对“外语要从小学起”的一项调查研究

An Investigation into “an Early Start in Foreign Language Learning”

为了验证语言习得"关键期假说"是否对外语习得效果产生影响,通过问卷调查对两组受试者(早学者、晚学者)的高考英语成绩和大学英语四级总成绩及其各分项成绩(听力、阅读、写作和翻译、综合)进行统计分析比较。研究结果表明:学习英语早的孩子并没比学习英语晚的孩子在中学、大学英语学习中具有明显的优势;是否在关键期前开始学习英语也没有对提高某方面语言能力产生实质影响。这些发现对我国过热的早期外语教育有一定的启示作用。

By means of a questionnaire survey, English scores for National College Entrance Examination and CET-4 total scores as well as its scores for partial items from two groups of subjects （early starters, late starters） were conducted with statistical analyses in order to testify whether critical period has an effect on the foreign language acquisition. Results show as follows： early starters don＇t enjoy a significant superiority over late starters in middle-school and college English learning; whether to start English learning before critical period also doesn＇t have any substantial impact on listening, reading, writing, translating, and overall language ability. These findings would cast some light on the overheated early foreign language instruction in our country.