Sng acknowledged that without the “social environment” for students to use their mother tongue frequently in their every day lives, they would not really feel very confident or even be fluent within the language.
That is why, in everyday lessons, teachers also talk about popular tradition and current affairs so that “the learning of mother tongues is closely tied to (students’) daily life and (their) have to understand the modern world”, he said.
For many students, however , the need to score nicely might supersede curiosity about the language.
Private tutor Elmi Zulkarnain Osman said he’s helped more than half their students score a good Achievement Level one or two in Malay, but it does not necessarily mean they are bilingual.
He or she also cited college students who had achieved an A1 in their O levels but lost their proficiency a few years later simply because they did not have the chance to practise the language.
Parents of college students who come via his door place an emphasis on “scoring”, he said. “Although my personal task is to make sure that they like the language … all in all, their grades matter. ”
‘LANGUAGE IQ’ IS A ASPECT
While earlier exposure to language might mean a “higher chance” of much better language acquisition, mentioned Sun, another important element in learning a native language is language abilities, or “language IQ”.
Memory, phonetic decoding and analytical reasoning ability will certainly influence the speed associated with picking up a new language, and most experts believe “you can’t really change it (or) train it”, she mentioned.
According to her research, pronunciation and grammar are influenced more by vocabulary aptitude, while vocabulary can be influenced a lot more by the environment.
Still, language learning is usually “complex”, she additional. How much one’s parents use a language at home, how well they speak it, how usually children use it with their parents and other loved ones, and how motivated these are to learn, play crucial roles.
Sng noted that while you can find more dominantly English-speaking households, the 2020 census also found that a second language is spoken in most houses. It is “really helpful”, he said, to “consciously create” a bilingual home environment for children.
If parents are “not so comfortable” utilizing their mother tongue, he suggested they could make available native language books and encourage their children to view mother tongue television programmes or listen to tunes in their mother tongue.
Parents who make an effort to use and become better at their mother tongue would also be a good “inspiring” example to their children, he stated.
Talking Point airs on Channel 5 every Thursday at 9. 30pm.