Some people believe that all children should learn a foreign language from the time they start school, while others feel that it is better to wait until a child is at secondary school. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

In today's globalised economy, the ability to speak a

second

dialect is more useful than ever before. While some believe that children should only start to learn a foreign vernacular at secondary

school

, I side with those who feel the learning process should begin the moment children enter the education system. On the one hand, it could be argued that the study of foreign languages should wait. Those in favour of postponing argue that young

school

children already have a timetable

that is

fit to burst and learning how to read, write and count take precedence over

second

language

studies. In short, they feel that the native

language

should come

first

. What is more, they

also

argue that only a small minority of children will ever actually need to use a

second

language

, so it is a waste of time teaching a skill that for many will be redundant later in life. It is a fact that the earlier a child learns a

language

, the more proficiently they will eventually be able to speak it. Research has shown that before puberty, children have unique ability to acquire languages by simply being exposed to them, which is a skill that ends in adolescence.

Moreover

, in my opinion, children who learn at an early stage often lack the fear associated with speaking in a foreign tongue.

For example

, they don't feel self-conscious when trying to pronounce foreign sounds.

However

, perhaps my strongest argument for starting early is that learning a foreign

language

provides children with a range of other cognitive skills. Bilingual children are known to perform better on problem solving tasks and have more creativity than their monolingual counterparts, which are desirable skills for children of any age. In conclusion,

although

young children already have full timetables, learning a foreign

language

has many positive cognitive side effects

for

Suggestion

of

to

a child's overall education.

Therefore

, on balance, I strongly believe that children should start learning a

second

language

at primary

school

rather than secondary

school

.