I recently read about some parents in Manhattan who were having their young children learn Chinese. The rationale was that China is becoming such a major economic force that knowing Chinese would give their children an edge when they reached the job market. Since it is well known that young children have the ability to learn foreign languages more easily than do older children and adults, early foreign language training would seem to make sense. The catch is that ability is only a necessary, not a sufficient cause of early language acquisition. A personal example may help to make the point.

When we went to live in Geneva for a year so that I could study with famed Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, my oldest son Paul was only two. After several months he was speaking French and by the time we left he was quite fluent and even knew expressions like “cornichon ala crème.” for when he burped. Paul was motivated to learn French because that was the language of all the children he played with, it was the language of the people in stores we shopped in, it was the language of children’s programs on TV, and it was the language of friends who invited us to their homes. When we got on the boat going home however, he refused to speak French particularly to non native speakers including me and his mother. The sufficient cause for learning another language is motivation.

What is the motivation for a child growing up in Manhattan to learn Chinese? His parents don’t speak it, his friends don’t speak it, he doesn’t hear it on Television nor in the stores he visits. There is simply no reinforcement for a young child to learn Chinese, Japanese or French in Manhattan or any other city in the US. So the time spent teaching young children a foreign language in an environment that provides no support for learning it is at best a waste of time. On the other hand, learning Spanish in the US today makes more sense. There are Spanish programs on TV, there are many Spanish speaking children in our schools, and there are many stores which cater to Latino families. Even so, it would still be easier for a child to learn Spanish if he or she were living in a Spanish speaking environment.

What about bilingual parents? It certainly makes sense, if one or both parents are bilingual to teach the child both languages. Obviously a child is motivated to speak the language of his or her parents. The issue here is the law of least effort. Another personal example may help to seal the point. My daughter-in-law is from central American. From birth she spoke to our granddaughter in Spanish. And Lily was quite fluent in Spanish. At a certain point however, she stopped speaking Spanish. I think when she realized that her mother spoke English. Speaking a foreign language is effortful and it is just easier for Lily to speak English than Spanish. When she goes to visit her grandparents, however, she becomes a little Spanish speaking magpie. So Lily will always have an edge in learning Spanish but it will not come as easily as it might if she were living full time in a Spanish-speaking environment.

Yes, there are many advantages, including a broadened cultural perspective, to learning a foreign language. But those advantages will not be gleaned if the child is taught a foreign language without the motivational supports that will insure its acquisition.