why languages
from senseionline # 2474, Posted by: "Ms. J. HAXHI" jhaxhi@waterbury.k12.ct DotUS
I have pasted lists of the "benefits of" and "necessity of" learning languages while children are young below. I distribute these at my K-8 World Languages Methods courses in the summers. Feel free to use the quotes - sources are listed. I also have a "links" document that I can send you directly, but it is very large.
Jessica H., Maloney Magnet School, Waterbury, CT
http://teacherweb.com/CT/MaloneyMagnetSchool/japanese/
Necessity of Early Language Learning
* "There appears to be a series of windows for developing language. The window for acquiring syntax may close as early as five or six years of age, while the window for adding new words may never close."
* "The ability to learn a second language is highest between birth and age six, then undergoes a steady but inexorable decline."
* "Many adults still manage to learn new languages, but usually only after great struggle."
Nash, J.M. "Fertile Minds", Time Magazine, February 3, 1997
* "There are physical differences in a child's brain that has been appropriately stimulated, versus one that has suffered lack of stimulation. Connections that are not stimulated by repeated exercises atrophy, or fade away. It is truly a "use it or lose it" situation."
Shiver, E. "Brain Development and Mastery of Language in the Early Childhood Years," IDRA Newsletter, April 2001
* "[Scientists] found that people who speak two languages have more grey matter in the language region of the brain. The earlier they learned the language, the larger the grey area."
* "The grey matter in this region increases in bilinguals relative to monolingual- this it particularly true in early bilinguals who learned a second language early in life."
"Learning Second Language Changes Brain," Reuters, October 13, 2004
downloaded from www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6242853/ on 6/26/2006
· "Using MRI and animation technology to study the brains of children, researchers...have discovered that children are processing language information in a different region of the brain than adults."
· "When we brush our teeth, sign our names, or drive a car, we don't consciously think [about what we are doing]. These are examples of automatic brain function. When children acquire language, this same part of the brain, called the "deep motor area" is what they use, so the language is like second nature....adults have to store information elsewhere, in a more active brain region. As a consequence, adults usually think sentences through in a native tongue and then translate them word-by-word, instead of thinking automatically in another language like a child would."
"Learning Language," The Osgood File (CBS Radio Network - 7/29/03) on ACF NewSource,
downloaded at http://acfnewsource.org/science/learning_language.html on 6/26/2006.
· The amount of time spent working with a language is related to development of higher proficiency.
· "Every skill and outcome that is important to society is introduced through the elementary school curriculum."
· Age 10 is a "crucial time for the development of attitudes toward nations and groups perceived as 'other', according to the research of Piaget, Lambert, and others."
Languages & Children, p. 395
· Languages with "significant linguistic and/or cultural differences from English take longer to master.
Jackson, F.H. and Kaplan, M. A. (1999). "Lessons Learned from Fifty Years of Practice in Government and Language Teaching," Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics 1999, Washington: Georgetown University Press.
Downloaded at :http://digital.georgetown.edu/gurt/1999/gurt_1999_07.pdf on 6/27/2006.
Research-proven Benefits of Early Language Learning
<> Children have the ability to learn and excel in the pronunciation of a foreign language (Krashen, et al. 1982).
<> Participation in early foreign language learning shows no sacrifice of basic skills, but rather shows positive results in areas of standardized testing. English, Language Arts, Math and SAT scores were shown to have significant gains. (Rafferty, 1986; Garfinkel & Tabor, 1991; Armstrong & Rogers, 1997)
<> Children who had studied a foreign language show greater cognitive development in such areas as mental flexibility, creativity, divergent thinking, and higher order thinking skills. (Landry, 1974; Hakuta, 1990)
<> Foreign language study has shown to enhance listening skills, memory and a greater understanding of one's own language. (Lapkin, et al., 1990)
<> Children studying a foreign language have an improved self-concept and sense of achievement in school. (Holobrow, et al., 1987; Caine & Caine, 1997)
<> Children who have studied a foreign language develop a sense of cultural pluralism, openness and appreciation of other cultures. (Pesola, 1991; Curtain, 1993; Met, 1995)
From the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers website, http://www.ctcolt.org/page7.htm, referenced 2/6/05 (no longer online)
In addition, learning another language at an early age:
<> Has a positive effect on intellectual growth.
<> Enriches and enhances a child's mental development.
<> Leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening.
<> Improves a child's understanding of his/her native language.
<> Gives a child the ability to communicate with people s/he would otherwise not have the chance to know. <> Opens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries.
<> Gives a student a head start in language requirements for college.
<> Increases job opportunities in many careers where knowing another language is a real asset.
Taken from "Benefits of Being Bilingual," Center for Applied Linguistics, http://www.cal.org/earlylang/benbi.htm, referenced on 2/6/05 (no longer online - similar information available at http://www.cal.org/ericcll/faqs/rgos/benes.html) Also cited in Languages & Children: Making the Match, p. 399)