How Children Learn a Second Language

How Children Learn a Second Language

1. In general, there are two ways in which children may learn a second language: simultaneously or sequentially

   • Simultaneous Second Language Learning
     • Simultaneous learners are also young children whose parents each speak separate languages to them at home (e.g., mother speaks Spanish to child, father speaks Chinese to child).
   • Cognitive Benefits of Simultaneous Language Development
     • For example, they have greater neural activity and denser tissue in the areas of the brain related to memory, attention, and language than monolingual learners.
   • The Four Stages of Sequential
     • Stage I: Home Language Use For the first few days, children may persist in using their first or native language even if others do not understand them.
     • Stage II: Silent Period After children realize their first language is not working, they enter a silent period in which they barely speak
     • Stage III: Telegraphic & Formulaic Speech Children will start to speak in the new or second language. In this stage, they will only speak in small utterances (e.g., Me Down) or by repeating the words of others.
     • Stage IV: Productive Language Children are now ready to express their own thoughts and construct their own sentences.
     • The Multiple Benefits of Learning
       • For example, bilingual children have performed better than monolingual speakers on measures of analytical ability, concept formation, cognitive flexibility, and metalinguistic skills
         • How Can Parents Support Dual Language Development?
           • Ensure that the environments in which you introduce languages to children are nurturing—whether it is a school, early childhood program, or home
           • Español Teach vocabulary or nursery rhymes in your native language to the class or teachers, extending opportunities to practice a second language to all children
           • Create fun family-oriented activities that will provide opportunities to converse in the home language, such as reading books, singing songs, or playing games together.
           • Be prepared for the possibility that your children will express disinterest in their native language. Support your children’s interest in maintaining their native language by talking to them about the importance of dual language development.