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I'm not sure how much I buy the theory of children having the capacity to learn languages
so much faster. Picture this: Family moves from another country (doesn't matter which one) where dad works, there are a couple of people who speaks his native language. Mom stays in the house all day cooking and cleaning and tending to the kids. the kids are outside playing
with the neighbor kids, none of whom speak their native language. They also attend public school during the school year, and maybe attend an ESL class part of the day. So... dad has no real motivation to become fluent quickly because he has friends who can translate at work. Mom is in the house all day with little to no contact to native speakers of English. Kids are outside talking to their friends in English, because that's the only language the friends speak. I think it's more about immersion and desire to learn. Kids are generally less self conscious with their language errors, also, and they're not afraid to try!

2006-07-11 05:28:27 · 18 answers · asked by Gabby_Gabby_Purrsalot 7 in Society & Culture Languages

18 answers

When i was younger I lived in Germany and my parents are American and when i was young they always spoke in English but when i was around other kids i picked up German and my dad still today has no idea what I'm saying because when a child hears different things they just need the sound and they don't really know their own language will enough so they hear some thing like give me that cup please and than on hear it and than hearing Gebensie mich, derbitte aushohlt and you show them it helps. That's how i learned. Ich hoffe dass die Ihnen hilft it means i hope this helps you

2006-07-11 19:29:58 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3 1

Actually, there have been many studies on the differing abilities of adults and children to learn new languages. You are right that exposure to the new language is probably a factor, but kids seem to be able to pick up languages with very little exposure. There are studies, for example, that demonstrate that children can use a new word after hearing it only one time.

There is also a qualitative difference between the way that children and adults learn language. When children under the age of 7 (or 15, depending on who you talk to) learn a new language, the quality of their language usually ends up being the same as the language of a person who has learned that language from birth. For example, they don't usually speak with a foreign accent, and so on. Adults who learn a new language, however, usually never achieve native-like abilities in grammar, pronunciation, and so forth.

Your question seems to be about how quickly the people learn languages, in other words, how soon they get to the goal. I wonder what "goal" you are thinking about. If you mean native-like proficiency, then adults will usually never get there.

There are also differences between the strategies that kids and adults use to learn languages. You are right that kids have the ability to learn language more naturalistically, and are not as self-conscious about errors. Adults, however, have more developed cognitive abilities and they therefore have the advantage over kids when it comes to learning complex systems like grammar, for example. However, even though the adults might intially learn something sooner than the kids, the kids' ultimate achievement will usually be higher than the adults'.

2006-07-11 23:05:14 · answer #2 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0 0

OK, that's weird. You have described my life (sure, substitute Yahoo! Answers for the bit about cleaning--and change English to the first not new language).

We moved to Switzerland (German part) five years ago, and yes, my children get much more exposure to the language than my husband and I do. (He works in English (international company, that's not entirely rare here), I do work a bit but it's teaching in English, I do go shopping and deal with the kids' teachers and talk to the landlord, but it doesn't involve a whole lot of German, the kids' friends mostly only speak German (or German and Albanian or Italian or Tamil, etc.) and they spend a lot of their time in school. They're now almost 11 and 7 1/2)

Anyway, I agree (and I think most experts do as well) that the single most important factor in language learning is time spent at it. Motivation is also very important--although it can't always be separated that easily from the time factor: if you're motivated, you are more likely to spend more time at it.

I don't know how true your claim that kids are less self-conscious with their errors is; I'd say that depends a lot on personality. (At least among children who already speak one language before they start learning the second--say age 3 and up.) Many many children go through a "silent period" (of several months) in which they will listen to the new language and make it clear they understand it (by following instructions, for example), but not actually speak at all. Many adults do not have that option, either in classes or in real-life situations.

Also, I don't know if there is a claim that children learn languages "faster" than adults--as I understand it, the point is that they learn new languages more completely. And they learn in a different way--they truly "acquire" languages as opposed to simply "learning" them. They don't always know the grammar, they often can't read, they tend to have a smaller vocabulary than their adult counterparts, BUT they do have better pronunciation (it's very rare for anyone who learned a language after about age 15 to EVER be able to speak it without an accent; it's very rare for anyone who learned it before age 6 or so to have a "foreign" accent) and they are more likely (after a while) to USE correct grammar--in English for example to know when to use "I have been" and when to use "I am". In French or German, for example, to know which gender to use.

2006-07-11 17:25:06 · answer #3 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 0 0

because of something called a "critical period"

A critical period is a period of time in which an individual can learn a skill and properly assimilate it. For instance, the critical period of a human to learn how to walk is between 1 and 2 years of age. If a child cannot learn how to walk within that time, he is most likely developmentally challenged. Now, yes, an individual CAN learn to walk past the age of 2, but he/she will not be able to do it without concentrating. They'll actually have to concentrate and think about each step they take ("right leg, left leg, right leg, left leg......"). Walking won't come naturally to them.

Now language is different. A child needs to be exposed to language and start "baby talking" and forming sounds by about 6-8 months. If not, then their brains won't even comprehend the concept of grouping sounds to make words. Usually, most healthy kids get that down pretty easily.

Afterwards, the critical period for learning language well is from the age of 2 to 12. Past that, the child will NOT be able to really handle the language. THis is why kids are better language learners than adults.

Now, an adult CAN learn a language past the age of 12. But, he or she will naturally struggle with it always. Many times, their grasp of the language will basically be translating in their heads from their native toungue.

They won't be able to think in the language and jump directly into it. When an adult processes a second language, he/she usually makes a sentence in their mind and then translates it. A child can usually assimilate both languages and just talk.

2006-07-11 12:56:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

While your anecdote might show one instance where environment might outweigh the biological factor, the belief that young children have a greater facility than adults with learning new languages is based in large part on studies of the brain's anatomy during those years. The parts of the brain associated with language undergo a very rapid expansion and intensification during childhood. That is why, it is believed, children show the ability to learn languages that they clearly possess.

Your anecdote has logical flaws. In most immigrant communities historically, the children played with other children from the same community, which tended to reinforce the use of the first language, not the use of English, as you suggest. Second, you cheat out of dealing with Dad's experience by inventing friends who magically handle all his problems (and he is apparently never anywhere but home or at work). Third, you overlook the necessity that the mother will likely face in going to the supermarket, etc., to get necessary items for the family. As one has has lived abroad, I can tell you this is one situation where one will unavoidably learn some of the local language. You have constructed a very artificial scenario, which seems more like an attempt to illustrate a belief than to give evidence for a fact. I think the theory you're out to question makes more sense than you, I'm afraid.

2006-07-11 12:44:06 · answer #5 · answered by BoredBookworm 5 · 0 0

Sorry. There's tons of data on the issue. The fact is that the older the kid is, the longer it takes him/her to acquire a second language. Even when you control for everything you mentioned, the results are constant and universal.

Make this mental experiment. Suppose you could survey many families like the ones you describe. But concentrate on the ones that have a bunch of kids of different ages. If what you say is true, then the kids who are in school at the same time (say, the ones between 1st & 4th grade), should come out more or less the same. They don't. The differences are dramatic and predictable. More importantly, this can be applied to a third language - one that's being taught outside of peer or home environments.

2006-07-11 12:41:35 · answer #6 · answered by JAT 6 · 0 0

When they say 'capacity to learn', they are talking about all other things being (generally) equal. What you describe are cultural factors that inhibit immersion.

Since most things are new or relatively new to kids, their brains are more tuned for immersion; that's what most everything is to them. Adults brains are more likely to be comparing any new data to known experiences, which are all deeply ingrained in their native language. With children, a native language is less deeply imprinted in their brains, hence the better capacity to learn a new language.

2006-07-11 12:41:33 · answer #7 · answered by M Huegerich 4 · 0 0

Children are very unique and they learn things alot faster than adults due to the fact that they are learning things while still in their mother's womb. I once read where a scientist stated that a childs brain is the size of an adults brain which means they learn faster but as they grow older their brain stays the same so at a certain stage they reach the stage of their parents and just learn by asking questions and going to school.
And of course, you have the GIFTED & TALENTED KIDS.

2006-07-11 12:38:02 · answer #8 · answered by ~Sheila~ 5 · 0 0

I think you've partially already answered your own question.
Children tend to have less inhibitions, less responsibilities, and a much more open mind.

A favorite way to address this is to call children "little sponges"...
Because their minds are still in a mode to "soak up" information, and to learn. So yes, I agree with your saying their desire to learn is also a big reason. As adults, many people tend to want to get "set in their ways" and have a regular organized day... and stick with "What they know" by a certain age.. which can vary... Ah yes, and the physical brain's makeup. The so called, "hard drive" effect.

Hope this helps. (I had to sort-of rush my way through it. Wish I had more time).
-R-

2006-07-11 12:36:39 · answer #9 · answered by ~ROBIN~ 2 · 0 0

their brain is like a fresh, clean sponge --- it absorbs information more quickly, and since their verbal ability is developing, they don't have these grammatical and pronunciation rules standing in the way of learning a new language.
(examples: English speaking adults have a hard time trilling the Spanish 'r'; Spanish speakers have a hard time grasping the 'th' sound, etc) but kids can master these things quickly.

2006-07-11 12:47:16 · answer #10 · answered by karkondrite 4 · 0 0

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