...Learning a foreign language can be a daunting challenge, but can also be one of the most rewarding experiences in one’s life. The journey to fluency is a long and difficult path, in part because foreign language learning is not a single skill. It is the intensive coordination of multiple skill sets. These include memory, cognitive problem solving, internalizing grammar, speech fluidity, listening comprehension, and vocabulary. To the foreign language learner the process is slow and growth is almost imperceptible. However, through exposure to comprehensible input a language learner can improve (Krashen, 1985). The input hypothesis (IH) “assumes that we acquire language by understanding messages” (Krashen 1985). This hypothesis states that language learners only grow when exposed to language that is just out of their level of comfort, but can be understood (Krashen 1985, 1995). The language learner level is “l” and the level needed for growth is “i+l”. This pushes students to broaden their understanding and acquire more language knowledge. The type of input can be any type of language material as long as it is at...
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...order to do that people have to speak foreign languages. When it comes to learning a new language the most common piece of advice given from adults to children is “You are young. Now is your time to learn a foreign language”. But I have always wondered why is that? Can’t adults also learn foreign languages? Here the answer is “Yes, they can.”, but it is harder for them due to a few factors, which they should overcome if they want to easily reach their goal. Nowadays, children are being exposed to and start learning languages from the kindergarten and then continue in the school. There are some factors for these children to start learning...
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...Learning a Foreign Language should be Compulsory Primary school is considered the most important basic level of learning as subjects taught in this curriculum play an essential role in children’s future. Acknowledging this issue, many countries are starting to put a foreign language subject into this curriculum, while other states this subject should be taught in secondary stage of education. This essay will look at those critical reasons why should students start learning alien language at primary school. It helps youths learn new language more effectively in this young age in this since we already enter a globalizing era. The basic level of learning is regarded as a significant part of human’s learning abilities. We learned how to write our native language from this stage, for example. We then developed it in higher developed levels. The basic of this skill helps us basically a lot develop in other steps. Imagine if we started to learn our own language at secondary school, it would have been the most difficult to study or expand it, and it also would have been too late as at this time we are expected to learn at secondary level. This basic skill of new language helps our youngsters learn the world easier such as learning other cultures. So far many knowledgeable sources are in English, for instance internet, television and visiting people. These things absolutely provide the children a great opportunity to learn new things. Furthermore, with this second language skill, the...
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...Learning a foreign language in the country where it spoken in much better than learning it in school. Actually, if someone really want to learn a language he should learn it in the country where it spoken. For example, learning English is the most important thing for the students. So, learning English in school in Saudi Arabia is very week. In addition, the best way to learn a new language is to be around speakers of the particular language you wish to learn. Comparing between learning a foreign language in school or in the country where it spoken has a lot of differences. For example, let say learning English, of course it is much better to learn it in U.S rather than Saudi Arabia because of many reasons, for example, the teaching system in U.S much better than Saudi Arabia. About 90% of the English teachers in schools in Riyadh are Arabs. So, they don’t give you a lot of homework’s, even though the quizzes are very easy so it is impossible to know if you improve you English or no. Being around native speakers is very helpful to learn the language. As learning a new language requires a lot of practice, learning while practicing with native speakers will prove more than in school. Learn a foreign language with native speakers is much better because you will speak the language all the time. In addition, you will never forget the language that you have learned, but if you learn it in the school you will just practice it during the class time. Understand the culture and...
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...Learning multiple languages helps an individual when living in a multi-cultural society. Communication is made easier if the language is a local language. Picking up a new skill is relatively easy for children as they have high grasping power. Hence, learning a foreign language offers an insight into how people from other cultures think and see the world. Firstly, in these highly competitive days, people are expected to move around places and it’s not likely that the local language is the same as the mother tongue of an individual. So it’s quite challenging to understand the local culture and customs for a new individual. This is where famous languages acquired during school days plays a big role. Secondly, it helps a child growth if he/she is introduced with the various culture of the world. Learning a language is the first step to know one’s culture. Thirdly, schools these days are focusing a lot on learning international languages in a lot of developed countries. This practice is quickly picking up in the developing countries too. This trend paves a path for the student to go out on foreign exchange programs to other countries. Gives them great opportunity to have an exposure to unique cultures whilst in student life. Sometimes, children might get carried away with foreign languages and start to look down on their own mother tongues. Hence some language veterans argue that foreign languages should be taught in school only at a age when they are mature enough to...
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...In my opinion, learning foreign languages is extremely difficult because there are many countries which have their own languages and also have different in their social culture. People who try to learn foreign languages suppose to practice as much as they can by using some techniques for supporting what the best they can do. They need to concentrate in all skill of communications which are reading, writing, listening and speaking. However the techniques from my suggestion are very simply for everyone. Firstly, the learners should try to stop thinking in own language. People who want to be rapidly improve should be awareness because when they are not realize in their own language, the only way they could do is imagine in foreign language that they need to practice. Therefore, they will automatically speak in foreign language. This is very simple technique even though it is slightly difficult when the lesson has been started in first month. Secondly, travelling around the country which uses the language they want to learn. This technique is very useful for practicing in speaking and listening skills. People around the country could help learners to improve. However, the crucial point that must be concerned for this technique is the travelling should have by themselves (or only with their foreign friend) otherwise they could not receive an advantage from this practice lesson due to their friends who try to interrupt them by their own language. Finally, reading many books...
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...How effective is learning a foreign language in high school? Not very. According to “America’s Lacking Language Skills,” an article by Amelia Friedman for The Atlantic, “less than 1 percent of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom.” What’s one way to remedy this? Beginning foreign language instruction earlier. For the average American student, foreign language instruction doesn’t begin until high school. Only a small percentage of people remember everything that they learned in a high school foreign language class. Everything they learned just didn’t stick and they gradually forgot everything. Students should begin foreign language instruction in kindergarten because it is easier for young children to learn, has many benefits as the students get...
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...cultural interaction. To be interacted in other country, people should learn one language different from their native language at least. Since learning a second language contributes to their knowledge and extends their horizons. By this way, people have more tendencies to be able to learn a foreign language. People try to learn the language which they choose at different places such as school, language courses or in foreign countries. And, people can try to learn any foreign language whenever they want. However, children have more chance to be able to learn a foreign language than adults. As a result of this, foreign language should be taught in kindergarten. The first reason why foreign language should be taught in kindergarten is that children learn foreign language easier when they are young ages. The brains of children are fresher in young ages. A mechanism which is called language acquisition device is very important in learning a language and language acquisition device is most active in childhood. After a certain age , it not very easy to activate this device. This device should be exploited as much as possible when it is still available. Gomez and Gerken support this idea that children acquire a language at mysterious speed. They owe this success in language acquisition to language acquisition device which is a ’domain general’, ’associate mechanism’.( Gomez & Gerken,2000, para.1)Thus, language teaching should start as early as possible. Moreover, children tend to learn new...
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...Arpan Sharma, a ten-year-old boy in England, speaks eleven languages. According to Birmingham Mail, Arpan has reached the national final of the Junior Language Challenge from among 2,600 students for the first round of the competition. Arpan speaks Hindi and English at home, and he has learned nine other languages such as Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, and Italian from the age of seven. Arpan said that he was very interested in learning languages, and he was good at quickly catching on to new things (Collins 1-2). As the world has become globalize, speaking other languages is one of the most important factors for success these days. Many parents encourage their children to learn foreign languages as soon as they can because they believe that people can learn languages faster and more effectively when they are young. According to statistics in Korea, Korean parents spend about 10 billion dollars a year on their children to learn English (Kim 1). Many children go to private English kindergartens and go to English-speaking countries to learn a foreign language effectively. However, in spite of parents’ consistent effort and support, some kids show side effects such as depression, abusiveness, and insomnia when parents have them learn a foreign language. Shin reported in MBC news of Korea about an eleven-year-old Korean boy. Since his parents had him go to an international school, he started showing all kinds of symptoms of a mental disorder. For instance, he refused to...
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...Kadek Ari Yuliani NIM/Class : 1312021048/5B FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ ANXIETY AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENT Learning English becomes a complicated subject matter for foreign language learners. The process of acquiring a foreign language should be achieved naturally nevertheless, most of foreign language learners feel this process is full of challenges and can be a stressful activity for them (Hewitt & Stefenson, 2011 as cited in Khodady & Khajavy, 2013, p. 269-289). Some researchers claim that language anxiety plays a prominent role in achieving the successfulness of language learning processes. Language anxiety expounded as “distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process” (Horwitz et al. 1986, p. 128). Language anxiety of foreign language learners contributes both positive and negative effect to their achievement in language learning processes. The study about the relationship between foreign language learners’ anxiety and their achievement is not a recent topic in education, it has been discussed for many years. Alpert and Haber (1960 cited in Wu. 2010 ) mentioned two types of language anxiety effects, they are, debilitating anxiety and facilitating anxiety. Debilitating anxiety means that language anxiety motivate the students to escape or decamp from language learning processes. The language anxiety makes learners feel underestimated with their...
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...This report provides a complete picture of foreign languages in foreign countries of the European Union, combining statistical data and qualitative information describing the language skills of Europeans, the foreign languages known, first foreign language, second foreign language, other foreign languages, perception of foreign languages, opinions of parents, learning foreign languages and benefits. In addition, the report contains several charts useful to identify the correct language information. This information has been obtained from various sources, including Eurostat, the European survey on language skills (European Survey on Language Competences - ESLC). This survey was attended by 16,000 people across the European Union, which have been asked questions about their language skills and their position in relation to of foreign language learning. The results are summarized here briefly. Foreign languages known Language knowledge of Europeans Mother tongue This section shows the mother tongues of the respondents. In most countries where there is a single national language, it is the mother tongue of 94% -97% of respondents. The exceptions are Greece (98.7%), Italy (99.2%), and Portugal (100%). In Luxembourg, the Luxembourg is a foreign language for 19.5% of respondents; in the Netherlands, Dutch is a foreign language for 5.1%; in Sweden, Swedish is a foreign language for 4.8%; In Austria, German is a foreign language for 3.7% of respondents. Graphs The countries with the...
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...INTRODUCTION Learning foreign language is not an easy or quick process - this process brings challenges to every teacher, but it is not only challenging for teachers but also for those with Special Educational Needs (SEN). It is up to teachers to accommodate such needs and make sure that students with special educational needs will achieve the best possible results and succeed in learning a Foreign Language (FL). Applying specific strategies, techniques and maximising students’ potential is crucial when it come to teaching a foreign language to dyslexics. In the twenty-first-century we do not have to feel limited when it comes to foreign language learning and teaching students with special educational needs. Technology brings the advantage...
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...at Higher Education Eng103 By Diamond Whatley Increasing Education Diamond Whatley Eng103 May 4, 2015 We are all aware that learning a foreign language as benefits. But are we overlooking the benefits when it comes to processing higher education? There are many reasons why people learn a foreign language: it can may help you obtain a career in the path of your choosing, increases chances of a promotion, and helps you connect and communicate with many people. However, these benefits tend to be realized after the early stages of one’s education journey. Moreover, a student’s overall interest in learning; in general dwindles over time. By the time a student reaches high school they tend to do the bare minimum to graduate, and that includes taking a foreign language. A student’s interest and attitude toward education greatly effects their success in school and/or life. “We need to get kids interest in learning, to show how it relates to life in the real world...they don’t see the significance …” (Wilson, R. 1988) even though Wilson’s statement is in regards to employment after graduating high school. The same can be applied to, learning a foreign language. Form experience, while in a conversation about learning languages; I often hear “Why are you learning that? You don’t need it right now. Everybody’s learning English.” However, I can see overall benefits beyond the, obtaining a career in the path of your choosing, increases chances of a promotion,...
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...CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction Most universities talk about "foreign language", they mean a language other than the main one spoken in your home, or other than the main language that most of your subjects were taught in when you went to school.To be considered a foreign language, the language has to be a language used by humans - so it can't be a computer language like C++ or Java. But if you're a native English speaker, it could be Spanish, or French, or Russian, or Mandarin, etc. Or yes, often, it can be ASL. A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to or other than the main language that most of your subjects were taught in when you went to school. In recent years, computer-assisted language learning has been integrated into foreign language education and computer programs with varying levels of interactional relationship between computer and the language learner have been developed. Language learning aids such as foreign language writing aid and foreign language reading aid, targeted at the specific language skills of foreign language learners, are also alternative instruments available for foreign language learners. Instructional courseware can be defined as “software developed for the purpose of providing instruction” (Gibbs, Graves, & Bernas, 2001). The term ‘courseware’ was introduced by SCORE! Educational Centers, the pioneering developer...
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...Since parents and their involvement and attitude have a crucial role in children’s achievement in English learning, the present study is to explore and evaluate the impact of Iranian parents’ involvement in and attitude toward their children’s foreign language programs for learning English. In other words, the effectiveness of their high level of involvement and strength of attitude will be evaluated. Besides, this study is to explore whether some factors as parents’ gender, knowledge of English, income, and educational background are related in the parents’ involvement and attitude or not. To this end, first a reliable questionnaire, checked through a pilot study, was distributed among 140 parents to get the level of their involvement in...
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