Language Learning

Language Learning

As we all know, humans have the capacity to express their thoughts and feelings by using their bodies, but to exchange knowledge and experiences, humans use the sound of their voices. That is why different languages have been created; to simplify the communication between different people from different cultures all around the world. Even though not every culture speaks the same language as you, it is still possible for them or for you to learn the other language. This is basically the idea of language learning.

Now, let me talk about three ideas that I find important to know about language learning.

So first of all, I’m going to tell you why it’s hard to learn a new language after childhood. I found this information on Time’s website but I couldn’t find who wrote the article or when it was published. Basically, the article says that after age 10, it’s nearly impossible for language learners to reach native-level fluency. Around 17 or 18 years old, your ability to learn starts dropping which makes learning a new language harder. That doesn’t mean you can’t get good at a language after age 10 but you're unlikely to reach total fluency. Scientists still don’t know why the drop in learning ability happens at the start of adulthood but some explanations are saying that it could include changes in the brain, lifestyle changes, or even not willing to learn new things. Also, the study showed that students didn’t learn the best simply in a classroom but by immersion, so basically finding ways to have actual conversations with native speakers, rather than trying to pick up your skills from books. For example, I learned English at school when I was pretty young and I learned it pretty fast compared to when I tried to learn Spanish when I was about 15 or 16. So that proves my point…

Now, I’m going to talk about different strategies to learn a new language. I found this information on BBC news website and the article was published March 2nd in 2015 and written by Rob Budden. Imagine you want to apply for a specific job but you need foreign language skills that you don’t have and you also don’t have a lot of time. Even though it sounds impossible, experts are saying that it’s possible to learn basic communication skills in weeks by using different strategies like actually speaking the language whenever you can, read books in the foreign language, don’t worry about making mistakes and immerse yourself in the local culture. I actually think these strategies work because I actually tried a few when I was learning Spanish to travel. I spent a day with a spanish family to try and understand the language the best I can and hopefully learn some things with them.

Finally, I’m going to talk about the time that it takes to learn a foreign language and four factors