Start Foreign Language Early : The United States Is Becoming More And More Bilingual Every Day

I have taken four whole years of Spanish and the only thing I know how to say is, “¿Hola, cómo estás?” Research shows that the best time for a person to learn a second language is during the early years of childhood, before the child hits puberty. If this is the case then why do most schools start teaching a foreign language in middle school, after most kids have hit puberty. Some believe that there is not enough money and time to start teaching foreign language during early childhood, but others say this isn’t the case. In order for a person to become fluent in a second language and help us succeed as a nation the person should start learning a second language in elementary school.

“It’s never too early to start.” This sentence may seem familiar, uttered by parents as they encourage their children to begin piano lessons or go to junior basketball camps. Whatever the situation, it seems as though starting to learn early affords a child some sort of advantage. It can most likely be assumed that this quasi-proverb translates to language as well: a language that is learned and used regularly from a young age is probably better ingrained into the mind of its user than one learned late and used sporadically. It has been made evident through research by Bialystok, Craik, and Luk that there are immense neurological advantages that come from bilingualism. Also, as stated by Martha Nussbaum, proficiency in more than one

According to a study conducted in 2008 by Ingrid Pufahl and Nancy C. Rhodes, from the Center for Applied Linguistics, the number of elementary and middle schools in America teaching a foreign language has decreased since 1997. As of 2008, only 25% of elementary schools taught foreign languages, and only 58% of middle schools taught foreign languages as well (261, 262). Despite studies saying that learning a second language when younger is easier, according to the article, “List of Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education”, less than half of elementary schools offer a foreign language, due to claims that language programs are expensive, and lack qualified teachers. However, there are many benefits of learning a second language, making knowledge of a foreign language worthwhile.

In most public school systems today you first get foreign classes around 6 grade. This is a problem, due to the fact that the language center of the brain

The United States embraces a medley of numerous languages. From Spanish to German, many people in the U.S. speak another language or have been taught another language during their academic careers. Furthermore, language immersion begins either in middle school or high school. Schools offer a wide variety of languages, from Arabic to German, to their students. Over the years, studies have shown that learning a new language improves the brain’s memory and other cerebral skills. In addition, studies have shown that the bilingual brain possesses better cognitive skills than the monolingual brain. Moreover, some studies show that if students learned foreign languages at a younger age, it would benefit them even more. Therefore, should foreign languages be introduced to students at a younger age? After analyzing the scientific, cultural, academic, and artistic aspects of bilingualism at a younger age, the benefits of being bilingual at a younger age aid students in the long run, neurologically, and can possibly increase their IQ.

While having the opportunity to take a foreign language is a great thing, we should not be waiting to post elementary school to teach it. A foreign language should be taught when the mind is in its language acquisition stage. Foreign language is more than common thing here in the United States of America. We are culturally diverse nation, filled with many different nationalities. According to Carla McClure, an education writer, she argues the benefits of early second language acquisition. She references numerous studies, one being the correlation between second language learning and improved mental process. As well as, mentioning that children who starting learning a second language before middle school are more like to speak the language fluently.

“Less than 1 percent of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom,” states Amelia Friedman in The Atlantic. “That’s noteworthy considering that in 2008 almost all high schools in the country – 93 percent – offered foreign languages” (Friedman). This has resulted in, as Brad Marshall, a teaching fellow of languages and literatures, notes, "[the] widespread belief that adults will inevitably have problems and will certainly never become fluent, while children are supposed to pick up languages with ease". However, study after study has shown the procedure of language learning of the infants. The essential elements of learning a language lie in your ears and the way you process into the language. Although there is a widespread myth in learning a language – children acquire a language much easier than adults do – the innate ability of adults’ language acquisition are basically as same as that of children’s.

It is essential for young minds to develop to their fullest. The next generation is what will keep everyone alive when the generations before are in nursing homes or are unable to create the necessary technology to move forward. Starting children at a young age with foreign languages will give them the initiative to continue to learn the language throughout the rest of their schooling. According to linguistic professionals and professor from Iowa

Language acquisition is the goal of both European and American educational systems. There are differences in approach between the two systems that create a discrepancy in the effectiveness of the education. The American system bases the need for dual language learning on need of students to learn English and the advantages of a second language for well-off students and usually ends by late elementary school. European schools base their entire school system on dual language for all students from primary through secondary school. With the stated goal being bilingual, the European educational system is superior to the American system.

Many children around the world often learn a second language early on in their school careers, often having English as a popular choice for other countries. The same cannot be said about American schools unfortunately. There have been countless debates on whether or not schools in the U.S, should offer more programs for elementary schools so kids can be more exposed to acquiring linguistic skills and thus make it more facile to be more fluent later on in their school careers. Children should learn a new language as not only do they have more opportunities when given this exposure early on, they also would have cognitive, creative, social, cultural, linguistic and academic benefits with learning a new language earlier.

In the nineteenth century, the United States set the precedence for racism. While the problems may appear consummated, the people of today know that is not totally the case. With the amount of cultural presence continuously growing, the ubiquity of foreign language should be taken more seriously. “One reason to learn them [foreign languages] is because they are tickets to being able to participate in the culture of the people who speak them, just by virtue of the fact that it is their code,” begins McWhorter of TED (McWhorter, 2016). Consequently, schools should offer foreign language classes sooner in a child’s life than freshman year of high school because this type of learning introduces them to cultural differences, increases their learning abilities and helps them understand learning styles of varying levels.

Language remains an integral part of human culture that our brains instill before we are born. Scientists have known for years fetuses can hear inside the womb, but they have discovered newborns possess the ability to cry in a way which mimics their native language (Cox). Scientists also recognize that as humans age learning a new skill―like a language―proves increasingly more difficult. Adults’ brains do not possess the same absorbency skills that children do (Baer). For this reason, I would advocate for high schools and colleges requiring students to take at least two years of a foreign language. Numerous studies have linked learning a second language to increased cognitive function, heightened global awareness, and understanding foreign cultural traditions.

Foreign language education has always been less of a priority than any other subject and has always been a thought towards the end of secondary school education. In schools, there is no exposure to any other languages other than English for most people until high school. If students do take a foreign language in high school, many don’t continue learning in college and therefore never actually become fluent in other languages. Foreign language education has shown to have benefits that would greatly help students develop. Learning a foreign language can develop cognitive abilities and increase cognitive processing as well as develop analytical skills, and these benefits can only be acquired when there is a good grasp of the language. Another problem is how foreign language education is largely focused on European languages such as French or Spanish. More than half the most commonly spoken languages in the world are Asian languages but foreign language education barely covers Asian languages. Learning Asian languages would help make interactions with businesses and governments of Asian countries a lot better in today’s globalized world. Schools are starting to teach more Mandarin but other Asian languages are still not being taught widely. Incorporating Asian languages into the education system can be a great benefit in terms of trade, communication, cultural knowledge, and diversity. There should be more of a focus on foreign language education at a younger age and also more

In the United States, foreign language study is in huge decline. In the past, the U.S. has attempted foreign language study. In fact, 100 years ago the United States’ foreign language study was roughly similar to Europe’s foreign language study (King). But, “after the United States entered World War I… almost half the U.S. states criminalized the teaching of German or other foreign languages in schools” (King). This was because the United States was nervous that German speakers could transmit secret war information. Now, over the decades, foreign language study has plateaued, especially in the U.S. In fact, “in some states, fewer than 10 percent of students are learning languages other than English, painting a grim picture of foreign language education in U.S. public schools” (Mitchell). The young students of

Michael Gove, a politician and an author, once proclaimed, “Learning a foreign language, and the culture that goes with it, is one of the most useful things we can do to broaden the empathy and imaginative sympathy and cultural outlook of children” (Brainy Quote). Young children, adolescents, and adults are all being taught foreign languages around the world either by themselves or a teacher, but one certain generation should be learning the language in school. Preschools teaching foreign language increase the brains of children and he/she’s knowledge of life. Considering that, “. . . in five years the average school student gets only about 540 hours (the equivalent of only about 2 months at 8 hours a day) of exposure to the foreign language they are learning” (Nagel). Most high school students forget what they learned or are just are not interested in the language. Students are compelled to take a language in high school while still participating in extracurricular activities, sports, etc. However, children pick up languages and are additionally capable of remembering languages if taught exceedingly young. Furthermore, adolescents/adults who do not take a language would be superior if they learned a foreign language earlier in life. Learning foreign languages overall can help with the growing global economy as well. Although it may not seem important, learning foreign languages as preschoolers rather than adolescents is more advantageous for mastering a foreign language,