Thread: Bilingual Education

The younger you start the second language instruction, the better. The kids will not confuse the two languages, even if they hear both as an infant.

I am not a language arts teacher; however, could I please still add my two cents? When it comes to teaching instrumental music (piano, violin, etc.) or introducing to a foreign language, my advice is - the earlier, the better. Getting exposed to different cultures, being able to communicate with people from other countries - what could be more beneficial! Due to certain physiological reasons, young children learn languages much easier than adults, and their language immersion is natural. As a person gets older, the new language becomes truly "foreign", and in most cases the adult learner can never speak without accent. Also, don't be afraid that the child would mix the words from various languages. As far as I know, kids can intuitively differentiate between languages and usually don't mix them (unless they hear their parents speaking this way on a daily basis).

Just a comment....
Allthough Norway is a country for the part of mankind with a special interest in masochism (not my words) - We're slowly becoming a land with three languages.
English is not taught in kindergarten but from grade1 its full speed ahead.
Teachers like to think this is their idea - but this is a question of what came first - the hen or the egg.
I did an experiment the other day : The class (6 year old kids) was watching a UK film and I had turned off the subtitles . Not one if the children asked for the subt. This was not because they could not read - they CAN - . Since birth they have been watching mostly US shows - and before they learned to read - they had to figure out what was said .
Shows like "sesame street" provides a words in a setting that eventualy will be interpreted. And for a child here - this is like it should be.
Dubbing pictures (mouth sync) is not common in Norway - and this forces tha children to use both sides of their brains.

It was pure logic that caused the teacingplans to be altered in 1997 -(saying that Children should be taught English from day 1.)
We teach them German,French and Spanish from grade 7.

Sadly - most teachers have a terrible pronunciation .
Scandinavians as a group are easily recognized . (Just ask Mustardseed - from Gothenburg\Sweden.

The media is teaching pronunciation to the kids today.
(causing small children to talk like a kid from Bronx !) Yet another proof of the statement from Lucy :

As a person gets older, the new language becomes truly "foreign", and in most cases the adult learner can never speak without accent.

Olav