attainment in the pronunciation of a foreign language” sought to investigate the notoriously sensationalized notion that once a certain age is reached language learning, to the point of fluency, becomes next to impossible. The researchers endeavoured to collect evidence demonstrating whether or not native speakers of a language could identify non-native, yet highly proficient, second language learners who had near nativelike mastery over the pronunciation of the second language. As a result of some data
Foreign Language Learning: The Earlier the Better? In a time of globalisation, intercultural communication has become more significant than ever before. Language has always been one of the major obstacles to the contact between different cultures. Nowadays, English is considered as a lingua franca, which means ‘a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different’ (OED, 2017). Many native English speakers then see no reason to learn a foreign language
Second languages are vital. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have the ability to speak ten out of the near seven thousand languages that are spoken in the world today? It is certainly evident that it would be pretty astonishing but also undoubtedly complex and mind-boggling. From Afrikaans and French, to German and Swahili, foreign languages are responsible for one thing; enabling easy communication and the ability to interact with others in whatever language you may speak. In today’s
English Should be the Official Language of the U.S. Across the United States the amount of people who speak English as a second language or do not speak it at all keeps growing. This means some people could have neighbors that they cannot even ask for a cup or sugar from. There are even sections of the U.S. where immigrants have their own communities and they mostly do not speak English with each other. It is crazy how in a country whose foundation is English has portions of the population where
itself suggests, learning and teaching a foreign language means dealing with a language that is non-native and, most probably, doing so in a non-native environment, such as the classroom. Although a foreign language learnt and taught is also oftentimes referred to as a second language, the process of dealing with this language is known as second language acquisition (SLA). Linguistic purists, however, draw a line between second language and foreign language, the first one signaling that the learner
Language is an indispensable tool for communication. This is universally known fact. English has become a global language in the era of globalization. It is a linkage and is used vastly in all Indian and foreign libraries. The aim of teaching English in the secondary schools is to promote its pupils with sufficient knowledge of English and to aid them in their future studies and build confidence to find a suitable job. If we come to the present context, English is the language that is found
INTRODUCTION Foreign language learning is mandatory in some states in elementary and secondary education in the United States. During higher education, some students take language learning class at the bachelor level, however, graduates students do not follow this tendency. At the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, I have realized that the students who pursue the M.S.Ed. Program in International Educational Development incline to take a language learning course even if the
EFL classrooms. Though the focus is on English language classes in China, I believe the core message can be applied to second language classes anywhere. The EFL community now acknowledges the importance of culture, however, it’s presence in the curriculum remains sparse for a number of reasons including “lack of time, uncertainty about which aspects of culture to teach, and the lack of practical techniques” (Mao, p. 144). Additionally, the majority of language proficiency tests that score and identify
As we all know that English is a global language, there is a need to learn the language to meet the future challenges especially to the students of non-native speakers of English. Language is used as a tool for communication. To learn a foreign language like English, students need mental involvement. Modern classrooms require the learner centered approaches. One such approach is Communicative Language Teaching. This type of teaching facilitates learning through modern techniques. Many researchers
Language is a key part of any family, community, culture and the human race. Without language the world today would be much different. From cavemen, to the Egyptian use of hieroglyphics, to Old English, to more than 6,500 languages spoken around the world today, the advances that humans have made in language is remarkable and inspiring. The ability to speak, read, write and understand more than one language is also remarkable and expands the liberties in life, especially for young people. High school