Although we live in a visual culture, words accompany us from our early childhood. Our parents eagerly await our first words and the whole family is curious to know whether it is „daddy” or „mommy”. From the very beginning, we surrounded by adults, peers, and siblings, either younger or older, and we absorb words from everyone.

If one’s parents are bilingual, their child often acquires two different languages ​​simultaneously as long as they are consistent in how they use them. For example, if the mother speaks to the child in French and the father in Polish, the little pupil is more likely to know which language to respond in and they will easily associate sounds they hear with the corresponding people.

Learning a language in a preschool is very similar. At The Paddington Bear International Preschool, each group has two teachers: one Polish-speaking and one English-speaking. From the very beginning, a child learns to naturally recognizes the language in which they hear about a new game or a fascinating task.

Words are conveyed to us in various ways. When we are very young, our sense of hearing is most acute. Then, we begin to learn letters and slowly grapple with the text they create. In case of Chinese, the whole word might be represented by a whole character. Our parents read bedtime stories to us, but we also slowly try to engage with printed stories ourselves., preferably those that introduce us to the world of fairy tales and fantasy. We seek out books that allow us to immerse ourselves in tales of unknown lands or identify with interesting characters. Over the years, our reading choices mature and become increasingly difficult and challenging. If we enjoy being scared, we reach for detective novels or horror stories. If we have butterflies in our stomachs, we prefer romances and novels of manners. And if we love music, the authors of musical lyrics often inspire us and put us in a good mood.

But besides text, we constantly have images before our eyes. We encounter thousands of videos. Incessantly, we scroll through them on our smartphones and tablets. They are more engaging than a thick book, especially one assigned as compulsory reading. Can we concentrate on a long text? Will the culture of images kill literature in the near or distant future? Or perhaps literature will begin to evolve into something in between. The latest publishing hit is the graphic novel. It combines text, often very moving and profound, with drawings. I remember devouring Kaiko and Kokosz comics when I was a child. Maybe now I should discover the latest graphic novels. Sometimes, the conditions do not allow us to read  longer texts. We’re riding on a crowded tram or there’s a pile of clothes waiting to be ironed. That is when audiobooks come to the rescue. We can listen to our favourite novel brought to live by a marvellous actor. Paper is slowly becoming a thing of the past. The first question students ask when I assign a new reading is whether or not they are allowed to use a PDF version can a tablet or a phone. There are also plans for the IB DP final exams to be taken exclusively on computers in the future. Students will be stuck with electronics for good.

We will continue reading. The word will remain with us in one form or another. I hope that the printed book will do so as well. In my opinion, nothing can replace the smell of a freshly printed novel. I’m delighted that you can read Gazeta Monneta in both print and electronic formats. Here are our spring articles on the power of words (and more). I wish you a pleasant and immersive read as you familiarise yourself with the stories written by our authors!

Aleksander Jarnicki

Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Monneta