ACQUIRING a second language is easy whether you’re a child or an adult. Even a parrot, a myna or a seal can acquire a second language that is the human language other than their own. It is easier for humans to do so simply because we have the most advanced brain among all other animal species. Babel is definitely not a hindrance. Anybody even at the age of 60 can definitely acquire a second language.

As a child, one can acquire a second language in the primary school. One strategy is for half of the children in the class to be non-English speakers while the other half are speakers of English as a native tongue. As the school year progresses, the two groups of students are expected to mingle together. One tactic to fast track their learning of the second language is for English and non-English speakers to sit side by side. In this way, the English speaker will be enticed to teach the English language to his or her friend who is a non-English native speaker. In return, the non-English speaker is also expected to share his or her native language to the rest of the class. This will surely foster cultural awareness and eliminate racism at this early level of childhood.

Childhood is surely a critical phase in instilling education of the child. The child’s brain is still precarious enough to absorb and retain everything that the environment has taught him. Teaching adults tends to be a headache because one’s brain has developed already and has a mind of its own so to speak. The adult brain can already discern and accept or reject some things that are inputted to it. But this is not the case of a child’s brain. The same is true when teaching a second language. A child’s brain easily absorbs everything and by the time the child reaches fifth grade, he or she will definitely be fluent in the second language that one has learned, including a specific accent. But teaching accented English is not favorable for a child to learn. You either have to choose teaching rhotic or non-rhotic English to the children. An ideal way of teaching English to a child is to use the Associated Press or CNN stylebook. Have you ever listened to the anchors over at VOA or C-SPAN? This is the way general English sounds. There is a separate stylebook for children for that. Never ever teach Brooklyn or New England accents to foreign children. These will just confuse them later on.

Adults who are taught the second language – English or otherwise – are only the ones who are really interested to learn the course. Learning a second language is definitely not for vacationers. If you’re in a foreign country like Poland and you really want to learn Polish, the training is intensive and excursions are only done on weekends. Of course, there is still fun in the process because one will be mingling with other foreigners who are also willing to learn that second language like you.