Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary schools rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Certain specialists believe that learning a foreign

language

at primary schools is preferable for children

instead

of starting at secondary school.

This

essay will argue that the benefits of

this

far outweigh the shortcomings. The essay will

first

demonstrate that it easier for children to absorb new languages earlier in life and that

such

learning enhances studies in other areas.

This

will be followed by an analysis of how the primary disadvantage, namely poor vocabulary development, is not valid. One major advantage for children who begin learning other languages earlier is that they can pick them up more easily.

This

is because younger children are at a formative stage and can absorb new information without much effort compared to older children or adults. Recent studies from the Early Childhood Learning Centre shows that the

language

learning ability of children is especially high between the ages of 0-10 years of age and at its peak between ages 6 and 7.

Furthermore

, studying international languages early stimulates a child’s curiosity.

This

consequently

makes him more receptive to learning in other areas.

For instance

, a research carried out by Dr Sackler of the University of California has shown that bilingual pupils learned quicker than others and had superior performances in subjects

such

as Maths and Science

On the other hand

, those opposed to

this

believe that younger children who begin learning another

language

never develop a mastery in the vocabularies of both languages. They postulate that monolingual children generally master far more words in their native

language

than their bilingual counterparts.

This

stance is,

however

, unfounded as my Class 2 students who were brought up speaking both English and French, generally outperform their classmates in either subject. In conclusion, it is believed that it is best to teach new languages to students from elementary school, rather than later on.

This

essay believes that the benefits of

this

outweigh its disadvantages because languages are grasped quicker when learned early and that early

language

skills enhance studies in other areas.