My teacher said something about kids who learn new languages develop some part of their brain and therefore become more mentally capable.
2006-09-17 10:32:40 · 9 answers · asked by ortheother 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Sorry if it's difficult to understand my question -- I couldn't think of the best way to word it.
2006-09-17 14:40:57 · update #1
well if a little four year old is fluent in two or more languages then he's definitely smarter than the average bear.
2006-09-17 10:40:19 · answer #1 · answered by Banana Peels... 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, but that`s because they develop some parts of the brain that other kids don't, and since speaking a language is more than giving a new name to every thing, but it's also about structure, they can understand things from different points of view from a very young age. I can tell because I was one of those children, my mother is Russian and my father is Mexican, so I've spoken both Russian and Spanish since I was 2. I remember it really frustrated me at the age of 7 that my classmates asked me how to write their names in cyriclic and then asked me how to read them, when in reality the meaning (nor the sound of it) changed, just the way it looked on the paper.
I was always one of the top students of the school and my past boyfriends used to call me their own personal dictionary, so yes, in a way I'm smarter than the average, I'm just not very social.
2006-09-19 12:56:21 · answer #2 · answered by Kyra Z 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. That's true. This is the same for children who learn a musical instrument. A section in the brain is more developed than someone who hasn't learnt a second language or musical instrument from about 4yrs old.
Some benefits - They develop a lifelong ability to communicate with more people overall also superior problem-solving skills.
Copy & paste your question into Google & see what you come up with.
2006-09-19 07:31:35 · answer #3 · answered by CityGirl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Children who learn different languages at an early age are better at retaining information later on. I was fluent in Italian by the age of 4 years and went on to maintain a B or better in 4 years of Spanish in high school and I am now learning Japanese. A multilingual child will find it much easier to learn different languages as they get older and help them communicate by expanding their vocabulary. My 4 year old knows some sign language, Spanish, Japanese and is fluent in English. She can pretty much read whatever is in front of her already and can count to 13.
2006-09-19 13:38:54 · answer #4 · answered by Diana H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd have to say no. I know a family where the dad is American and the mom is Asian. They have a little girl who has grown up learning both languages. So, she speaks both. But she is dumb as a rock. I'm not trying to be mean but I've seriously never met a child more clueless than she is. Of course, a lot of that has to do with her parents.
2006-09-17 21:51:54 · answer #5 · answered by Amelia 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In a manner of speaking, yes. They are smarter. More importantly though, they will be a number of things:
1. More accepted in society because they can communicate with more than one society, and
2. Will be more likely to get and hold a job.
2006-09-17 17:43:05 · answer #6 · answered by bigpaul 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. That is not true. They are however more likely to develop certain types of skills than other children.
2006-09-17 17:40:06 · answer #7 · answered by cyanne2ak 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that's what I have heard. My 2 year old speaks english and spanish but that's because I speak english and my husband speaks spanish/english.
2006-09-17 20:43:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe, who knows for sure?
2006-09-17 17:42:03 · answer #9 · answered by Thomas 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋