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My experience of learning English language
Early child development
Language development and bilingualism
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“All parents face a great challenge when their children acquire language whether efficiently or inefficiently. They realize that human language is a complex system as it consists of a large number of sounds, words and sentences. Words are consisted of combinations of sounds and so sentences include various combinations of words. Therefore, children can't face such complexity of the language system so parents or caregivers have to help them to communicate with others efficiently. Moreover, whether parents or caregivers have to perform such an important task with great eagerness and ease particularly within the first few years of their life. All children have to acquire a unique knowledge so that they can communicate in English effectively. …show more content…
Each one exposes to English language everyday so it has become a fact to millions of children around the world. David Gradddol, 2006, argued that English-knowing children represent a new generation that considers it as a main competence in life. Thus, a lot of sociolinguists wonder how a child whether monolingual or bilingual can understand importance of English pre-school. Moreover, Crystal, 1995, introduced an important outline of knowledge which children are in a bad need for speaking English. Firstly, he emphasized that children have to know 20 vowels and 24 consonants of a specific English dialect. Secondly, they have to learn how to make combinations of these consonants and vowels. Thirdly, children also have to recognize an active vocabulary of approximately fifty thousand words and so understand about half of them. Fourthly, children must be aware of thousand features of grammatical constructions. Fifthly, they also have to learn how to use the prosodic features of speed, volume, pitch and rhythm so that they can convey meanings efficiently and accurately. Sixthly, they need to learn a lot of rules which regulate combinations of sentences within speech. Seventhly, children need to learn a lot of conventions which cause differences of English varieties. Furthermore, they must be able to know how rules can be bent or broken for achieving specific influences. Finally, Crystal admitted that these stages must be developed at different levels within various stages of life until adulthood. (Barbra
The first of these statements offers parameters as the solution to the question of how children are able to learn any language after birth. Baker argues that by simply identifying which parameters are present within a given language, children are able to rapidly acquire an understanding of how to construct and interpret its constituents (Baker 23). While this explanation is accessible to unexperienced readers, it is by no means complete. In his justification for this statement, Baker cites no studies or concrete facts to augment its validity, asking instead for the reader to take his assertion for granted based off of logical reasoning. The presence of parameters is a possible explanation for the process of learning language; however, it is by no means the only explanation and by not addressing and/or disproving the others, the overall strength of his argument is diminished. Another technique employed by Baker to support his thesis is example sentences from different languages that he translates in order to prove the existence of particular parameters. One specific instance of this is when Baker contrasts Mohawk and Japanese phrases in order to illustrate the presence of a fundamental parameter related to possessive and possessed nouns within noun phrases.
Typically children begin speaking by twenty-four months and first enter the school system at the age of six. In a society where English is expected as a first language and children are expected to have a firm grasp of comprehension and conversation by kindergarten, children with non-English home languages are at a distinct disadvantage. The focus of traditional classrooms is on English as medium of instruction as opposed to an introductory subject, this means that children without English as a first language are burdened with the task of learning both English in an environment not geared towards teaching it and traditional coursework. The added strain of working to learn a new language and the possibility of having parents unable to help master new English skills can lead to a performance divide in
Overall, this essay argues about the power of language. Tan argues through her writing how people, who struggle with English, are mistreated within the society. It is also an eye opener for those who quickly judge those who speak broken English. There are also many more families out there who struggle with the same thing. They may always ask for their kid’s help with writing letters or making a phone calls. This “broken” English has made Tan closer to her mother and her love for her mother grow. That is why she loves her mother’s tongue, it is the way they communicate and understand each other the best. However, this essay teaches us not to take the power of language for-granted and to help others not to judge those who have a hard time with English. Everyone struggles, so don’t be quick to criticize them.
This essay is about a child’s development and learning, focusing primarily on language development. It will describe the main stages of developmental "milestones" and the key concepts involved for children to develop their language skills, discussing language acquisition and social learning theory. The essay will also look into the key theorists involved in language development, primarily Vygotsky and Chomsky, and how these theories have had an impact on the way society views language and their implementation within schools. The essay will describe the factors affecting language development, both biological and environmental. While also discussing key arguments among theorists, one being the nature vs nurture debate, and how these play a part in the teaching in schools.
Primary schools that introduce language learning at an earlier phase may do so for a number of purposes, but it is because of the benefits of learning a language at a younger age that this paper has chosen Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) as its target scheme of work. For the purpose of this assignment the focus language will be French (but the strategies to be discussed will apply to any MFL). The ideas within the scheme of work will be critically discussed as part of university experience, school practice and relevant research.
We use language in a variety of ways, for example, to tell people how we feel, to talk about things that we like and to be able to question and understand the world around us. As well as giving children a sense of identity. Language can be diverse and standard, for example, language can be diverse amongst cultures with different English accents and language can be standard when the majority of people in a country speak a variety of English. Language can be seen through reading and heard through oral language. Halliday and Piaget 's functions on language indicated the important roles of language in children’s lives. Language has been outlined in this essay to play a major role in children’s lives. Most importantly it gives children the skills to learn to communicate and exchange information with others around
Language is a multifaceted instrument used to communicate an unbelievable number of different things. Primary categories are information, direction, emotion, and ceremony. While information and direction define cognitive meaning, emotion language expresses emotional meaning. Ceremonial language is mostly engaged with emotions but at some level information and direction collection may be used to define a deeper meaning and purpose. There is perhaps nothing more amazing than the surfacing of language in children. Children go through a number of different stages as language develops. According to Craig and Dunn, (2010), “Even before birth, it appears that infants are prepared to respond to and learn language” (p. 112). Children develop these skills quickly with nature and nurture influences. Researchers have proposed several different theories to explain how and why language development occurs. This paper is an overview of the process of early childhood language development with research evidence supporting the information stated.
As stated earlier, there are different components to language which must be taught and used in conjunction with context and social situations (Gee & Hayes, 2011). These include phonetic (sound patterns of words), syntactic (sentence structures), semantic (meanings of words and sentences) and pragmatic (using language in certain contexts) mechanisms (Fellowes and Oakley, 2014). Learning these can put meaning and purpose to the language that children learn through their surroundings, including contact with other children and adults, their culture and build upon their cognitive functions. Children in the early years are at a crucial time in their learning, the exposure to language they get from their home environment can set them up for the rest of their educational journey and beyond schooling. McInerney (2014) explores Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, explaining that language is used as a communication instrument and a way to organize our own thoughts.
In order for a toddler to learn good language techniques they must be nurtured in positive environment like Preschool. When a child is between the age of three and five, their vocabulary grows tremendously. They also start to make their sentences longer and more compound. The preschool teacher plays a big role in a child language and cogitative skills by asking open-minded questions and announcing new terminology during lessons and activities. Preschool helps develop a child’s cognitive skills by engaging in hands-on activities. The hands-on activities challenge a child to ask questions and solve
The aim of this essay is to explore language acquisition and compare and contrast different theories of language acquisition and language development. Language in its most basic form is used to communicate our needs and wants. It encompasses a range of modes of delivery including signing, spoken and written words, posture, eye contact, facial expressions and gestures. So how do we learn ‘language’? Are we born with the skills for communication, or is it something that we have to learn or have taught to us? Four theories are looked at in this essay to determine how children acquire and then develop language. These theories include behaviourist, nativist, cognitivist and sociocultural. This essay will highlight some similarities and differences in each theory and what impact these have on a child’s acquisition and development of language. Lastly we will look at the implications of these theories when working with children. Can a classroom teacher deliver a quality literacy program based on just one of these theories or does it need to incorporate components of all four? Sims, (2012) pp. 21 states ‘’High-quality learning experiences in the early years of life enhance children’s cognitive and language skills’’. This places a great responsibility on educators and teachers alike to provide an environment which is rich in learning opportunities that will encourage both the acquisition and development of language.
Learning a first language in childhood is an experience that all normal functioning humans undergo. Learning a second language after childhood, however, is an experience which not everyone attempts or succeeds in. The question of whether learning one’s first language as a child is the same as learning subsequent languages as an adult is one that interests psychologists, scientists and linguists alike. Although in many respects the acquisition process of children learning their first language and adults learning their second, third or fourth language is similar, overall there are striking differences between the manner in which these two groups do so, which mean that the process is not essentially the same across both these groups.
People live in the world of communication. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English (Moore, 1997), communication is defined as, “The activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information”. The significance of communication can be found within the context of a human existing as a social being. As a human being manages his or her life in the course of the interaction between other members of the entire society, communication is inevitable. Communication occurs through the medium of a language and it is presented in two different forms which are written and spoken (Brown & Yule, 1983: 1-10). The importance of spoken performance of a language is becoming more prominent over the written performance capability. It is because the ability to speak a language reflects a person’s personality, self image, knowledge of the world, ability to reason, skill to express thoughts in real-time (Luoma, 2004: ix). These days, due to the global trend of internationalisation, the ability to communicate in English is needed as an essential skill. Whenever the international exchange happens, the use of spoken English entails. However, it is not always an easy task for people who use English as a second language to be able to speak to the level of a native speaker. They have to perfectly understand the sound system of English, have almost instant access to proper vocabulary and be able to place words together intelligibly without hesitation. Moreover, they also have to perceive what is being said to them and need to be able to respond appropriately to acquire amiable relations or to accomplish their communicative goals (Luoma, 2004: ix). Therefore, non-native English speakers encounter these barriers and they are subject to make mistakes often. In relation to this matter, this essay argues that there are socio-cultural factors as well as linguistic factors that affect non-native speakers’ communication in English. It provides analysis of several different situations when the use of spoken English has generated miscommunication problems in regards to author’s personal experience.
Sekelj and Rigo (2011) stated that there are three phases of learning the English language. The first phase is the pupils of Year 1 to Year 4, where in this phase, pupils are preferably do a lot of mechanical drilling and practicing some patterns of grammatical features which occur in the context of dialogue that are related to their real-life without any metalinguistic explanation in order to allow them to participate orally and physically as much as possible in dialogues, role playing and dramatizing. It is because, in this stage, it is important to make them conscious of their progress and increasing their motivation to use the language. Teacher should use a variety of activities to teach grammar such as by using songs, riddles, games and stories because it could be very helpful and an efficient ways in teaching grammar as what had suggested by Long (2000) where this FonF approach is effective because it is learner-centered and tune to the learners’ internal syllabus. According to Sekelj and Rigo (2011), Vilke (1977) said that, at the early age, the unconscious acquisition process is superior to the learning one due to the child’s cognitive development. Next, the second phase is Year 5 to Year 6 where in this stage, grammar start to be taught explicitly but with simple and clear explanation and awareness of accuracy of grammar structure should be
Today we are all observing an aspect of globalization which is the increasing movement of people from one country to another for different purposes, such as education, desire for a better life, the need for employment, escape from conflicts between groups including oppression of one group by another, or natural disasters. Whatever the reason, while such phenomenon may have a lot of benefits, living in another country affects one’s mother tongue. Keeping mother tongue in a foreign country does not happen spontaneously. Instead, it is an achievement that requires commitment and determination, especially from the family. Parents must establish a strong home language policy and make consistent efforts to help their children develop good
Language is the basis of human communication. It is a cultural and social interaction, and the way language is used is influenced by the circumstances in which it takes place (Emmitt, 2010, p. 49; Green, 2006, p. 2). Children become aware that there are different types of language, including languages used at home, at childcare and at school, as they observe and participate in various language situations (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014, p. 39). Some of these languages may be unfamiliar, and children will need to learn the different roles and uses of language. The different roles of language in a child’s life are, therefore, part of their growing understanding of how to behave in society and in a particular context. As they experience different types and uses of language, children develop an understanding of how to use language appropriately for any given situation.