Jadine is born in China and hears nothing but Mandarin Chinese for the first 4 months of her life.At that point,she is adopted by a Canadian couple.Which of the following statements best describes Jadine's ability to learn English?
A) Jadine will learn English in the same way other Canadian children would.
B) Jadine will learn English, but will be slightly delayed as she will be accustomed to Chinese phonemes.
C) Jadine will be able to learn English, but will also speak Chinese due to the early exposure to Chinese phonemes.
D) Jadine will have great difficulty learning English because she would already have lost her ability to distinguish English phonemes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research has shown that children have the ability to learn any language in the world if they are exposed to it before the age of 6, and Jadine was exposed to Mandarin Chinese for only the first four months of her life. Therefore, she will learn English in the same way as other Canadian children, as long as she is exposed to English from an early age. While it is possible that Jadine may have some initial difficulty with English phonemes due to her early exposure to Chinese phonemes, this would not significantly impede her ability to learn English.

Jadine Is Born in China and Hears Nothing but Mandarin