LANGUAGE ACQUISITION TRENDS AMONGST CHILDREN
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Language is an impressive concept, but what is it? Through generations of evolution, humans have developed the physiology to create pressure waves with our throats, tongues, mouths, lips. We have organized these pressure patterns into a structured system of vocabulary, and we have learned to string vocabulary together to create sentences, thoughts, and convey meaning (Boroditsky, 2018).
Language has been one of the most important developments in human evolution as it allows us to communicate complex ideas. It is incredibly complex, it is diverse and varied, and it is beautiful. Lera Boroditsky has some more fantastic comments on language in her TED Talk How language shapes the way we think.
Today’s youth have been granted infinite potential to become multilingual: the world is more connected and globalized than ever before, and language learning resources have never been more accessible. Through language, kids can share their thoughts and ideas with the whole world, and depending on how many languages they speak, those ideas could reach millions, or even billions of listeners around the world.
In school, children often learn multiple languages: in the United States students learn Spanish, in Finland students learn Swedish, in South Korea students learn English. Parents want their children to be multilingual, and when students are young and their brains are still developing, their ability to acquire new languages is at its highest potential.
SETTING THE STAGE FOR MULTILINGUALISM
There are approximately 7000 languages spoken across the world. Some of these are spoken by millions of people around the world, whereas others are small traditional languages only spoken by closed communities and societies.
The United Nations operates using six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Consider for a moment if your child spoke these 6 languages, they would be able to communicate with over 4 billion people (Statista, 2021).
Of these 7000 languages spoken throughout the world, English is the most commonly learned language. There are some 1.5 billion English-language learners today, a staggering statistic!
Source: https://www.openculture.com/2015/06/the-tree-of-languages-illustrated-in-a-big-beautiful-infographic.html
As such, the arena for language learning apps - specifically those targeting English - has become incredibly ranged and competitive. Children have media they can turn to in order to hear English, they have games they can play in order to practice reading English, and they have apps to help scaffold their grammar skills.
It almost makes you wish you had these tools available to you when you were a child - kids today have so much opportunity!
CHILDREN AND MULTILINGUALISM
Many studies have been done regarding second language acquisition and the optimal age to begin introducing a new language to a child. The results from these studies can be incredibly nuanced and situational, but broadly speaking, studies confidently show that introducing a new language to children at a young age will increase their vocabulary, increase language awareness and processes related to language structure, and lead to improved phonetic ability and accent (Bialystok & Feng, 2009; Kuhl, 2010; Oller & Eilers, 2002).
In addition to these concrete benefits, learning a new language can be an opportunity to learn about a new culture, a new country, and a new branch of history. The depth of this endeavour can be infinite, as a child learning French may take an interest in french music, or plan a dream trip to Paris, or discover the Louvre’s online resources and open their eyes to the world of art and creative expression. Languages open doors.
FUTURE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
In the modern workforce, globalized teams working remotely from around the world have never been more prevalent. This means that multi-cultural teams and work environments are becoming increasingly commonplace. In fact, here are some statistics highlighting the importance of bilingualism/multilingualism in today’s workforce:
Helping your children acquire language skills has never been more important when it comes to future career opportunities. More and more companies are valuing multilinguals, markets are becoming increasingly diverse, and the ability to communicate in multiple languages are increasingly important in fields like healthcare, education, engineering, and governance.
Not only does speaking more than one language open doors to potential job opportunities, but employers may offer incentives, bonuses, and paid-for professional development to those who speak a second language or are actively trying to learn a new language for job-related purposes. Employers value multilinguals as it helps them connect with a broader market, ultimately proving beneficial for both the company, and the employee.
GET LEARNING
From a strictly professional perspective, being multilingual extends all kinds of job branches to children. Not only will they be better equipped to find a job in competitive markets, but they will be in a position to potentially earn more as well, leading to a higher quality of life. Having choice and being a valued asset to any business/industry empowers job seekers to better control their own professional destiny.
From a personal perspective, being multilingual opens children’s eyes to a whole new world, one that is flourishing with culture, history, travel, and beauty. As kids learn languages, they rewire how their brain thinks, they make neural connections they otherwise wouldn’t, their adaptability skills skyrocket, and they become more powerful multi-taskers. These soft skills combined with a broader world view yields better global citizens.
When I was younger, I learned French in school. The tried-and-true methods of the past were drilled into my head, memorizing vocabulary and writing out lists of conjugations over and over. I only wish I was a child today, with all kinds of resources and tools to help my language learning. While I speak French, and it is never too late to learn a new language, had I had the resources of today available to me as a child, perhaps my journey would have been a bit easier, and I would have written this article not only in English, but Hindi and Mandarin as well!
Brandon Collier, Business Development & Research at Moi Panda
References
Bialystok, E. & Feng, X. (2009). Language proficiency and executive control in proactive interference: Evidence from monolingual and bilingual children and adults, Brain and Language, 109, 2–3, Pages 93-100, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2008.09.001.
Boroditsky, L. (2018, April). How language shapes the way we think. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think?autoplay=true
Gitnux. (2021a, April 27). Bilingual Employment Statistics. Gitnux Blog. https://blog.gitnux.com/bilingual-employment-statistics/
Gitnux. (2021b, June 11). Bilingual Job Statistics: The Benefits of Being Bilingual. Gitnux Blog. https://blog.gitnux.com/bilingual-job-statistics/#:~:text=60%25%20of%20job%20postings%20on,bilingualism%20in%20the%20job%20market.
Kuhl, P. (2010, October). The linguistic genius of babies [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies/details
Nacamulli, M. (2015, April). The benefits of a bilingual brain [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/mia_nacamulli_the_benefits_of_a_bilingual_brain
Oller, D. K. & Eilers, R. E. (eds.) (2002). Language and literacy in bilingual children. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters
Statista. (2021, April 8). The most spoken languages worldwide. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266808/the-most-spoken-languages-worldwide/
