Communication and Culture: The Benefits of Beginning Foreign Language Study Early :: Research Papers

Communication and Culture: The Benefits of Beginning Foreign Language Study Early As global awareness increases, American interest in the study of languages other than English increases apace. Unlike early programs which did not teach â€Å"languages†¦primarily to learn oral/aural communication, but to learn for the sake of being ‘scholarly’ or, in some instances, for gaining a reading proficiency in the foreign language† (Brown 18), the twentieth century began to focus on communicative goals, and a variety of new theories and methods for teaching were put forth. A common goal has emerged, and modern programs push students towards fluency. Therefore, more research is being conducted into the best possible ways to create competent communicators. The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines communicative competence as â€Å"the ability not only to apply the grammatical rules of a language in order to form grammatically correct sentences but also to know when and where to use these sentences and to whom† (Richards, Platt, and Platt 65). As scholars search for the best ways to achieve communicative competence, they emphasize the importance of beginning language study early. The critical period hypothesis first put forth by Lenneberg in the late 1960’s holds â€Å"that there is a limited developmental period during which it is possible to acquire a language†¦to normal, nativelike levels† (Birdsong, 1). At the most generous estimate, this critical period is thought to extend from the age of 2 only until puberty, and some estimates posit a much narrower window (for more information on the possible causes of the critical period, see Birdsong, 7-9). According to Krashen, Long, and Scarcella, although â€Å"adults and older children in general initially acquire the second language faster than young children (oldest-is-better for rate of acquisition), †¦child second language acquirers will usually be superior in terms of ultimate attainment (younger-is-better in the long run)† (574). This eventual attainment includes superior pronunciation skills (Fledge 101) when compared with learners who began their study later in life. Although â€Å"starting age determines the levels of [communicative] accuracy achieved, particularly in pronunciation† (Ellis qtd. in Nunan 41), beginning young has an additional advantage. The young learner has many years of schooling left in which to explore this new language, and â€Å"the number of years’ exposure contributes greatly to the overall communicative fluency of the learners† (Ellis qtd. in Nunan 41). Although the pace of the young learner may be slower than that of the older learner, â€Å"when language learning begins earlier, it can go on longer and provide more practice and experience, leading ultimately to greater fluency and effectiveness† (Curtain and Pesola, Languages and Children 3) than is generally achieved when study begins after puberty.