Chinese parents are having their children learn English earlier, according to a survey published by the China Youth Daily.

《中国青年报》近日进行的一项调查显示，如今，中国家长很早就让孩子学习英语。

English has been introduced in primary schools, but more parents are starting their children on the second language before the age of five.

英语现在已经被引入到了小学当中，但是越来越多的家长在他们的孩子五岁之前，就已经开始让他们学习这门第二语言了。

Nearly 70% of the 2,003 respondents reported that their own children or children they know started learning¹ English before age five, mainly due to Chinese parents' fixation on giving children an early advantage, the survey found.

调查发现，2003名受访者中，近7成人表示他们自己的孩子或认识的孩子5岁前就开始学习英语；中国家长执着于让孩子"赢在起跑线上"的想法是他们这么做的主因。

Another major reason is that parents believe it is more effective to cultivate² children's language skills at an early age.

另一个重要原因是家长认为，外语能力从小培养更加有效。

58.3% of the respondents believe that the trend of children learning English at a younger age is obvious. Some 39 percent of respondents said parents pay between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan annually³ to such institutions.

58.3%的受访者认为，幼儿学习英语呈现出明显的低龄化趋势。而39%的受访者表示，家长们每年要向相关机构支付10000到20000元。

Fu Lili, a mother of a four year old, said learning institutions with native English-speaking teachers can charge higher prices.

作为一个四岁孩子的母亲，付莉莉表示，在拥有英语外教的机构中学习，学费会更高。

Yet not all parents have faith in such institutions, as more than 20 percent of the total said they have seen little effect on children's learning.

但是并不是所有的父母都相信这些机构，超过总人数20%的家长就表示，这些机构对孩子的学习效果并没有什么影响。

Shi Longwei, associate professor of education at Southwest University, said it is more important for children to have the freedom to grow and develop their own interest. "Even in English-speaking countries, kids in kindergarten are only taught to recognize the 26 letters."

西南大学教育学院副教授石隆伟认为，孩子能自由成长、培养自己的兴趣更为重要。他说：“即使在以英语作为母语的国家，幼儿园中的孩子一般也只会被要求识别26个字母而已。”