It is often said that people are more capable of learning second and third languages in early childhood than at any other time. What are the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating foreign language study into the elementary school curriculum? How frequently is this done, and how intensive should study be?
There are no theoretical disadvantages to incorporating foreign language study into the elementary school curriculum. There are obvious advantages, however, as is evidenced by the fact that it is a worldwide common practice. At the same time, the typical American version of this rarely produces second language speakers for the simple reason that it occurs too infrequently to gain proficiency and is not incorporated into the general curriculum. It might even be argued that this failed attempt is worse than no attempt in that children in the elementary years all too soon grow bored of weekly Spanish or Chinese, possibly setting into motion negative lifelong attitudes about language learning.
