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

Foreign

language

studies are a typical component of curriculums the world over.

However

, the exact age at which students should

first

be introduced to a

second

language

is often debated. Whether

first

taught at primary

school

or secondary

school

, advantages and disadvantages can be identified.

This

essay will analyse these items in an effort to prove one age group better than the other at which

to begin

foreign

language

studies.

Firstly

, introducing a new

language

to primary

school

students has several advantages over delaying

this

introduction to secondary

school

. For one, as evidenced in numerous scientific studies, young minds are much more capable of acquiring accent, a truth that enables young people to reproduce

language

at a quality comparable to that of a native speaker.

In addition

to

this

, the heightened memories of young children make them much more capable of taking on the task of learning the massive amounts of vocabulary needed to be

communicative

Suggestion

communicated

communicate

communication

communicating

in a

second

language

.

This

of course accelerates their

second

language

studies in ways not seen at the secondary

school

level. It is

thus

clear that teaching a

second

language

at primary

school

has certain undeniable benefits. Despite these advantages, there are potential drawbacks to introducing a foreign

language

at the primary

school

level. If the

language

component of the curriculum is not sensitive to local customs and traditions, it could interfere with a young learner’s understanding of their own culture, a challenge

that is

not apparent among the more mature secondary students.

However

,

although

this

is a concern that should be taken seriously, educational bodies within a country have the power to review and vet content.

This

is a practice that curbs the possibility of cultural erosion.

Further

, delaying the introduction of foreign

language

studies

also

delays a student’s development as a worldly person that understands cultures outside their own.

Thus

, after analysis, the disadvantages to foreign

language

studies in primary

school

are not quite as discouraging as they may at

first

seem. The above discussion makes clear that, despite select disadvantages,

language

learning is more effectively executed at primary

school

than secondary

school

. I

thus

hope governments the world over encourage the introduction of foreign

language

classes among their young learners