Why Is It Important To Learn A Second Language

Teachers are forcing kids away from taking specific classes due to bias opinions, which is why for many schools in the United States language is not looked at as a priority. Picture growing up in a small town, in Maine, which in the data table from Shin and Kominski’s report showed to be a state with the least amount of citizens that spoke a language other than English as their primary language, shows that for some people language is hard to see has being important. In High School some have found a passion in language but don’t receive the proper curriculum that would allow them to succeed. Instead of introducing language in High School, our school systems should focus on adding it into the curriculum that is taught in elementary school and middle school. By starting when you are young, the time you are graduating high school you can speak at least one other language and classify yourself as bilingual. Dianne Steinbach explained it as, “Something that many of us took for granted when we were younger people is now disappearing” (First Speakers:Restoring). Since there is such a large increase in language diversity

Figure 1 shows the prime window of opportunity to acquire a language. The peak age for language absorption is around five years old. So, the most important time for students to be enrolled in foreign language classes is kindergarten. “However, just 15 percent of U.S. public elementary schools offer any foreign language instruction” (Chandler 1). Students are missing out on the ability to more easily learn another language. If students have to wait until high school, learning a foreign language becomes a laborious task due to the stage the brain is in.

It is important in the United States to have a competitive workforce, and a great way to do that is to have a society of learners that can communicate with people of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Although there are efforts for teaching school children other languages, most programs are primitive at best, left to be forgotten before the skills reach the point of relevancy. Dual language programs should be established in the US wherever feasible to give parents, at the very least, the choice to expand the minds of their children. Recent years have seen the inclusion of voluntary language immersion programs in places such as Athens, Georgia, in which students are taught from Kindergarten in two languages. These are steps in the right

One of the most common things that America is known for is having a combination of so many cultures and languages. Although spanish is the second language people think of being spoken in the United States, languages such as german, chinese, japanese, french, and russian are commonly spoken as well. It is important that all US high school and college students are required to learn at least two years of a foreign language so that teens can be more open to travel, can compete for jobs, and are able to expand their knowledge about the world.

Many kids in today’s world are not learning enough to be able to live in the global economy and according to David Boren, the former U.S. Senator, “Not training our kids to be able to work and live in an international environment is like leaving them illiterate” (182). The best way to learn a culture is to study the language and devote time where the language is important. Learning a foreign language rises, brain growth, yet fewer American schools offer it. To

In “language study as a National Imperative, “Colleen Flaherty writes about the language education of the in the U.S. She explains the report, which was written by the American Academy of Arts and sciences (AAAS). The Article was published in Inside Higher Education on February. The Reports explain that foreign language must be required in the school system starting in kindergarten. The Academy of Arts and Sciences or the AAAS believes that Second languages should be required it opens up more opportunities for getting a better job in the future. And also understand the other better like none English Speakers. AAAS also believes it could help economic growth and competitiveness. Flaherty also says the language learner will build a good Skill and improvement with other people around them. According to AAAS Report strongly emphasizes work with schools to promote language classes. Also In the report it says that the government should help teacher’s education and increase the more opportunities.

According to oncology nurse, Suzanne Robin in her article “Why Is It Easier for a Child to Learn a New Language Than an Adult,” “Young children are hard-wired to learn language in the first few years of life. When frequently exposed to two languages, they unconsciously acquire the second language naturally, applying the same skills they use to acquire their native language. Older children and adults have to learn the language consciously by studying it.” (2014, para. 2).

According to a study by the University of Phoenix Research Institute, “demand for American workers who speak foreign languages- particularly Spanish and Chinese- will rise over the next decade”(“Rising Demand for Bilingual Workers among Employers”). As the United States continues to diversify, being bilingual or multilingual is becoming a key part to be successful in life. A student’s school education, beginning at the first day of kindergarten, is supposed to build and prepare a student for the future, so why is properly learning a new language not a priority from the start? The teaching of a foreign language should begin elementary school because learning at an earlier age is optimum for an easier and effective learning process and provides significant benefits that can last a lifetime.

Guidelines to teaching a foreign language highlight all of these elements. Listening, reading, writing, and speaking are all taught and tested at beginner, intermediate, advanced, and superior levels so that these different learning methods are highlighted and executed at varying levels. Children also learn and are shown new ways of looking at the world through the varying strategies. In fact, correlation studies have shown that “students who have had several years of foreign language do better on SATs, particularly the verbal part” (WALKER). As root words, prefixes, suffixes, conjugation, and noun agreements are taught in new languages, it is easier to see connections to the structure of one’s first language. The knowledge of a language one is raised speaking and understanding is simply obtained through experience. However, learning a second language emphasizes the parts of language that come naturally in the first. It takes self-motivated work and dedication to learn a second language later in life, so the outcome of attaining a comprehensive grasp on a foreign language early on pays off in multiple ways.

Around 6,000 to 7,000 languages are spoken daily around the world, but as time goes on the amount of people that know each language is decreasing. Schools should have foreign language class. Initially, students who are bilingual have a brighter future. At the same time, language class helps students overall in school. Following this, being fluent in more than one language may improve one’s appreciation and respect for others. At the same time, when considering learning a second language one may want to consider the few cons. Undeniably, if students study a foreign language,they will be better

Ask the average American adult if he or she knows a foreign language, the most common response is: “I took a foreign language in high school but I don’t remember it” (Why Learn a Second Language?). This response is no longer an acceptable response as communities in the United States become more diverse, full of many different languages and cultures. 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 factors to educational development. Only about 15 states in the U.S. have specific requirements for foreign languages in their

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.

The statement “The children are our future,” is not just for Whitney Houston songs, it’s an accurate statement that should be kept in mind when making choices on a child's behalf, so when it comes time for the decision of mandatory education topics, I request that foreign language be added to the list. The study of a foreign language is necessary to a juvenile as math or science. Not only will this study vastly improve a child’s knowledge of language and culture, but it will benefit them in many other subjects as well. For example, bilingualism can offer a helping hand in developing and strengthening a child’s long-term learning skills. These skills will follow a child throughout their school years and into the rest of their life. This benefit is due to the fact that when studying another dialect a great amount of memorization is needed for a child's brain to fully absorb the knowledge and become fluent in a language

“The learning experiences of a child determine which [neural] connections are developed and which no longer function. That means what is easy and natural for a child – learning a language – can become hard work for an older learner” (Curtain & Dahlberg 2004). Research indicates that children who are exposed to a foreign language at a young age achieve higher levels of cognitive development at an earlier age. In high school, where most students learn a second language, the brain is already too far developed to easily learn a foreign language and will most likely be forgotten within 2-3 years of finishing a language course, unless practiced daily.

Language is a key part of any family, community, culture and the human race. Without language the world today would be much different. From cavemen, to the Egyptian use of hieroglyphics, to Old English, to more than 6,500 languages spoken around the world today, the advances that humans have made in language is remarkable and inspiring. The ability to speak, read, write and understand more than one language is also remarkable and expands the liberties in life, especially for young people. High school students should be required to take at least two years of a foreign language class in order to graduate, as many recent studies support the benefits of doing so. Students who have learned a foreign language in high school have proven to have a