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second language acquisition

Benefits of Learning a Second Language at an Early Age

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This month’s guest post is by New Zealand writer, Harper Reid. Enjoy!

A child’s brain soaks up knowledge faster than any other age. Early childhood is the best time to foster new learning and teach a child a second, or even third, language. Young brains are in the perfect position to gain knowledge. Learning a second language while the brain is young is easier, and more beneficial than at any other time!

image Source: Pxhere

What’s the Best Time to Start?

The quick answer is as soon as possible. The earlier you can teach the child, the better. Brains of all ages will benefit from learning a second language, but preschool-age children make the best students. Children at this age are inquisitive and curious and will try out their newly acquired skills without fear. Children have also shown to be less fearful of mimicking sounds and adopting pronunciation.

Getting started is always the hardest part. It can help to show that learning isn’t a chore – it can be fun. Make it fun by using books, videos and learning apps to stimulate the child’s knowledge. Use small rewards and incentives to get them to their goals. Give them sweet treats or take a trip to the park, use your imagination. A child will be excited to learn a new language when it is taught in a fun way.

Networking

To land that perfect job, communication skills are an absolute must. One of the massive advantages of learning a secondary language at an early age is that the child now has the ability to communicate to a wider audience. If the child had never learned this language, the possibility of wider communication would never exist. The skills the child has learned may mean they find work overseas in industries that would have been inaccessible without the language.

If for no other reason, the child’s second language may also help them network in a personal capacity. Sure, it may help the child find work that they enjoy in the future, but it may also enable them to make friends. Imagine never having met a best friend because of a language barrier. Learning languages early sets a child up with networks that will remain for life.

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Brain Function

There is no doubt that being able to communicate in one way engages different areas of the brain. Children who have learned languages from a young age have been shown to display cognitive advantages. 

Cognitive advantages are illustrated through better abilities with problem-solving and creativity. As well as a better ability to think outside of the box. Enhancing this brain function well requires more than the learning of the language though. To encourage a complete learning experience, learning about culture is also useful. Learning is best done in person. If the means are available, traveling is a great way to achieve this. 

Children need the ability to use their senses to learn. Touch, smell, taste, hear and see. The child will flourish when they see their ability to communicate work. In this new environment, being able to hold a conversation is an adrenaline rush that can foster confidence. If traveling is too expensive creating an at-home experience of different cultures is another great way to achieve this. This could include engaging in imaginative play to engage their language skills or exposure to foreign movies, music and cultural traditions.

Children Learn by Copying

From a young age, children love to imitate the people around them, from their parents to their teachers. This allows children to forge a better understanding of what they are learning. The more knowledgeable their teacher is, the more likely a child will retain the information they learn. This is particularly handy for teachers that are bilingually gifted. 

Early childhood is the prime age to teach children a new language, fostering confidence and knowledge that they can carry with them throughout their lives. It will help them to find jobs within networks that aren’t open to most of us.

Harper Reid is a Kiwi wordsmith based in Auckland, New Zealand. She regularly produces content for blogs and local sites. Head over to her Tumblr page to see more of her published work.

If you are interested in becoming a guest blogger on the Kinney Brothers Publishing blog site, please contact us at admin@kinneybrothers. We are always looking for educational content our readers will find useful.

Fun Facts About English #10 – The Official Language of The USA

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Fun Facts About English 10 Kinney Brothers Publishing

“Official language” doesn’t mean the main language of the country; it means the language used in government. If the U.S. made English its official language, ALL business carried out in government offices would have to be in English. This includes the post office, police stations, courts, and all city, county, and federal offices.

If English was made official, places with large Hispanic populations would not be permitted to have Spanish-language announcements in fundamental information resources, like a water or gas bill. In areas near Native American reservations, such as the Navajo Nation in Arizona, the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) and the Navajo court system would have to use English, with the Navajo language not being allowed. All Navajo litigants would have to bring interpreters.

Since the U.S. has no official language on the federal level, neighborhoods and areas where other languages are largely spoken, such as Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese, inhabitants can receive government materials, announcements, etc., in their language.

To date, twenty-eight states have declared English the official language of their local governments; most having done so within the last few decades as a result of the “English Only” movement.  However, due to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, any public entity in the state that receives federal funds must provide all vital documents in every single language that any client of that agency speaks.  In effect, the “English Only” declaration is a lot of conservative barking with no legal bite.

The fact that English isn’t the official language of the United States hasn’t stopped it from becoming the dominant language of the country. Although there are as many as 350 different languages spoken across the country, native English speakers comprise about 82% of the population, native Spanish speakers come in at number two at about 13%, and various other European and Asian languages comprise the bulk of the balance.  However, despite about 18% of the U.S. population natively speaking a different tongue than English, a full 96% of United States citizens speak English fluently. So it is unlikely that English is going anywhere as the de facto language of the United States in the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, only a fifth of American adults can speak a second language. It’s a surprisingly low fraction of the population compared to other countries. Even in the United States’ earliest beginnings as the Thirteen Colonies, colonists spoke English, Dutch, German, and French. Demanding that people speak English simply because “this is America” is nonsense and doesn’t serve the ever-expanding diversity of the country.

Did you know that the U.S. has 24 English dialects? You might also be interested to learn about English as the official language of the air and the sea, or why English has no official language academy! To learn more about the future of the English language, check out my post, The Future of English.

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Donald's English Classroom

Stories For Young Readers is a graded textbook series for students studying English as a second language. The books are designed to extend students’ skills and interest in communicating in English. Teachers can utilize the stories and exercises for listening comprehension, reading, writing, and conversation.