ERIC Number: EJ995475
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
Reference Count: 9
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1083-5415
Equipping K-4 Children to Speak Any Foreign Language with an Authentic Accent
Zuckermann, Ghil'ad; Benmark, Gadi
Learning Languages, v15 n2 p28-30 Spr 2010
In today's rapidly changing globalizing world, it is hard to predict which of many languages a child can learn today will be most useful to them twenty and thirty years from now, when they enter a global work place, interact socially with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and may face relocation opportunities to foreign countries. Some parents argue that the choice of Spanish or Mandarin is "a no brainer". Yet what about French? Russian? Arabic? and that's only if one is staying within the six official languages of the UN. This choice can quickly become the subject of either guesswork or "religion". Lack of comfort in making such a choice can keep parents from providing their children with any training in foreign languages at a young age. This is especially concerning when parents want to expose their child to the richness and diversity of other cultures through language education, but cannot decide which one. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of equipping K-4 children to speak any foreign language with an authentic accent.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Cultural Awareness, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Cultural Background, Pronunciation, Prediction, Intercultural Communication, Elementary Education, FLES
National Network for Early Language Learning. Winston-Salem, NC. e-mail: nnell@wfu.edu; Web site: http://nnell.org/journal.php
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

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