Is Learning English at an Earlier Age Better for Indonesians?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26905/enjourme.v2i1.570Keywords:
lingua franca, early bilingualism, Indonesian English learningAbstract
In Indonesia, there exist many native languages which therefore position English as a foreign language following Bahasa Indonesia as the L2. This leads to the development of simultaneous bilinguals. However, there have been some contradictory opinions on whether learning English at an early age is effective as it can inhibit a child’s L1 and L2 development. This may lead to the phenomenon of subtractive bilingualism resulting in a major dilemma for the government and parents. However, this notion can be debated through the critical period hypothesis. This paper presents a literature review on the age factor of learning English and its implication in Indonesia.References
Ben-Zeev, S. (1977). Mechanisms by which childhood bilingualism affects understanding of language and cognitive structures. In P. A. Hornby (ed). Bilingualism: Psychological, Social, and Educational Implications. New York: Academic Press.
Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49, 221-251.
Cummins, J. (1984a). Bilingualism and special education: Issues in assessment and pedagogy. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 6.
Cummins, J. (1984b). Wanted: a theoretical framework for relating language proficiency to academic achievement among bilingual students. In C. Rivera (ed.) Language proficiency and academic achievement. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Diaz, R. M. (1985). Bilingual cognitive development: addressing the gaps in current research. Child Development, 56, 1376-1388.
Ekstrand. L. H. (1981). Theories and facts about early bilingualism in native and migrant children. Grazer Linguitische Studien, 14, 24-52.
Hamers, J.F. and Blanc, M.H.A. (2000). Bilinguality and Bilingualism 1st Edition. Cambridge University Press
Hamers, J.F. & Blanc, M.H.A. (2000). Bilinguality and bilingualism. 2th edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hoff, E. (2014). Language development. 5th edn. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.
Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st Century: A global perspective. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Holmstrand, L. E. (1979). The effects on general school achievement of early commencement of English instruction. University of Upssala Department of Education, Upssala Reports on Education, 4, 1-45.
Johnson, J. S. & Newport, E. L. (1989). Critical effects in second language learning: the influence of maturational state on the acquisition of English as a second language. Cognitive Psychology, 21, 60-99.
Lenneberg, E. H. (1967). Biological Foundations of Language. New York: Wiley.
Manara, C. (2014). “That’s what worries meâ€: Tension in English language education in today’s Indonesia. International Journal Innovation in English Language, 3(1), 21-35.
Nababan, P. W. J. (1991). Language in education: The case in Indonesia. International Review of Education. 37(1), 115-131.
Penfield, W. P. & Roberts, L. R. (1959). Speech and Brain Mechanism. London: Oxford University Press.
Rubin, H., & Turner, A. (1989). Linguistic awareness skills in grade one children in a French immersion setting. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1, 73-86.
Singleton, D. (2003). Critical period or general age factor(s)? In M. D. P. G. Mayo and M. L. G. Lecumberri (ed). Age and the acquisition of English as a foreign language. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Snow, C. E. & Hoefnagel-Hohle, M. (1978). The critical period for language acquisition: evidence from second language learning. Child Development, 49, 1114-11128.
Tahta, S., Wood, M., & Lowenthal, K. (1981). Age changes in the ability to replicate foreign pronunciation and intonation. Language and Speech, 24, 363-372.
Taylor, I. (1990). Psycholinguistics: Learning and using language. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Woods, B. T., & Carey, S. (1979). Language deficits after apparent clinical recovery from childhood aphasia. Annals of Neurology, 6, 405-409.
Zacharias, N. (2006). Native or non-native teachers: A study on tertiary teacher’s beliefs in Indonesia. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, Vol. 6, 47-62.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
(1) Copyright of the published articles will be transferred to the journal as the publisher of the manuscripts. Therefore, the author confirms that the copyright has been managed by the journal.
(2) Publisher of EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English is University of Merdeka Malang.
(3) The copyright follows Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike License (CC BY SA): This license allows to Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material, for any purpose, even commercially.
