Adults vs. Kids Can Adults Learn a Second Language

Adults vs. Kids Can Adults Learn a Second Language Children are like sponges.They  can  absorb foreign  languages  so quickly.How many of you have heard this before?Society is flooded with messages telling you who is and who isnt good at learning a language.And if you asked any random person walking down the street who the champion of language learners are, they would probably  say children.This seems like such an obvious truth that its hardly ever challenged.Clearly everyone can speak their native language fluently,  which they learned as a child, but loads of people have trouble getting a grasp on a second language (or third if they grew up bilingual).So it must be that children are the  perfect language learners, and all adults can hope for is to achieve some fraction of their  success, right?Wrongâ€"theres a fatal flaw in this logic. Children live very different lives from adults and their reasons for learning a language  are often just as disparate. In fact, there are many reasons to believe that the popular opinion about how po orly adults learn languages is fundamentally flawed.From the lack of physical evidence for the superiority of language learning in children, a new system of beliefs is beginning to sprout through the cracks of the old, oversimplified model of age and language learning.But where did these beliefs come from in the first place? The Critical Period Hypothesis and Popular BeliefThe Critical Period Hypothesis is the academic name for what most of us have come to believe about adults and language learning. Its basic outline is that theres a fixed period of time in which you can really learn a language and learn it well. After that good luck. Maybe you can aspire to be like Luigi Risotto, the Italian chef from The Simpsons who speaks fractured though understandable English, but dont get any hopes of sounding like a native.This critical period is supposed to run from when youre born to sometime during adolescence, when youre around 15 years  old.  In other words, this is the scientific bas is of  our poor opinion of  adult language learners.But the question everyone wants to know is: Is it true? The answer: Maybe. Theres quite a bit of debate over the topic, and it would be hard to say that anything is settled. But many researchers have come out against the theory, some denying that a critical period exists at all.Take David Singleton for example, a professor of linguistics at Trinity College Dublin. In his papers he regularly criticizes those who side with the Critical Period Hypothesis and  in one of them  he reviews the relevant literature on the biology of the brain only to conclude that theres nothing solid about the science of a critical period. Thats right. No one has landed any fatal evidence that this period exists in our brains at all.So take a breath and let go of all your age-related anxieties.But surely adults and children arent the same, you might say. Well of course not.Whats the Difference Between Kids and Adults Anyways?I think we can all makes some s tabs at the general differences between adults and kids in how they learn. Ive seen very few  toddlers sitting at a desk diligently reading a grammar textbook for hours at a time, though Im sure theres probably one somewhere.But beyond the obvious differences, such as adults being more willing and able to learn in a formal learning environment, there are some hen children learn new things about language, they use the same part of their brain that they use for motor control. Adults, on the other hand, make use of the part of their brain in charge of higher cognitive functionsâ€"the part of the brain that develops later.Ah hah! you say. So there are differences between their brains!  But remember this simple means that  how  we use our brain  changes as we age. It doesnt mean that how  well we can learn things also changes.How else do adults differ? Well, they have  a ton of knowledge already. And that can be both a bad thing and a good thing. Sometimes  the sounds and words weve lear ned when we were little make it much harder to pick apart the words from other languages because were trying to force them into the mold of our first language.But sometimes its the exact opposite. If youre a good reader in your native language, those skills usually translate into good reading skills in a foreign language. Sometimes even the sounds in your native language can  give you a leg up in foreign language pronunciation, as this study on Korean speakers learning English has shown.So Whos Better at Learning a Second  Language: Kids or Adults?Even if the theres no critical period to learn a language, theres still the question of who can learn faster. We can break this down into several categories for ease of digestion.PronunciationAs adults or young adults,  pronunciation is our weak point. Most sources tend to agree that while it is possible in rare cases for adults to gain a completely native accent in a new foreign language, it just doesnt happen that often. Kids are more ad ept at learning and using the sounds of a language.But for most adults, this doesnt really matter. Its more important to be understood than to sound like a perfect native.  After all, isnt that why youre learning a foreign language in the first placeâ€"to communicate with others?And on that score theres a long track record of people who can communicate quite well in a second language learned later in life. Plus,  if you really want to speak like a native, go for it! Its still possible that you could be one of those few adults who really nails the pronunciation in their second language.Grammar and vocabularyIn grammar and vocab, adults and adolescents actually significantly outperform very young children in the short-term. In the long-term, young children will eventually overtake the older age groups, but only if theyre exposed to the foreign language enough.In fact, if a young child is being taught in a formal setting, he or she may never catch up to the  adult at all. You heard tha t right.  Sometimes adults really can outperform children when it comes to foreign language.Reading and complex thoughtI said it before, but Ill say it again: If youre a good reader in your native language, youll probably be a good reader in a foreign language. Thats because adults are good at taking knowledge they already have and applying  it to  very similar new knowledge that theyre trying to acquire. Why reinvent the wheel when you can just make a few adjustments?And in fact, reading and anything dealing with complex thought is  where adults really shine. The critical period in no way applies here, and in fact the oppose could be said: The older the better.  5 Reasons  Adults Can Definitely Learn a Second LanguageIf youve read this far and still find yourself worrying about how well you can learn a language, then lay back, relax and read on to let go of the last of your worries.1. Age is only one factor.We like to worry about age because it seems like theres an obviously better position to be in: being a child. But since this is something beyond our control, we should instead  focus on the myriad of other factors that affect our learning.For example, factors like motivation, personality, the learning environment and learning strategies are all things we can control which have a huge impact on your success as a language learner.2. Children arent as strong as they seem.Everyone loves to heap praise on children. Whether its a mom or dad doting on their own kid or a child that gets random affection from strangers just for being cute, children tend to get a pass for things that adults would never get away with.The same is true for language. Children may sound like great speakers, but usually we have low expectations for them.  Kids  tend to speak in simple sentences using only  very basic vocab. This is perfect for a child that doesnt yet have a need for complex language, but it also means that kids are not really the language superstars we take them to be.3. Even full-grown adults can reach near-native level.This was mentioned earlier, but some adults  do  learn a second  language and sound like a native. If your goal is to move to Mexico, buy a farm in a backwater village and blend in with the natives, dont let anyone dissuade you.With enough practice under your belt and a can-do attitude, in time youll be able to boast about your perfect Mayan grammar.4. Language learning has health benefits.Forget about your ineradicable foreign accent. All that work you spend  learning a new language will keep your brain healthy for years to come. What does a little imperfection in speech matter when your entire clarity of thought is guaranteed to stay sharp well into old age?5. Language learning is about connecting.What is language for? Communicating to other people, of course. Perfection doesnt need to be our endpoint. In fact, we can just as easily choose an entirely different goal, like making friends in a foreign language.Language exchanges or  individual language partners are an excellent way to expand your social circle. Most people will be quite happy if you can speak just well enough to  hold up your end of the conversation.These are just a handful of the most obvious reasons to not pay attention to age. With so many great possibilities available through learning a foreign language, why should you let a social myth about age and language learning hold you back?There are lots of things people miss about being a kid, but being able to learn a new language doesnt have to be one of them. And One More ThingIf youre excited to learn a language as an adult, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive c aptions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.