🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug6.185548.4040@bnr.ca> Peter Marko <pmarko@bnr.ca> writes:
>In article <1271@netxcom.netx.com> Peter Dressner,
>pdressne@netxcom.netx.com writes:
> >   - Is one hour a day, 5 days a week enough time for a baby to pick
> >     up a foreign language? 
> > 
> >   - If yes, at what age should this training commence?
>
>Unless the child can use a language on a regular basis (at home, in the
>neighbourhood, at school), she will not learn TO USE that language.  You
>can attempt to 'teach' a language, but real knowledge will only come
>through the use of it.

Just as a bit of anecdotal evidence, my wife grew up in Peru, where she
knew a number of missionary kids, who spoke perfect Spanish until they
were 5 or so; they then spent 1 to 2 years in school in the US.  When
they returned to Peru they had forgotten almost all their Spanish.

She feels that permanent learning would only take place starting at age
7 or so (although it could of course be started much earlier).