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thesubtleartofenglish · 3 months

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English needs no introduction at this point. This language is understandable to a wide range of individuals from different nations, whether or not it is innate. It is undeniable that those who are exposed to this language in their early years will continue to speak it at their highest fluency levels as they become older and will also likely acquire higher competence levels because of their early exposure. But the question is, what distinguishes individuals who acquired fluency in English from those who did not? Thinking back on my English-speaking cousins has inspired me to research the variations in English language skills among people, hence my decision to delve into the underlying aspects of this topic.

As soon as I started noticing two of my cousins, I developed an interest in learning more about the variations in English proficiency. Although they come from different backgrounds—my parents' sides—both of them can speak this language fluently, to the point where they can converse with native speakers. I could even go as far as to say that they are comparatively on par with native speakers. One of them, Sean Colbie, 14, has been speaking English since nursery, and his continuous exposure to different English cartoons during his early years helped him significantly develop. Her mother found out that his son has a strong fondness for watching Cartoon Network at the age of six. This became apparent when he was in first grade, and from then on he became even more committed to watching foreign shows. “Mga around Grade 1, lagi lagi na siyang nanunuod ng mga cartoons. Mostly in English. Sinusubaybayan niya almost every day yung channel na Cartoon Network, dahil ‘dun na-adapt niya yung mga dialogues na naririnig niya sa mga shows na napapanuod niya sa T.V. (Around Grade 1, he always watched cartoons. Mostly in English. He follows the Cartoon Network channel almost every day, and that's where he adapted the dialogues he hears in the shows he watches on T.V.).”

Moreover, Sean’s fondness for speaking in English was further strengthened and reinforced the moment he was introduced to his phone, which he often uses to access YouTube and Facebook, among other media platforms. In that regard, watching videos that are hosted by English native speakers has become his pleasure, which has helped him develop toward fluency in the language. There is no denying that media consumption can significantly contribute to one’s communicative progress. Research on how media intake affects English competence is still under progress, yet some studies point to certain advantages. For example, a study discovered that using social media in English can improve learners' proficiency in the language since it offers interactive content, visual components, and communication and learning opportunities. Another study indicated that social media usage positively affects learners' understanding of English as much as it enhances their comprehension of the language and may help them become more proficient in vocabulary, listening, and general language usage. While it may seem like a pivotal contributor to one’s proficiency in English, I don’t intend to digress.

After all, Sean’s ability to speak English has greatly benefited from the impact of YouTubers like PewDiePie, Markiplier, and Matthew Patrick of The Game Theorists. These media personalities encouraged him to speak English more frequently until he was able to do so fluently. “Sa dami ng napapanuod niya sa YouTube and Facebook, naging natural na lang sa kanya ‘yung pagsasalita in English, almost to the point na hindi na siya nagta-Tagalog. It’s never been an issue for us though. Proud naman kami na natutunan niya ‘yung English mostly by himself (With the amount of time he has been watching on YouTube and Facebook, speaking in English has become natural to him, almost to the point that he no longer speaks Tagalog. It's never been an issue for us though. We are proud that he learned English mostly by himself).”

The same can be observed with my 12-year-old cousin, Eumi, who's on my father’s side. But instead of acquiring the language naturally, she was intentionally taught by her mother on a regular basis, which is how she acquired fluency in English at such a young age. “Actually akala ko namana niya yung ganoong skill niya sa papa niya. It was until I remembered na ako pala nagturo sa kanya na mag Ingles. Even before bago siya maging talkative, talagang tinarget ko si Eumi na matuto mag-English. English mode yan kaming dalawa every time na magba-bonding kami. Kahit si Vince, nire-remind ko talaga na mag-English ‘pag kakausapin si Eumi. Mandatory datingan, ganun. Tipong makaka-encounter lang kami ng words sa bahay, actually anywhere, mapa-phone, T.V., posters, sa malls, pinapabigkas ko ‘yan kay Eumi. As much as possible, ine-encourage ko siya na mag-read. Read, read, read, read, read, read, tina-try ko talagang ma-push si Eumi sa pagbabasa since appropriate naman din talaga yung pagbabasa sa children natin. Anybody her age should be encouraged to read textbooks, stories, kahit yung simple alphabetical posters, lahat ‘yan very advisable sa kapwa parents natin, especially for the sake of their kids’ growth and development (Actually I thought she inherited that skill from her father. It was until I remembered that I taught her to speak English. Even before she became talkative, I really targeted Eumi to learn English. It's English mode for both of us every time we bond. Even Vince, I really reminded him to speak English when talking to Eumi. Every time we encounter English words at home, actually anywhere, phones, T.V., posters, in malls, I make Eumi pronounce them. As much as possible, I encouraged her to read. Read, read, read, read, read, read, I was really trying to push Eumi to read since reading is really appropriate for our children. Anyone her age should be encouraged to read textbooks, stories, even simple alphabetical posters, all of which is very advisable to our fellow parents, especially for the sake of their kids' growth and development).”

Now that I clarified where this assessment ultimately stems from, it is obvious that Eumi and Sean are the sole reason I became curious about the difference between attaining fluency in English during the early years and attaining it during the later stages in life. There is very little difference between their fluency levels when compared to one another, and their natural usage of this language only continues to evolve as they get older and mature. With that being said, my curiosity then prompted me to harp on the belief that their natural acquisition and gradual improvement of speaking in English have something to do with the critical period in a child's learning development, especially in light of the fact that they gradually gained fluency in this language from infancy and childhood to adolescence.

Becoming advanced with learning a language can have a significant impact on how well you grasp its usage eventually. This is where the critical period in a child's learning development takes effect since it is a biologically determined stage where the child is supposed to be optimally ready to acquire certain skills. Based on its definition, this period is associated with brain plasticity and is characterized by the highest potential for learning and development. The critical period is generally considered to occur in the early years of a child's life, from birth to around the age of five. It is crucial to learn language, vision, hearing, and other skills during this period because it is when the brain is particularly responsive to learning and the development of neural connections. This relates to how they developed their English language skills in a manner similar to that of native speakers, which is particularly clear given that they were exposed to the language from an early age. One of them, as I mentioned earlier, picked up English organically by watching different English-language cartoons, let alone the fact that he was instructed to communicate in English with everyone around him, including his family. To a certain degree, his family has some influence in how he developed his natural fluency in the language, and that is largely due to the fact that they decided to speak to him in English for as long as they could, primarily in an effort to help him become a native English speaker from birth.

Despite the fact that Eumi learnt the fundamentals of the language from her parents, she has also benefited from viewing English cartoons and speaking to everyone in English. The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) developed by Noam Chomsky is a factor that sets Eumi and Sean apart from the rest of our cousins. It is a theoretical concept that suggests the existence of a biological structure in the human brain that enables children to acquire language. Chomsky proposed that children are born with an innate ability to understand and generate language, and the LAD serves as a universal grammar processor, which allows them to grasp the complexities of language through exposure and interaction. Based on the manner in which Sean developed his preference for speaking English in his early years, youngsters may be able to progress in their English proficiency in a manner that will allow them to do so in the future. However, with Eumi, that isn't mostly the case. She learnt the language more intentionally and didn't pick it up naturally. Even if her education can be whittled down to homeschooling and tutorials, her parents have given her enough guidance that she has become incredibly proficient in English when speaking to others. She began with the fundamentals, as did Sean, who also started with basic words and sentence structures before expanding his vocabulary and growing more accustomed to speaking the language at such a young age.

All things considered, we can argue that learning to speak English in the early phases of human development, from birth to childhood, can aid non-native speakers like me in adapting and achieving higher levels of proficiency and fluency than those who are only beginning to learn it during their adolescent years. It is true that early development is more critical than later development, whether or not it takes work to understand the fundamentals of English communication during the adolescent years, and this is especially evident when you are learning the English language for communicative purposes.

REFERENCES & SOURCES:

Ohwovoriole, T. (2023, July 25). Critical period in brain development: definition, importance. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/critical-period-in-brain-development-definition-importance-7556041

Levels of learning a language – Mango languages. (2023, March 16). https://mangolanguages.com/resources-articles/levels-of-learning-a-language/

Sriram, R. (2020, June 24). Why ages 2-7 matter so much for brain development. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-ages-2-7-matter-so-much-brain-development/

Cisneros-Franco, J. M., Voss, P., Thomas, M. E., & De Villers-Sidani, É. (2020). Critical periods of brain development. In Handbook of Clinical Neurology (pp. 75–88). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-444-64150-2.00009-5

Jones, M. (2021, April 13). English Proficiency levels: A guide to determining your level. SpeakUp Resources. https://magoosh.com/english-speaking/english-proficiency-levels-a-guide-to-determining-your-level/

Vipond, T. (2023, October 25). Language proficiency levels. Corporate Finance Institute. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/career/language-proficiency-levels/

Dore, R. A., Logan, J., Lin, T., Purtell, K. M., & Justice, L. M. (2020). Associations between children’s media use and language and literacy skills. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01734

Arulchelvan, P. (2019). Social media usage among English language learners in Primary School. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/6437/643770323033/html/

Muftah, M. (2022). Impact of social media on learning English language during the COVID-19 pandemic. PSU Research Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/prr-10-2021-0060

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