How children learn a second language

Millions of children around the world are growing up in bilingual households and perhaps even multilingual environments. Parents of these children are sometimes concerned about the impact that learning more than one language can have on young children. For example, children growing up in a bilingual environment sometimes ‘code mix’, which means that they combine words from two different languages in a single sentence. While this can be disconcerting for parents, research has shown that this is a natural part of bilingual language development.

In recent years, the demand for bilingual schools and total immersion programs has grown dramatically. In some schools in the US, children learn in both English and Spanish.  This might involve studying in English on Tuesday for example, and then in Spanish on Wednesday, with the ultimate goal of becoming fluent in both languages.

Although researchers have found that growing up exposed to two languages is generally a positive experience, there are some circumstances in which the opposite can be true. If a child speaks one language at home and needs to use a second language at a day care centre or nursery school for example, the child’s self-confidence can suffer, and with it their ability to build and sustain relationships.

For most children, learning a second language is something which takes place at school. Popular wisdom has it that it’s easier to learn a second language when you’re a child. But is this really true?

In fact, it is difficult to make a comparison because the learning environments are completely different. It may be valid for children who grow up in bilingual households or attend bilingual schools, where there are plenty of opportunities to listen to and use the language. Children in this situation definitely have time on their side. Add to this the fact that the learning environment is usually positive and relaxed, and it is not hard to see why these children have a reputation for behaving like ‘sponges’.

However, in many schools around the world, children’s exposure to a second language is much more limited. Children might only spend two or three hours a week learning a second language, which is more comparable to the situation in which older second language learners often find themselves. In this situation, studies have shown that adults are more efficient language learners than children. This has led some researchers to reject the CPH and conclude that it is the amount of time and effort learners put into learning a second language, rather than their age, which determine how successfully learners are able to learn a second language.

Young learners are widely thought to learn implicitly, which means they learn without consciously being aware of what they are learning. For this reason, typical language lessons at primary schools involve plenty of games and songs. However, implicit learning takes time. Some studies indicate that children who start learning a second language at primary school do not always become more proficient over the long-term than second language learners who begin when they are teenagers. Older learners have the capacity to learn explicitly, which means they can focus specifically on what they are learning and, in terms of second language learning, apply themselves to analysing and memorising language.

More research is needed into how realistic it is for younger learners to learn explicitly. However, some studies have compared the results that young learners were able to achieve when their lessons included a focus on analysing language. Typically, this involved looking for simple language patterns or perhaps paying attention to word order within a sentence. Researchers found that young learners were able to complete straightforward tasks successfully, which provides food for thought.

Teachers who work with children who are not growing up in bilingual households and are not attending bilingual schools could consider encouraging children to analyse language and reflect more on their learning in order to make the most effective use of the limited classroom time they have available.