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Why is it important to teach English at an early age? Kaparova A.1, Sabyrova A.2 (Republic of Kazakhstan) Почему так важно преподавать английский язык в раннем возрасте? Капарова А. М.1, Сабырова А. Б.2 (Республика Казахстан)
'Капарова Айзат Муратовна /Kaparova Aizat - студент; 2Сабырова Асем Бекешевна / Sabyrova Assem — магистр педагогических наук, преподаватель английского языка, Педагогический колледж имени Ж. Мусина, г. Кокшетау, Республика Казахстан
Аннотация: в данной статье анализируются преимущества и недостатки изучения иностранного языка на раннем этапе. Рассматривается влияние предмета на детей: на их общее психическое развитие, на лучшее владение родным языком, на речевое развитие детей в целом. Abstract: the article analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of learning a foreign language at an early age. This article also considers the influence of a second language of the development of a child: psychological, the fluency of a native language and the speech development in the whole.
Ключевые слова: дошкольный, помехи, разногласия, минусы, преимущества, узнавать. Keywords: preschool, interference, discrepancy, disadvantage, advantage, identify.
Learning a second language at an early age is possible and of great advantage for a child. All children have the cerebral capacity to learn a second language in the first years of life.
I believe that children learn English by using it in their daily activities especially in schools. Children will spend a lot of time to practice their ability through having an interaction with their friends. English is a language that is spoken all around the world. Having all the four of English soft skills will help them to improve their knowledge. So, do we still assuming that they do not need to learn and study English? [1, c. 334-342].
But there are also advantages and disadvantages of learning English at an early age. ADVANTAGES:
• the concept of «object permanence» develops at a younger age
• better problem solving skills;
• better critical thinking skills;
• more creativity;
• better flexibility of mind;
• enhanced memory;
• better multi-tasking abilities;
• adopting pronunciation;
• an expanded world view;
• greater intercultural appreciation and sensitivity;
• the ability to learn additional languages more easily [2].
In taking advantage of this window of opportunity, young learners enjoy a wide range of benefits:
1. Linguistic Benefits
Young language learners can acquire native-like fluency as easily as they learned to walk, in contrast to an adult language learner. Where adult learners have to work through an established first-language system, studying explicit grammar rules and practicing rote drills, the young learner learns naturally, absorbing the sounds, structures, intonation patterns and rules of a second language intuitively, as they did their mother tongue. The young brain is inherently flexible, uniquely hardwired to acquire language naturally.
2. Cognitive Benefits
Children can differentiate between two languages within the first weeks of life. «Learning another language actually enhances a child's overall verbal development», says Roberta Michnick Golinkoff Ph.D., author of How Babies Talk [3, c. 1060-1100].
3. Higher Academic Achievement
Bilingual children have been shown to have better critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and greater mental flexibility. All these things result in better academic performance.
4. Cultural Enrichment
Learning a foreign language opens doors that would not otherwise be opened. Bilingual (or trilingual) individuals have access to resources, people, places, and things that the rest of us do not [4, c. 25-34].
Your choice to expose your child to second-language education is a choice with lasting effects. Because learning a second language in childhood puts extra cognitive strain on the language centers of the brain, a child learning two languages at once will face different intellectual problems than monolingual children.
DISADVANTAGES:
• Language interference;
• Foreign accent;
• Additional effort for the children;
• Cultural discrepancies.
1. Language Setbacks
According to Erika Hoff, author of the book «Language Development», learning multiple languages simultaneously limits the number of words that a child can learn in a set amount of time. For example, toddlers have the cognitive capacity to learn approximately 20 new words a month, but this number is for total words. When a toddler's language input comes in the form of two languages, she might only learn 10 words in her native language a month, learning the other 10 words in her foreign language, which puts her behind in her native language [5].
2. Cultural Discrepancies
Some parents wish their children to learn more about their origins, such as Hispanic American parents wanting their children to learn Spanish. Other parents wish to prepare their children for future opportunities, as is the case for many parents in China who send their children to English schools. Either way, due to the intimate link between language and culture, your child will get a taste of a foreign culture. This can result in cultural confusion in some cases, especially when a child is of a multi-ethnic background.
3. Barriers to Mastery
The child should be sent to foreign language classes only after she's performing well in her native language courses. However, this leads to another problem: starting a child's foreign language too late can result in an inability to completely master the new language [6].
When is The Best Time to Start? Why should learning another language be started at such a young age?
Simply, the younger the learner, the better they are at mimicking new sounds and adopting pronunciation. The brain is open to new sounds and patterns in preadolescence.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that, an interesting stage in a child development is the preschool years where their keen sense of learning is at its peak and introducing a second language at this point will widen their concept of things and explore more of their ability to talk and communicate.
References
1. Asher J. J. & Garcia R. The optimal age to learn a foreign language. Modern Language Journal, 1969,
334-342 c.
2. BialystokE., & Hakuta K. In other words. New York: Basic Books. 1999.
3. Carroll J. B. Research on teaching foreign languages. In N. L. Gage (Ed.). Handbook of Research on
Teaching. Chicago, 1963, 1060-1100 c.
4. Chomsky N. Review of Verbal Behavior. Language, 35, 1959, 26-58 c.
5. Priscilla Clark. Supporting Children Learning English as a Second Language in the Early Years (birth to
six years). 2009.
6. Cameron L. Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge Language Teaching Library.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2001.
