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Some experts 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?

#experts #children #language #school #outweigh
Language
 acquisition is of higher significance in today’s global village, so many parents think of allowing their children to learn a foreign
language
 at primary
school
 rather than deferring
this
 stage to secondary
school
. I believe that the trend of accessing a new
language
 at an early age has more disadvantages than advantages. Obviously, international studies have shown some merits of early
language
 learning and I strongly agree.
Firstly
, primary pupils are very receptive to learning a new
language
. They are willing and able to mimic pronunciation without the inhibitions and self-consciousness of older students. Their sensitive ears help them pick up and duplicate tricky sounds that adults, and even adolescents, often stumble over.
Secondly
, having a positive attitude to
language
 is a crucial factor in determining children’s success in foreign
language
 learning. By showing children at primary
school
 that
language
 learning can be fun, they will approach secondary
school
language
 lessons with greater enthusiasm and anticipation, facilitating their mastery of
this
language
.
However
, I think there will be more demerits. Primary
school
 teachers, especially in rural areas, normally cover all subjects, so they are not well trained for linguistic pedagogical methods or even their
language
 competency is not entirely ensured. Primary
language
 teaching needs to be standardised, but it is quite implausible for the educational system in developing countries.
In addition
, it will be very stressful for a child when he has to be bilingual.
Such
 children have difficulties in deciding which
language
 to speak, either their mother tongue or foreign
language
, and may end up learning nothing. In conclusion, it is clear that learning a new
language
 as early as possible is beneficial, but the wrong approach of parents and teachers will produce more counterproductive impacts.
Submitted by pramai177 on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • cognitive abilities
  • pronunciation
  • self-conscious
  • cultural awareness
  • global society
  • proficiency levels
  • competitive job market
  • foundational skills
  • qualified teachers
  • recreational activities
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