Naslov
Early English language acquisition: how early is early enough?

Autori
Erk, Mirna ; Ručević, Silvija

Izvornik
Suvremena lingvistika (1847-117X) 47 (2021), 92; 141-163

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
very young learners ; young learners ; foreign language acquisition ; English as a foreign language

Sažetak
Foreign language acquisition has been introduced to a younger population of children than in years past. n Croatia, optional and non–formal learning of English is offered in early childhood education and care institutions, but the short and long–term effects of such programmes remain unknown to us. The language achievement of young EFL learners (N = 147) was investigated regarding the participants’ age at the beginning of EFL learning and their length of exposure to organised instruction. Significant correlations were found between the age at the start of students’ learning and early achievement ; however, very young and young learners achieved language results equally well after five years and three years of EFL instruction, respectively. The findings raise important questions about the role of environment, continuity, and the intensity of instruction in supporting the process of early multilingual development in children.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

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