|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why Learn
Italian? |
|
|
 |
|
|
Benefits of Teaching Italian to Kids |
|
|
|
|
|
“Students who have had at least 4 years of a
foreign language tend to score higher on both Math and Verbal portions
of the SAT than those who don’t.” College Board |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Learning the meaning of an
Italian word enhances a student’s chance of knowing the
meaning of an English word. Italian
is the closest descendant/relative to Latin,
therefore children learn the Latin
roots and in turn achieve better SAT verbal scores. An estimated 60% of
the English vocabulary comes from Latin.
A classic language such as Italian
provides students with the opportunity to learn about a culture rich in
traditions. From parents who want to keep their culture heritage alive,
to those who want to give their children a global advantage, foreign
language learning is truly a rewarding experience.
Italy has long been a magnet for tourism and young Americans who want to
become physicians, dentists and veterinarians. Those who cannot afford
the tuition at American schools can study at
Italian universities for a fraction of the cost. Their
degrees are valid in the United States. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Knowledge of Italian is important
for people in business, the arts, technology and many professions. It’s
also used for High School and College students planning careers in art,
architecture, fashion, history, music, linguistics, education and
international relations.
Italy is the world leader in the culinary arts, interior design,
fashion, jewelry design, graphic design, furniture design etc. Those
planning careers in such fields benefit greatly from knowing
Italian. Art historians need
Italian. Over 60% of the world’s art treasures are found in Italy.
Italian is the 4th foreign language
most spoken in the United States. There are over two million speakers of
Italian in the United States.
Italian is also spoken in
Switzerland, parts of France, Austria, Slovenia, South America, Africa,
the Balkans and the island of Malta. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Italy has one of the top 5 economies and is a leading member of the G8
Group of the wealthy democracies in the world.
An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with Italy and more
than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices in Italy including: IBM, General
Electric, Motorola, Citibank, Chase, American Express, and Price
Waterhouse.
Italy is a world leader in machine tool manufacturing, with advance
technology in robotics, electromechanical machinery, ship building,
space engineering, construction machinery, and transportation equipment.
Many of these firms have offices in the United States. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why
should I teach my baby a foreign language, |
|
|
before
he or she has mastered English? |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Recent brain research clearly shows that children
have an amazing ability to learn multiple languages before the age
of five than at any other time in life due to their rapid brain
growth. It becomes more difficult not easier to learn a second
language after a baby has learned to read in his or her native
language. Experts believe that childhood is a unique
“window of opportunity” to
introduce languages and other new experiences that grow an
appreciation for other cultures and foster a lifelong love of
learning. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How does a baby learn? |
|
|
|
|
|
Stimulating Neural Pathways
- After years of study, multiple linguistics and researchers
concur that children’s brains are wired for learning. Circuits and
pathways are formed within the brain with each observation and
experience. The ability of the brain to form and reform connections is
commonly referred to as plasticity. Connections are built to help make
associations between words, objects, sounds and smells. Hearing the
sounds of a language stimulate specific neural pathways in the rapidly
growing brain. The more frequently a pathway is stimulated, the stronger
the neural connection becomes. By the age of three, a baby’s auditory
map becomes much more selective to their own language. Listening to a
foreign language helps to stimulate your baby’s neural pathways. They
should listen to a native speaker and be reinforced by the parent.
Exposure to music, singing & foreign language movies are ideal
techniques. |
|
|
| |
|
 |
Vocabulary Building -
Babies begin developing their phonetic sounds before the
age of one. They can therefore learn to associate meanings with
words in a foreign language at the same time as learning English.
Repetition is an important factor in language learning. Children are
natural “copycats”, often mimicking and repeating sounds and words.
They pick up languages by first listening and absorbing and later
copying what they hear and what they observe. Children are able to
make automatic associations between words and objects, in both first
and second languages, with ease. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Analyzing Grammar -
Young toddlers analyze and learn grammar by hearing the language
naturally in everyday use. Short common phrases should introduce the
grammar of foreign language in the same natural effective way. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Key Reasons for Early
Foreign Language Exposure |
|
|
|
|
|
First… Human
beings are best equipped to learn a foreign language as well as their
native tongue when they are very young. Many experts estimate that by
age 8-12, humans already begin losing the ability to hear and reproduce
new sounds, resulting in a permanent foreign-sounding accent when
speaking any language. Young children who are exposed to a foreign
language gain the natural ability to string words together and pronounce
them authentically from simply absorbing the spoken language. |
|
|
|
|
|
Second… Early
exposure to a foreign language has proven to be only beneficial. Years
of research have shown that a second language has stimulated children to
improve their English verbal skills as well as their general analytical
skills, including math. When children realize that there is more than
one way to express the same concept, it causes them to question more
actively why and how we say it in English, stimulating precision and
vocabulary growth in English. Research has also proven that a second
linguistic experience accelerates brain activity and enhances children’s
overall cognitive development. The powerful emersion environment
stimulates creative thinking, logical reasoning, math skills and social
development. |
|
|
|
|
|
Third… When
foreign language is taught in a stimulating and fun way, children are at
an ideal age to gain proficiency and actually
enjoy it. This is a contrast to most adults who have to
memorize vocabulary lists and conjugating verbs. |
|
|
|
|
|
Why Learn a Foreign Language? |
|
|
|
|
|
According to the Wall Street Journal, “learning a
second language later in life is fundamentally different from learning
it early in life…Toddlers who learn a second language along with their
native tongue store this capability in a single sector in the brain…but
if the second language is acquired later - say in French class in high
school – the brain designates a separate area processing it…those who
learn two languages at a young age retain a unique ability to speak both
as if each was their native tongue.”
Dr. Joanna Dezio stated, “Did you know that in the English language
there are more nouns derived from Latin, and possessing counterparts in
modern Italian, than from any other
source? Including, not surprisingly, all vocabulary relating to the
conceptual, the abstract and the creative. Exposure develops an auditory
sensitivity and an awareness of possibility. These qualities open the
child to other major languages of human discovery – music, mathematics,
philosophy & high science the psychology of living things and the world
of art. The result is a more fully realized individual.”
According to Better Homes and Gardens, “ The research is pretty
conclusive that students exposed through foreign languages in the
elementary and preschool years have a much higher level of success in
other studies. They develop greater problem-solving skills, perform
better in their native language, and become more open to cultures.”
According to Dr. Susan Curtiss, Professor of Linguistics at UCLA, “…the
power to learn language is so great in the young child that it doesn’t
seem to matter how many languages you seem to throw their way…They can
learn as many spoken languages as you can allow them to hear
systematically and regularly at the same time. Children just have this
capacity. ”
Time Magazine stated, “ The window for acquiring syntax may close as
early as five or six years of age, while the window for adding new words
may never close. The ability to learn a second language is highest
between birth and age six, then undergoes a steady and inexorable
decline… Among other things, it is clear that foreign languages should
be taught in elementary school, if not before.” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
