76. Should children begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school?

More and more international corporations build their business in my country, China. At the same time, more parents tell their children that English is one of necessities to be successful in the future. Students work so hard to master English that English learning related publications have always been on the top of the best-seller list.

It seems clear that one will be better off if he/she is a bilingual, and if the second language is English, even better! However, learning a foreign language must have been painful, since people are continuously creating all sorts of methods and suggestions on how to learn it more easily, more quickly, and more effectively. Some people propose that children should begin learning English as soon as they start school. But would it really work? Hardly.

It seems true that children have natural amazing ability to develop their language skills. Statistic figures show that a 6-year-old boy can virtually memorize nearly as many as 150 words a day! But things become different when the child is learning a foreign language. When children are learning their mother tongue, they are not alone, and they are learning with numerous handy aids around. Parents, friends, and all the people around them are talking the same language, without any grammar error and nearly uniform intonation and pronunciation. However, when they are learning a foreign language, all of those natural aids disappeared. And words become really foreign and abstract after they leave classes. And even worse, their teacher might have a bad accent or even wrong pronunciation. Some may adduce children in Luxembourg as evidence, but the point is that almost all parents in that place are trilingual!

Learning a foreign language well involves much more than merely memorizing handful vocabulary or several grammar rules. If a girl is able to say hello in a standard American accent, does that really mean she has learned a second language well, or she will go so far as to be a linguist? In fact, learning a foreign language in some sense is beyond the capacity of children, especially as little as first grade pupil, for language is used to express thoughts and ideas, both of which are naturally cultural and historical, and are sometimes too complex for children to comprehend. After all, learning earlier doesn't automatically guarantee learning quicker or better.

译文

76. 孩子是否应该一开始上学就学习外语？

越来越多的跨国公司在我的祖国——中国，建立工厂。与此同时，越来越多的家长告诉自己的孩子，要想将来成功，必须要学好英语。学生努力学习以使自己能够掌握英语。这一切使得与英语相关的出版物在中国销量最好。

这种情况好像很明显：如果一个人掌握了两种语言，他的景况会比较好；而如果他的第二语言是英语，那么他的景况将会更好！但是，学习外语肯定是件痛苦的事情，要不人们为什么总是不断地研究出各种各样使人更容易、更迅速、更有效掌握英语的方法和建议等诸如此类的东西呢？有些人建议，孩子应该从上小学一年级开始就学习英语。但是这有用吗？其实几乎没有。

看起来孩子确实是在语言的学习方面有着惊人的能力。统计数字显示，一个六岁的男孩一天可以记住将近150个字。但是如果是在学习外语，情况就变得不同。孩子在学习母语的时候，不仅仅是他们自己在说，而且他们能从周围众多的“助手”身上学习。父母、朋友，还有他们周围所有的人都在用同一种腔调讲着同一种语言，而没有任何语法错误。可是，在学习外语的时候，所有的这些身边的自然的助手都消失了。并且在他们下课后单词就变得陌生而抽象。更糟的是，他们的老师可能会在发音中存有蹩脚的口音，有时甚至会有发音错误。有些人可能会拿卢森堡儿童来做例子，但是要知道，他们的父母几乎都是会说三种语言的！

学习一门外语并不仅仅意味着记住一些词汇和几条语法规则就行了。如果一个小姑娘会用标准的美音打招呼，这是否意味着她已经掌握了第二种语言，或者她已经成为了语言学家了呢？实际上，学习外语从某种角度来说超出了孩子的学习能力，特别是对于只上小学一年级的孩子来说。因为语言是用来表达思想的，而思想是从文化和历史中来的，但是这么小的孩子有时用母语还不能总结自己的思想，更不用说学习外语了。总之，过早的学习并不能保证学得既快又好。

Word List

• corporation ［ˌkɔ:pəˈreiʃən］ n. 公司，企业
• intonation ［ˌintəˈneiʃən］ n. 语调，声调
• as to 关于，至于
• pronunciation ［prəˌnʌnsiˈeiʃən］ n. 发音，读法
• best-seller ［ˌbestˈselə］ n. 最畅销的（书）
• better off 变好，受益
• abstract ［æbˈstrækt］ adj.抽象的，理论的
• bilingual ［baiˈliŋgwəl］ adj. 能说双语的；双语的
• obsolete ［ˈa:bsəli:t］ adj. 荒废的，陈旧的
• accent ［ˈækˌsənt］ n. 重音，口音；重音符
• statistic ［stəˈtistik］ adj. 统计的，统计学的
• adduce ［əˈdu:s］ adj. 引证
• mother tongue 母语，本国语
• Luxembourg［ˈluksəmˌbə:g］ n.卢森堡公国
• numerous［ˈnu:mərəs］ adj. 众多的，无数的
• trilingual ［traiˈliŋgwəl］ adj. 能讲三种语言的
• handy［ ˈhændi］ adj.手边的，唾手可得的
• linguist ［ˈliŋgwist］ n. 语言学家