CHFA | Global Languages Senior Colloquium
The Acquisition of Pronunciation and Vocabulary of a Second Language in Children and Adults
Abstract/Description
Rebecca Estes
Rebecca Estes is currently a student at Murray State University. She will graduate in December of 2024 with a BA in Spanish: Translation and Interpretation and a minor in Japanese. She loves learning about cultures and new ways of communicating with people. In her spare time, she likes to go to the movies and to go for walks with her cat.
The Acquisition of Pronunciation and Vocabulary of a Second Language in Children and Adults
There is a common belief that the best time to begin learning a second language is in childhood, and that those who wait until adulthood to do so will not be able to achieve the fluency that early learners do. In order to discuss the validity of this belief, I will compare the capabilities of children and adults to acquire a second language. I utilize studies that demonstrate the abilities of children and adults to acquire pronunciation and vocabulary of a second language in their own right as well as studies that test and compare the abilities of children and adults in these same skills given the same time constraints. The advantages of learning pronunciation in childhood and the advantages of acquiring vocabulary as an adult show that the benefits of learning a second language at an early age do not apply to all aspects of language. I use this information not to defend waiting until adulthood to begin the process of acquiring a second language, but to argue in favor of tailoring goals and methods of education to fit the needs of the student based on their age instead of placing importance on one age group over another.
The Acquisition of Pronunciation and Vocabulary of a Second Language in Children and Adults
Rebecca Estes
Rebecca Estes is currently a student at Murray State University. She will graduate in December of 2024 with a BA in Spanish: Translation and Interpretation and a minor in Japanese. She loves learning about cultures and new ways of communicating with people. In her spare time, she likes to go to the movies and to go for walks with her cat.
The Acquisition of Pronunciation and Vocabulary of a Second Language in Children and Adults
There is a common belief that the best time to begin learning a second language is in childhood, and that those who wait until adulthood to do so will not be able to achieve the fluency that early learners do. In order to discuss the validity of this belief, I will compare the capabilities of children and adults to acquire a second language. I utilize studies that demonstrate the abilities of children and adults to acquire pronunciation and vocabulary of a second language in their own right as well as studies that test and compare the abilities of children and adults in these same skills given the same time constraints. The advantages of learning pronunciation in childhood and the advantages of acquiring vocabulary as an adult show that the benefits of learning a second language at an early age do not apply to all aspects of language. I use this information not to defend waiting until adulthood to begin the process of acquiring a second language, but to argue in favor of tailoring goals and methods of education to fit the needs of the student based on their age instead of placing importance on one age group over another.