Dulces horas, gratas horas,
Juventud en flor.
Cascabeles, cascabeles,
Tan sentimental
No ceces, oh cascabeles
De repiquetear!

Hmm, it sure would be fun to hear some of our international bloggers sing carols in, say, Turkish or Polish. Hint, hint.

(And I really would like an Italian Christmas carol to round out the group. Must do some research on that.)