The Learning And Use Of The Foreign Language

The need for bilingual education is not directly related to the need for the student to have a more pleasant learning experience, but based more on the increasing need for these individuals to learn about their heritage, how they can present themselves to others in different scenarios, and being knowledgeable in both languages at a dual equivalence. The key

In a globalized world, English is and has been universal language for communications around the world. For that reason, U.S. has never had an urgency to learn and appreciate foreign languages. Most of school systems treat language classes not important as the core curriculum. According to the current positions on bilingual education, schools in the United States teach languages at exactly the wrong time and exclude children from all the benefits that extend beyond pure communication. It’s extremely important to be bilingually educated to adapt into increasingly globalized world. Moreover, even necessary, for those who should reach out and speak at least one other language. Being bilingual comes with various advantages and immeasurable benefits.

As America is one of the world’s largest and most powerful countries, a crucially important reason to bolster language education is in regards to international relations. Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” (Okpomo, 1). America needs politicians, ambassadors, and diplomats who can connect to leaders of other nations on that level; business leaders to promote American interests abroad; and soldiers who can relate to the common people that they are fighting to protect. All of these endeavors require multilingualism.

* In the educational field, the teaching learning cycle is a model used in contemporary teaching in both school and adult educational settings. Rothery (1996 in Derewianka & Jones 2012, pg 43) who originally developed the model used this to aim at disadvantaged children for teaching literacy and writing in the KLA (Key learning areas) who were from socially disadvantaged areas. Over time the model has been phased across other areas of the English language such as listening, speaking, reading as well as writing. The key involvement of the teacher also known as ‘expert other’ in the teaching learning cycle is guiding the learner to understand key concepts in academic literacy through use of scaffolding strategies to transform students

Language is one of the most beautiful techniques that humans have developed. Language allows us to communicate among each other; we can share and understand our and others’ feelings, opinions, and ideas. Because humans are imperfect, we have made language difficult because we have created multiple languages. With lots of language around the world, it is difficult to share, understand, and connect each other feelings, opinions, and ideas. Bilingual students can break this barrier with their culture and schools. Bilingualism breaks the language barrier and opens more opportunities, different views, and better relationship. The world needs to encourage students to learn more languages to give the students become open-minded for the better

Due to the lack of proper knowledge of foreign language and culture, the U.S. has justified war. This is inexcusable. Foreign language education can build avenues to different cultures. It provides the notion of willingness to understand another, which should be key in diplomacy. Still, with the stability and security if the country at stake, politicians make an issue about the fortification of foreign language in public schools. During his 2008 candidacy, President Obama encouraged parents to help their children become bilingual; he was immediately attacked for presenting the idea (Holt). Education in foreign language is not a political issue; both Democrats and Republicans need to make a composite effort to push legislation towards strengthening it (Holt).

Bilingualism will someday be a skill that is necessary to succeed in life. Already, most colleges in the United States expect incoming freshmen to have studied a foreign language for three or more years. High school students are sometimes surprised by these requirements because it is difficult to master a foreign language that they have only begun to study in their teenage years. Foreign language education is important worldwide today because it improves children’s growth patterns and helps children understand cultural aspects of the foreign language.

As a matter of fact, multilingualism is usually an unavoidable reality in most countries where English is used as a second language. In Nigeria, for instance, due to colonial origin, every educated person, or any other person who regularly interacts with people from other ethnic groups usually speak two languages: his mother’s tongue (ethnic language) and English. That’s why different ethnic groups in the country have found in English a common means of communication and identity.

Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 2009, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 31–41 © Centre for Language Studies National University of Singapore

My seminar provided an overview of chapter 4- explaining second language learning. During my introduction, key points from each of the 5 perspectives were discussed. The cognitive perspective was given priority as it contained many subcategories within itself. This section also allowed my group mates to connect theory and practice of second language learning. My group mates were able to connect to the noticing hypothesis, processability theory and the three principles of practice through their own personal experiences while learning a second language. The first discussion question asked my group members to evaluate their own understanding of how language learning occurs and compare it with the perspectives we covered. The second discussion question provided them a chance to assess each perspective and think of one weakness and one strength for each. Overall if I were to re-do my seminar, I would like to provide more attention to the other perspectives. I would add more discussion questions in order to stimulate more in-depth discussions. Similarly, adding supplemental information from an outside source to further discussion and connect the theories to pedagogy. Additionally, I would create an activity that focused more on teaching of a second language and how these theories have influenced the current practices used.

During the years of language acquisition, the brain stores linguistic information but it also adapts to the grammatical predictabilities of language. (Sakai, 2005) It is classified under Cognitive Psychology and this development builds and enhances a child’s communication skills in their schooling careers. However, if children attend parallel medium schooling, they are likely never to learn and use one language. They will be able to speak and write in both languages which is a positive aspect but they may never have the full vocabulary or grammar rules as they are too busy learning both languages instead of concentrating fully on one. The positive aspects of multilingualism outweighs the negatives as being bilingual broadens one’s opportunities in schooling, especially in tertiary education, as well as one day when they are in search of jobs. A person is that much more employable and more likely to be successful if they are able to participate and communicate effectively in a growing and changing work environment.

Learning a language is about not only grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation. It is also a process of achieving the ability to communicate with people from other cultures, and the best way to improve that is to learn about culture and traditions of other countries. The knowledge of the conventions, customs, beliefs, and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and some researchers have seen it as their goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language curriculum.

A second or foreign language learner needs to gain knowledge in and about the target language. In order to do that , one needs to know how to build morphemes into words and words into sentences (linguistic or grammatical competence). Yet, this knowledge is not the end of learning a language. While grammatical competence may be the essence of learning a new language; on its own, it is not enough. A learner also needs to know how to use that knowledge appropriately in a social context. One needs to know about speech act,(e.g., requesting, suggesting, arguing, etc.) and politeness (sociolinguistic or pragmatic competence). In addition to these competencies, other components are also required. A learner needs to know how to produce a largely cohesive and coherent text, either in writing or in speaking (discourse competence). As a learner might not understand the total underlying system of a language, s/he needs to know how to repair the breakdown of a conversation (strategic competence).

The second language(L2) learners often struggle to identify possible grammars in their second languages. In particular, they fail to form a sentence with an appropriate functional morpheme (Lardiere, 1998; White, 2003). A functional morpheme refers to a morpheme which performs some kind of grammatical function, playing a role in lexical change. It consists of the function words in the language such as definite markers. The inflection of a definite marker, in other words, definiteness, distinguishes a nominal phrase (NP) between identifiable and non-identifiable. That is, whether or not, a referent is identifiable or previously introduced in the discourse. In addition to identifiability, definiteness is expected to incorporate other notion,

The best way to connect cultures and communicate with people from other countries is to study a foreign language. Foreign language is defined as “any language used in a country other than one 's own; a language that is studied mostly for cultural insight” according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Foreign language requirements in the United States are scarce but important to educational development. Only about 15 states have specific requirements for foreign languages in their high schools (Dounay) and even these requirements are minimal. Most of the other states give the students a choice between a foreign language, theatre arts, or art credits. Why should high schools in the United States be required to teach foreign languages? Minimal requirements in foreign language studies are part of the reason why languages are dying out. Foreign languages also have many benefits in the classroom. The studying of foreign languages has proven to help increase standardized test scores and overall cognitive achievements. Not only would teaching foreign languages prevent the extinction of “one language… every 14 days” (Rymer), teaching foreign languages in high schools has major impacts that could increase standardized test scores, improve the usage of the native language, and widen the range of job opportunities.