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Overall, teaching our children a second
language early is one of the best gifts we can give to them. It opens up
windows to whole new cultures for them and broadens their mind.
Bilingualism is an asset to be treasured, not a burden or a setback to
overcome.
In an effort to help parents sort out the fact from the fiction, we
wanted to provide answers to some of the most common questions about the
introduction of a second language to young children.
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Why, How, and When
Should My Child Learn a Second Language?
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Does my child need
to understand one language thoroughly before learning a second?
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Will learning a
second language lower my child's intelligence?
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Do I have to follow
certain rules when teaching a second language to my child?
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Is
there any certain age by which I must begin teaching my child a second
language?
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Why should my
child learn a second language, most of the world isn't bilingual?
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Will my child feel
out of touch with her culture if she learns a second language?
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Is it true
that bilingual children develop multiple personalities?
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Won't
my child just end up translating from their second language to their
first language anyway?
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What
if my child begins mixing both languages? Does this mean he is confused
or that we did something wrong?
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Besides being
familiar with another culture, what other benefits are there for a child
who learns a second language?
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What Are the
Benefits of Knowing a Second Language?
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Why Is It Better
for My Child To Learn a Language in Elementary School?
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Will a Second
Language Interfere With My Child's English Ability?
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Why, How, and When Should My Child
Learn a Second Language?
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Most experts agree that the earlier a
child is introduced to a second language, the greater the chances are
that the child will become truly proficient in the language. A February
1996 Newsweek article made the claim that "A child taught a second
language after the age of 10 or so is unlikely ever to speak it like a
native." This statement is supported by linguists and has been
proven in extensive research studies.
In addition to developing a lifelong ability to communicate with more
people, children may derive other benefits from early language
instruction, including improved overall school performance and superior
problem-solving skills. Knowing a second language ultimately provides a
competitive advantage in the work force by opening up additional job opportunities.(1)
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Does my child need to understand one
language thoroughly before learning a second?
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No. Although some people believe that
introducing a second language before a child has mastered the first one can
cause confusion, there is no evidence of a correlation. How well the
child learns his or her first or second language has more to do with the
environment in which the language is being taught. In a positive, loving
environment, a child will be able to master both languages without
difficulty. As a matter of fact, some evidence suggests that learning a
second language can also help children become more proficient in their
first language.
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Will learning a second language lower
my child's intelligence?
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Absolutely not. Recent studies have
shown that bilingual children are normally better at word games and other
language-related activities than monolingual children. Older research
which seemed to suggest otherwise often focused on immigrant children who
came from stressful home lives and who had a limited experience with
English.
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Do I have to follow certain rules when teaching
a second language to my child?
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No. In order for your child to acquire
a second language, he or she must receive adequate exposure to the
language but that does not mean you have to follow any specific pattern.
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Is there any certain age by which I
must begin teaching my child a second language?
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No. Of course, the earlier you start
exposing him or her to a second language the better but it is never too
late to begin. In fact, you can even begin before your child is born. In
a bilingual household, your child will be able to pick up the second
language more easily.
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Why should my child learn a second
language, most of the world isn't bilingual?
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This is a common misconception
particularly among parents in the United States. The reality is that
monolingualism is the exception. Out of necessity, most industrialized
countries teach their children a second language early on. For example,
in Europe, it is not uncommon for some young people to know three or more
languages.
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Will my child feel out of touch with
her culture if she learns a second language?
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That answer really depends on her
environment. When children grow up bilingual in a home that accepts both
cultures, they feel accepted in both. However, if a child receives
negative messages about his or her cultures, those feelings may be
focused inward and may cause self-esteem problems or a sense of cultural
alienation. As a parent, you can prevent that from happening by providing
positive messages concerning both of your child's cultures.
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Is it true that bilingual children
develop multiple personalities?
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Not in the medical sense. What does
occur is that children take on different cultural roles depending on the
different languages he or she speaks. An obvious example often occurs with
African American children who are exposed to Ebonics at home and who are
expected to use standard English at school. As they grow, these children
develop a different demeanor depending on which language they are
speaking. These differences reflect the different roles they accept in
society. The same conditions apply to bilingual children.
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Won't my child just end up translating
from their second language to their first language anyway?
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Actually, no. It may be difficult for
monolinguals to believe, but most bilinguals actually can think in both
of their languages, especially if they have been exposed to both all of
their lives.
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What if my child begins mixing both
languages? Does this mean he is confused or that we did something wrong?
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Absolutely not. When children are first
learning a second language, it is not uncommon for them to combine the
two. As they grow older and continue to learn both languages, this will
happen less and less.
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Besides being familiar with another
culture, what other benefits are there for a child who learns a second
language?
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Children who are bilingual are more
open to different cultures. Understanding a second language also gives
them the opportunity to travel and work abroad which can be a wonderful
life-experience. In addition, as communications become more of a global
affair, individuals who can speak multiple languages are becoming more in
demand in the job market as well and have a definite advantage over
monolingual applicants.
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What Are the Benefits of Knowing a
Second Language?
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Students of foreign languages score statistically
higher on standardized tests conducted in English. In its 1992 report,
College Bound Seniors: The 1992 Profile of SAT and Achievement Test
Takers, the College Entrance Examination Board reported that students who
averaged 4 or more years of foreign language study scored higher on the
verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than those who had
studied 4 or more years in any other subject area. In addition, the
average mathematics score for individuals who had taken 4 or more years of
foreign language study was identical to the score of those who had
studied the same number of years of mathematics. These findings are
consistent with College Board profiles for previous years.
Students of foreign languages have access to a greater number of career
possibilities and develop a deeper understanding of their own and other
cultures. Some evidence also suggests that children who receive second
language instruction are more creative and better at solving complex
problems. The benefits to society are many. Americans fluent in other
languages enhance our economic competitiveness abroad, improve global
communication, and maintain our political and security interests.
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Why Is It Better for My Child To Learn
a Language in Elementary School?
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Studies have shown and experience has
supported that children who learn a language before the onset of
adolescence are much more likely to have native-like pronunciation. A
number of experts attribute this proficiency to physiological changes
that occur in the maturing brain as a child enters puberty. Of course, as
with any subject, the more years a child can devote to learning a
language, the more competent he or she will become.
Regardless, introducing children to alternative ways of expressing
themselves and to different cultures generally broadens their outlook and
gives them the opportunity to communicate with many more people.
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Will a Second Language Interfere With My
Child's English Ability?
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In most cases, learning another
language enhances a child's English ability. Children can learn much
about English by learning the structure of other languages. Common
vocabulary also helps children learn the meaning of new words in English.
Experimental studies have shown that no long-term delay in native English
language development occurs between children participating in second
language immersion classes and those schooled exclusively in English.
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In fact, children enrolled in foreign
language programs score statistically higher on standardized tests
conducted in English. A number of reports have demonstrated that children
who have learned a second language earn higher SAT scores, particularly
on the verbal section of the test. One study showed that by the fifth
year of an immersion program, students outperform all comparison groups
and remain high academic achievers throughout their schooling.
(1)Source:
A publication by ACCESS ERIC with funding from the Office of Educational
Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education.
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Fluency in a Foreign Language Could
Help Children Master Reading Faster
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When learning to read, many preschool
age children recognize letters in alphabets (or characters in
non-alphabet languages) long before they are able to read. Knowing a
second language, according to the latest research on reading, can really
help a child comprehend written languages faster and possibly learn to
read more easily. This finding is examined in the May issue of the
American Psychological Association's (APA) journal Developmental
Psychology.
"Preschoolers who
speak one language can usually recite the alphabet and spell their names
but cannot read without the help of pictures. But bilingual preschoolers
can read sooner because they are able to recognize symbolic relations
between letters/characters and sounds without having visual
objects," said psychologist Ellen Bialystok, Ph.D., of York
University and author of the new study.
"The bilingual
children knew that the written form carried the meaning and that the
picture was irrelevant. They understood this principle equally in both
languages too. And, even though all the children's scores improved with
age, the four-year-old bilinguals were better at this than the
five-year-old monolinguals," said Dr. Bialystok.
"There are definite
advantages to being bilingual when you are learning to read, providing
that children are exposed to stories and literacy in both
languages," Dr. Bialystok. "By four, bilingual children have
progressed more than monolingual children in understanding general
properties of the symbolic function of written language. By five, they
are more advanced than monolinguals and bilinguals who have learned only
one writing system in understanding specific representation properties,
even in English."
"Learning a foreign
language at a very young age can clearly benefit children's reading
abilities and hopefully parents and educators can help to provide the
resources for this to happen," said Dr. Bialystok.
Source:
An article named "Effects of Bilingualism and Biliteracy on
Children's Emerging concepts of Print" by Ellen Bialystok, Ph.D.,
York University, in Developmental Psychology, Vol. 33, No. 3.
http://www.soleil.com/english/whyhowandwhen.html.
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