Cuentos Encadenados
Chained Bilingual Stories

Roy E. Howard

Story telling may be one of the most ancient of arts. However, since the invention of the printing press, the art has been generally lost as a common activity of every family and group. Now it seems to have been relegated, along with music, and the visual and kinesthetic arts, to the realms of the elite. Now we pay to hear story tellers in theaters and on the television, but rarely teach story telling in the schools or model it in the homes.

The story teller must become released from the prison of the print and make the tale come alive through the most natural of speech, as well as appropriate vocal inflections, and even facial expressions. The story teller must adapt every telling to the listeners. Be aware of what they know about the subject, and the language of the tale. Use props and physical enactments to enhance the meaning. Meaning is personal to every listener, so the story teller must accomodate every different understanding.

The cuento encadenado version of this story does not represent the exact way that stories should be told to every audience, or to every bilingual audience. It is presented as an example of what can be done to communicate with a group containing monolinguals of both languages.

That said, I must add the disclaimer before continuing the explanation. The research on bilingual pedagogy suggests that if you want the students to learn Spanish, you speak Spanish in comprehensible context. If you want them to learn English, couch the English in situations that are meaningful. If you say everything in both languages, they will listen for the one they know, and not learn the other. Cuentos Encadenados is a special story telling technique for presentations in which the content, not language development, is the purpose.

How to tell a story using the cuentos encadenados technique:

A concept is presented in one language, and without repeating the whole phrase over, the concept is picked up by the next language, and the story continues. Before telling I say, "listen to this story, but don't worry if you do not understand every word. I promise, you will be able to follow the story line."

In this illustrated story, three versions are given. The "c" version is "un cuento encadenado". The "e" version is an English version. The "s" version is a Spanish language version of the story. The "n" version contain Navajo language. Teachers and parents should use the version that matches with the need: cuentos encadenados are for mixed audiences who need to understand the story line in one telling. Español and English and Navajo are offered with the illustrations to provide models of understandable language for the development of those languages.

Illustrations are by Carlene Howard, an illustration major at Brigham Young University. Her research leads her into traditional history in order to make appropriate drawings. The stories are as told by Roy E. Howard, a professor of bilingual education at Western New Mexico University, and popular story teller. See Cantos Para Todos for stories and songs by Roy E. Howard.

Story Telling Ideas | Ideas Para Cuentos

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