The Importance Of Learning A Secondary Language

Learning a second language is something that numerous people have attempted to do throughout the years. The motivation for doing this, be it intrinsic or extrinsic, varies from student to student. Learning a second language becomes effective when teachers are able to identify students’ individual learning problems, apply diverse methods and approaches to solve them, and nourish students’ learning motivation.

Being bilingual will not only help you communicate with others but also give you many different opportunities. Being bilingual is just not about speaking another language but also learning the culture that comes with it. From the new language you will learn about other traditions, music, food, and overall the way others speak and express themselves. Another thing you can acquire from being bilingual is the chance of getting a better job and develop professionally better. Studies also show that bilinguals express themselves better and that it’s better to start learning a second language at an early age. There is doubts about teaching a children a second language because some people believe that if they teach them a second language at an early age it can cause confusion in the child, and they will end up not being able to learn either one correctly. This information has not yet been proven what studies have shown is the complete opposite which is that a bilingual person has a higher possibility of being successful than a monolingual.

Most of the studies on the reading instruction and achievement of young bilingual Hispanic in the United States is concentrating on their abilities of English reading direction and performance, not their first language instruction or performance. However, bilingual students got high scores on English reading measures when they received the instruction in both English and Spanish rather than students who instructed with English language only.

In “Why Foreign Language Education Matters” Representative Rush Holt expresses the idea that the average American is generally deprived of what is known as cultural enrichment in their day-to-day lives, even though others believe that English should be the primary and only language Americans should speak. Holt conveys the overall concept that being bilingual, trilingual, or multilingual is a benefit not just for oneself but for our society. Rush Holt presents the argument with extreme concern for our upcoming generations and the consequences it may cause our nation’s economy to decrease in federal funding’s for education programs, as well as our global marketplace and national security who is highly dependent of translators, specialist, and

The article entitled, “No half measures: Reading instruction for young second-language learners,” is an incredibly insightful article addressing the research that has been conducted in regards to the appropriate time to teach second-language learners how to read in their second language. Countless studies indicate that there is still much controversy over the “perfect timing” of second-language instruction; however, Kimberly Lenters, the author of “No half measures,” creates helpful conclusions in regards to this controversial issue.

There is no doubt that the biggest challenge facing the state of Texas, and in fact the country, is literacy. The odds are stacked against children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are raised in homes where parents lack the fundamental reading and writing skills necessary to achieve the success in life. For children who are raised with low-literate parents, their environments are less stimulating, creating an achievement gap that is evident in infancy. Research tells us that these children can be upto a year and a half behind their peers by the start of kindergarten. What’s more alarming is that low literacy skills are directly linked to greater inequality, higher unemployment, less earned income and poor health. Sadly, the education

This reference highlights the importance of learning two languages simultaneously. How one language can be addressed to be more competent for a specific purpose such as; writing, listening, reading and speaking (Francis, 2012, ch.1). Children who grow up in bilingual settings the second language is rarely optional, in fact, it is a necessity for the policy of that particular location. For instance, a Latino family will raise its child with the language they are familiar with such as Spanish. The location in which they raise their child will play a fundamental role towards the linguistic speech that area prefers to educate the child. The setting being an English speaking institute will deliver the skills and ability needed for that child to

Australia is an extremely culturally diverse country, therefore many different languages are spoken in homes and communities across Australia. Consequently many primary school students are learning English as an additional language. EAL/D is an acronym used to refer to students whose first language is a language or dialect other than Standard Australian English; that is English is an additional language or dialect. In Australian schools it is essential students are able to speak and read English in order for them to understand and succeed in all content learning areas.

Helping bilingual students expand their content area biliteracy skills is not always an easy task. Due to the significant research in the field that supports the benefits for students, families, and students’ English-language development, an understanding of the importance bilingualism, biliteracy, and heritage language maintenance is essential for educators. This paper provides a continuum of instructional practices based on what Freeman and Freeman (2006) proposed in their book Teaching Reading and Writing in Spanish and English, focused on 3rd through 6th grades bilingual students, which I will use to promote reading, writing, and vocabulary development across all academic content area while developing both primary and secondary language

“Emergent Biliteracy” a term described by Iliana Reyes that refers to the ongoing, dynamic development of concepts and expertise for thinking, listening, speaking, reading and writing in two languages. In addition to her first definition, she also states how children’s use of cultural and linguistics competencies help them establish meaning with parents, siblings, peers, and teachers in their environment. Through exploration of different perceptions, resources, and social interactions she is able discover the ways in which 3 four year old Mexican American children from Northern Arizona develop and strengthen their bilingual and emergent biliteracy development in Spanish and English.

Learning a second language is beneficial at all ages. Once you have been fluent in a second language, you can grab numerous of opportunities and benefits in it. Whatever your age, learning a second language can give lots of advantages especially in today’s global society. You can have the opportunity to get better job prospects, improved your understanding from all over the world and experience new culture. However, you have to learn second a second language in a best way in order to make you to easily understand what you have leant. Acquisition method is a best way to learn second language. Acquiring means learn or develop a skill, habit or quality in an informal way and the process of learning second language through experience instead of remembering, memorizing and understanding the rules of the language. Indeed, learning second language through acquisition is the best because it is more exciting, can learn new word without being forced, and learners can learn a second

Language learning has many misconceptions. One specific misconception is that second language learning is simpler for young children, but in all actuality language learning is difficult and complex for people of all ages (Ovando and Combs, 2012). The timeframe for acquiring a second language can be lengthy and varying greatly depending on the individual learner (Ovando et al., 2012). Teaching an ELL student to read English can be perplexing often causing the brain to multitask concurrently (Ovando et al., 2012). When instructing literacy there are five components that work together for literacy success: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency.

Hundreds of years ago, people used to stay in their native land, get along with their compatriots, and speak in their native language. So nobody thinks that there is any reason to study a foreign language. However, things change nowadays. People have started to leave their hometown, go into the world, and make new friends all over the world. Although some still do not think learning a second language is necessary, the truth is learning foreign language is imperative.

Listening can be described as children’s first contact with language and also provides the basis for other language forms. It is seen as the most used of the language forms and is called the “orphan” of all the language forms. One of the important aspects of listening in the second language classroom is the input it provides for the learner. It is believed that learning cannot begin if input is not understood at the correct level.

Take a look around in any instruction manual, what do you notice besides the instructions? The fact that it is printed in at least two different languages, sometimes even more than that. The United States is often referred to as the melting pot of many cultures. This is shown in everyday life from an instruction manual for new products to having alternate language television channels. The use of a second language is becoming a necessity of life. Second language acquisition (SLA) is the acquiring of a language that is not the native language spoken by an individual. It is often referred to as speaking a foreign language, but it is more than just speaking, it is a complete learning process (Troike, 2012). Acquiring a second language is only part of the situation; when should it be taught is the question more people are asking. A second language is necessary and should be taught in elementary school because of the nation’s need for multilingualism, the early learning of a language is easier, the creativity of diversity is enhanced, and it can have a social impact on our changing society.