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Calandreta,
the school of
plurilingualism

"In order to know a language well, one has to know at least two." (Goethe)

In the Nice Calandreta, the language of the school is Occitan. The children thus have a chance to practice (at least) two languages.

Occitan is the language of communication inside the school, and the main teaching language. A third language will be introduced as soon as the pupils master Occitan and French enough, following the method of linguistic immersion.

Bilingualism through immersion

The pedagogy we follow is that of immersion, that is to say, Occitan is the language for class, and for life in the school. It is the linguistic environment that allows the acquirement of the language and its active mastering. It is not merely a taught language but a teaching language, a language for learning and for life.

Through linguistic immersion, our school allows pupils to quickly acquire a true bilingualism as early as in kindergarten. The child soon understands and speaks Occitan even though it is not used at home.

Learning to read will begin in Occitan, and French will be introduced in the teaching in a progressive way from the end of preparatory class on.

The assets of bilingualism

School gives children access to two living cultures that exist around them and mutually enrich.

Knowing two languages allows one to learn more of them much more easily. Indeed, the more bilingualism is precocious, the more it is natural, and the more children develop mechanisms that help learn other languages.

Furthermore, plurilingualism predisposes children to acquire other types of languages: mathematics, arts, computers, etc.


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