Learning languages is for people of all ages and all walks of life who wish to improve themselves and who want to communicate with more people on the planet.  Learning languages has a lot of advantages since they can be used for various purposes, in different aspects, and in numerous fields.  Learning languages can be very beneficial and it would be better if a person can speak more than just one language in order to be able to expand his or her horizons.  Anyone can learn languages anytime but do you know that it is better to start learning languages at a young age?

Young children are more likely to learn a second language naturally.  Exposing young children to a second language will allow them to optimize their learning potential and it helps them to shape their brains at their most flexible stage.  Children can acquire native-like language fluency as easily as they learned to do their first motor skills.  Adults who learn new languages have to work through their established first-language system, study grammar rules, and practice rote drills whereas young children learn languages naturally by building a second language system alongside their first language; and by absorbing sounds, intonation patterns, structures, and rules of a second language intuitively as how they learned their mother tongue.    Young brains are inherently flexible and are uniquely wired to acquire languages naturally.

The best time for language acquisition is during early childhood.  The ease of learning a second language lessens with age that is why it is better to start young.  Experts have estimated that older learners lose the ability to hear and reproduce new sounds by age eight to twelve, resulting in a permanent foreign-sounding accent in any language.  Younger learners benefit from flexible speech and ear muscles that can still hear the significant differences between the sounds of a second language as well as replicate them with native-like quality.

Studies have shown that children who learn languages young go on to show enhanced spatial relations and problem solving skills, have stronger communication skills, and have higher elementary and SAT test scores.  Some parents are concerned that maybe if they start their young children on a second language it will interfere with their developing first language skills, which is not exactly the case.  Children can differentiate between two languages within the first weeks of life and learning another language will actually enhance their overall verbal development.  According to research, children gain additional cognitive benefits to learning a second language at an early age.  Children who study foreign languages show higher cognitive performance in overall basic skills in elementary school, and also exhibit better problem solving skills, heightened creativity, and more.  Children who learn foreign languages tend to develop flexible thinking and communication skills which can help them consider various issues from more than a single perspective.

Young children are able to enrich their lives and open doors to their future when they learn languages at a young age.  Aside from that they gain an expanded world view, have greater intercultural appreciation and sensitivity, have a competitive edge in the global marketplace, and have the ability to learn more languages more easily!  When people start to learn languages at a younger age, they tend to become people who have a better understanding of the world not only because they can communicate in more than a single language but also for the reason that learning new languages can help them have better appreciation of other cultures.

Learning new languages can bridge a lot of gaps and are very beneficial in the future that is why it is better to start learning languages while you are still young!  If you are a parent or an elder sibling or a teacher of young students, better encourage young children to learn new languages and help them equip themselves for their future!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Learn Languages. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.