Teach English in Fengcun Zhen - Weinan Shi

Introduction The Collins English Dictionary defines someone’s first language as the language that they first learned and speak best. The dictionary emphasizes the use of first language especially when that ‘someone’ involved speaks other languages. The Cambridge dictionary defines first language much similarly to the Collins English dictionary as being the the language that someone learns to speak first. Reading from Collins English dictionary, someone’s second language is a language which is not their native language but which they use at work or at school. The Cambridge dictionary defines second language as a language that a person can speak that is not the first language they learned naturally as a child. The definitions of first language and second language tell the distinctive differences between the two kinds of languages. By their definitions, ones first language may not necessarily be determined by their ethnic affiliation. I am a Ghanaian and an Akan. Though English language is the official language, my first language is Twi. I learnt Twi while growing up with my parents and siblings. I do not remember having to consciously learn Twi except for academic purposes where I was taught why we say somethings they way we say and some extra expressions used for academic purposes. English Language is my second language which I learnt as a result of formal education which curriculum in Ghana is in the English Language. It came to through schooling from nursery to the tertiary level, watching movies and listening to the news in English and on radio as well as reading from print media. I can say in confidence that I am still better at my first language which is native to me than my second language, which I would mostly use because of work and interacting with non-Ghanaians. There are Ghanaians who were born to parents who were born in an English speaking country, who grew up not knowing any Ghanaian language. Kids of such parents will naturally pick up English as their first language and the same would happen in other language environments though they be Ghanaians. First language and Second language acquisition What then is first language acquisition and second language acquisition? Of what significance is a knowledge of these beneficial to the English teacher? First language acquisition generally is the process whereby someone, especially children, acquire their first languages. All persons have a natural ability to acquire language. In the case of children they are able to acquire one or more first languages by reason of the environments they grew up in. If they grow up in a one language environment, say a Chinese or English or Twi environment, they hear only that language spoken and acquire it unconsciously. Similarly, if children grow up in societies where two or more languages are predominantly spoken and heard, they passively and unconsciously learn those languages. I have had the opportunity to teach English on part time basis in China while as a student there. English in China is considered a foreign language and not a second language. So although parents invest lots of money into helping their children learn English language, it mostly by experience not paid off. There are a few by my experience who have taken a different outlook to the learning of English and I have seen that predominant improvement in their language on all sides. Most learners have very little opportunity outside of the classroom to practice what they have learned and usually learners have about an or at most two hours of classroom English a week and no practice outside the classroom. One little boy I admire so much speaks more than basic English. Although his parents cannot, they have provided an environment for him where he daily interacts with the English language even outside of the classroom. Second languages are learned instead of acquired as is the case of first language. However, there are theories that believe that second languages can also be acquired with the right immersion program. In the case of Chinese children as was my case back in Ghana with the English Language, the children could be enrolled in language schools where all basic subjects are delivered in English. I also strongly believe that it is the best way for learning a second language. For a country like China where the national and official language is English, schooling children by immersion would be the preserve of the affluent who would intend for their kids to continue studying in a foreign high school or university after their formative years. The immersion method of learning will not deprive the kids of their first language since the home and household will continue to communicate with him or her in their native language. Conclusion First language acquisition is acquired innately and passively. Second language is learned through active and explicit education and instruction. Older children and adults past the critical period can successfully learn second languages through language immersion.