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Chomsky would frown

Chen Shu-chin's (陳淑琴) excellent article made some astute observations ("English is a blight on young kids," Feb. 17, page 8).

As a qualified English teacher at a licensed English school for third-grade students and older with 19 years of teaching experience in Taiwan, I agree with her assessment of the five adverse effects this infestation of English teaching is having on the very young. Chen listed the following areas where damage is being wrought: curriculum, bona fide preschools, bona fide teachers, the parents and the children themselves.

I would like to add one point. Noam Chomsky suggests that when a child learns a language, particularly its sentence structure, there are profound effects on the development of the young mind, including on cognitive ability, reasoning and logic as well as the expression of emotion, creativity and all other facets of mental development. When exposed to two languages with dissimilar sentence structures, such as Mandarin and English, a child's mind may well become confused and even impeded in its natural advancement.

While all such theories remain theories, there are many studies to support Chomskian linguistics. Such analysis should perhaps be applied to this emotive issue with its political (Hoklo versus Mandarin versus English) and cash-cow overtones.

Incidentally, it is hardly fair to impugn the many serious, qualified and dedicated English teachers working in Taiwan

on the basis of shortcomings among those youthful travelers who are merely passing through to get enough money for their next tattoo at the Full Moon Rave on Ko Phangan.

Jonathan Chandler
Taiwan
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