Second Language Acquisition in Children
Learning a second language relevant to young children, and parents should strive to encourage their children to acquire a second language. Learning a second language has many advantages, and experts agree that foreign-language learning can have an impact on the life of an individual in the current life and the future. The effects can be felt in academic achievements, interpersonal relationships, and career success. Learning a foreign language at an early age helps students to become better thinkers and eventually better citizens as they grow up (Maxwell, 2014).
Second language acquisition in children is good for brain development, as research shows that the brain of a child has many active areas, which can quickly grasp new concepts. The capacity to learn a new language diminishes as the child grows older, as there are many receptors of new languages in the brain when the child is younger. Beyond the age of seven years, learning a new language becomes a little more difficult. According to Jodi Tommerdahl, bilingualism is useful in the prevention of the early onset of Alzheimer’s, and it also prevents the decline of cognitive ability (Maxwell, 2014).
Second language acquisition is also a booster in learning the mother tongue; in that, a second language helps children better appreciate how language works. The time spent in learning a new language reinforces what the child already knows in their native language, leaving them in a position where they can better express themselves in either of the languages acquired (Maxwell, 2014).
Socially, when children learn new languages, they can better adopt more positive attitudes towards people who speak a different language. It also reduces prejudice towards other cultures, helping them appreciate foreign cultures and people of different ethnicities. The fact that the world is evidently becoming a global village means that there is a need for children to learn new languages so that they can position themselves for opportunities that will present themselves in future in matters concerning their career, business, and other social interactions (Maxwell, 2014).