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Second-language socialization : a study of preschool children in Singapore
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Type
Thesis
Author
Khong, Lana Yiu Lan
Supervisor
Kuo, Eddie C. Y.
Abstract
This study looked particularly into the importance of the home environment for the successful learning of a second language by young children. Three general aspects of the child's environment were examined: (1) The social and economic background factors (2) Family structural factors and (3) Interpersonal or interactional factors.
The perspective of sociolinguistics formed the basis of this research with the resultant emphasis upon the socio-cultural context of language and interaction within it rather than just a linguistic inquiry per se. This is because the "relationship' aspect of human communication is the main, if not the only, influence in the general language-learning process. It also has significant function in second language learning in terms of providing the child learner with the attitudes and motivations which decide, to a large extent, how successful he or she will be in that learning.
The most important findings of this research reinforced the fact that the family and home serve as the main influences upon a child where the acquisition of a second language is concerned. Parents, grandparents and older siblings however, often differed in their patterns of actual language use with the young child.
Dialect was overwhelming used between grandparent and child, while Mandarin and English usage by parents and older siblings varied according to whether there was a predominantly Chinese or Anglo orientation in the home. This in turn ,depended largely on the stream and level of education achieved by parents in general, and fathers in particular.
In this study the majority of homes were linguistically and culturally 'Chinese' and English as a second language was, if at all, learned mostly in formal schooling or through the television medium. In Fact, Mandarin, rather than English, seemed to have secured a stronger hold as a second language in this sample and probably owed much to the recent active promotion by the Singapore government to "Speak more Mandarin".
However, English as an important language to master was also evident in the general preference of parents to send their children to English rather than Chinese schools. This trend is understandable in the light of the economic and social demands of modern-day living where the English language remains a powerful international medium of communication.
The television played a relatively important role in the homes surveyed, and has the real potential to serve as a significant secondary means for language teaching, especially among children. For example, instances of child's 'socialization' into the world of television were not absent from the present study and shows the receptivity of children to language when its vehicle is imaginative, entertaining and functionally relevant to them.
Finally, linguistic homogeneity seemed to be at least partially significant in the formation of friendship networks by preschool children, together with other aspects of their social and economic backgrounds.
The perspective of sociolinguistics formed the basis of this research with the resultant emphasis upon the socio-cultural context of language and interaction within it rather than just a linguistic inquiry per se. This is because the "relationship' aspect of human communication is the main, if not the only, influence in the general language-learning process. It also has significant function in second language learning in terms of providing the child learner with the attitudes and motivations which decide, to a large extent, how successful he or she will be in that learning.
The most important findings of this research reinforced the fact that the family and home serve as the main influences upon a child where the acquisition of a second language is concerned. Parents, grandparents and older siblings however, often differed in their patterns of actual language use with the young child.
Dialect was overwhelming used between grandparent and child, while Mandarin and English usage by parents and older siblings varied according to whether there was a predominantly Chinese or Anglo orientation in the home. This in turn ,depended largely on the stream and level of education achieved by parents in general, and fathers in particular.
In this study the majority of homes were linguistically and culturally 'Chinese' and English as a second language was, if at all, learned mostly in formal schooling or through the television medium. In Fact, Mandarin, rather than English, seemed to have secured a stronger hold as a second language in this sample and probably owed much to the recent active promotion by the Singapore government to "Speak more Mandarin".
However, English as an important language to master was also evident in the general preference of parents to send their children to English rather than Chinese schools. This trend is understandable in the light of the economic and social demands of modern-day living where the English language remains a powerful international medium of communication.
The television played a relatively important role in the homes surveyed, and has the real potential to serve as a significant secondary means for language teaching, especially among children. For example, instances of child's 'socialization' into the world of television were not absent from the present study and shows the receptivity of children to language when its vehicle is imaginative, entertaining and functionally relevant to them.
Finally, linguistic homogeneity seemed to be at least partially significant in the formation of friendship networks by preschool children, together with other aspects of their social and economic backgrounds.
Date Issued
1981
Call Number
P53 Kho
Date Submitted
1981