Whether to develop a second language from an early age underlies strong arguments on both sides. Supporters may emphasize the malleable talent for kids, claiming that such naive minds would provide ideal conditions for language cultivation, ultimately facilitate positive snowball effects through the lifelong language learning journey. While the opposers might contend that such an early bilingual environment might suppress the progression for mother language, inhibiting the comprehensiveness of perception structuring.
To begin with, advocates for early foreign language learning note that the comparative advantages might radically decide an individual’s academic performance and even career resilience. For instance, Taiwanese parents, if affordable, often spare no efforts providing their children with early English-as-a-second-language education. They believe that these investments would blossom in the future, granting their kids advantages among Taiwan’s educational mechanism that appreciates individuals’ command of English. In fact, most students studying in the prestigious universities, often with broader career aspirations, in Taiwan do enjoy foreign language education since childhood.
In opposition, some may argue that such early development would disturb individuals’ learning pace upon first language, and would also serve as an inefficient way to formulate the structural techniques of a certain foreign language. For example, during my kindergarten period, I received trilingual education, including my first language, Mandarin, English and Japanese, as my second and third languages. Yet, it turned out that I could hardly recall a single word of Japanese, reinforcing their claim of inefficient learning.
However, given the failure in Japanese learning, I firmly hold a positive position toward this issue. The core for early language cultivation not only lies in the skill acquisitions, but most importantly, it is the mindset that plants a seed in mind, continuously reminding learners why to learn and where to apply, could lead to a prosperous and blossoming future.