Can Adults Learn Foreign Languages Like Children Do?

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Toddlers and children are the best language learners there are. Scientific research tells us their developing brain is the secret. It's a sponge that absorbs information at a mind-blowing speed and ease and can crack the speech code in ways the adult brain cannot.

Children present an early flexibility with regards to language acquisition. This flexibility is lost as we approach adulthood.

Neuroscience tells us an adult brain cannot acquire languages as efficiently as a child's brain can. Therefore, when learners start learning a foreign language as adults, they automatically set the bar low.

Science tells us it cannot be done. Therefore, language teachers share--and spread--the mainstream opinion adults can only get so far when it comes to learning a new language at an advanced age. And they're apodictically convincing.

But scientific research in this field relies on analyses of the mechanics and of the neural perception of the phonetic units of speech in infants and adults. Research is done using MRI's, Magnetic encephalography, near infra-red spectroscopy, and other highly advanced techniques and tools.

But there's a multitude of additional factors involved in a child's (and adult's) language acquisition process that are rarely if ever taken into consideration.

Chomsky's nativist theory analyses a broader spectrum of variables and comes to more satisfying if incomplete conclusions. But don't expect the average language teacher to refer back to that when you ask them "can I become fluent?"

Methodology and social context in adulthood/infancy are factors the mainstream language teaching industry does not usually address.

This set of misconceptions reflect on language teaching, and the outcomes are far from surprising.

METHODOLOGY

We leave biology aside for the simple reason we cannot control or affect biological and neural changes in our system. We focus instead on a child's language acquisition from a methodological perspective.

What do children do to acquire a language so quickly and efficiently?

Out Loud

Even by superficial observation we know that children--especially in the first stages of language acquisition--are incessantly and consistently loud. Parents bring their hands to their ears and often fail to understand their children are in fact learning to speak. Saying sounds out loud is the only way children can build native and efficient sound production mechanics and train their muscles and organs for the task.

Foreign language learning adults do not typically train out loud.

Repetition

Children repeat the same words, phrases, sentences--or even simply sounds--ad infinitum. What we often identify as gibberish is instead the repetition of something they have heard. Lip trilling, R rolling, tongue clicking, raspberries, and other paralinguistic sounds serve one important purpose- activating and training the sound producing organs and muscles.

Patterns repetition builds muscle memory and speech reflex.

Children do it.

Foreign language learning adults do not typically use repetition to improve their speaking skills.

A child's position inside a western social context is a factor that deserves primary consideration when it comes to language acquisition ease.

A child won't typically apologize when corrected after making a language mistake. They'll repeat the corrected phrase or sentence again, and then drill it out loud until they tire of it.

A child normally feels no embarrassment. If they do, it's short-lived.

A child will say anything. If they're lacking linguistic resources, they'll find a way to communicate what's on their mind using just what they have.

A child who can't read and write must rely on memory to repeat words, phrases, sentences, parts of books or nursery rhymes. Memory is stimulated through repetition out loud. Visual aid, if any, comes in the form of pictures, not text.

A child normally needn't worry about going to work, cooking, paying taxes, sending follow-up emails, making payments, being on time, voting, reading the news, cherishing career ambitions, courting, getting married, divorcing, doing groceries, preparing for job interviews, going to jury duty, etc.

Their whole existence revolves around their primary biological functions, a few basic social functions (playing with other kids, not sharing--or sharing--their toys, etc.) and learning the language.

The life of the typical adult is riddled with all of the above. Top that off with a few metaphysical questions and concerns which concur in hindering consistency and discipline in activities as pastime-ish as foreign language learning.

Adults cannot rid themselves of social obligations and other physical and psychological burdens children don't have. They also cannot bring their neural functions back to factory settings.

But they can find fifteen minutes a day three times a week--with recovery days in between--in a room of their own to drill patterns (repetition) out loud.

If they can do that with useless silent grammar exercises, they sure can do that with what is instead needed to build speech reflex and muscle memory, and to eventually be able to speak.

Can then adults learn foreign languages like children do? It depends. Many more factors are involved. They include but are not limited to discipline, self-motivation, focus, intellectual curiosity, clear short- and long-term goals, health, etc.

But from a methodological perspective, it is absolutely possible and necessary to recreate--despite the obvious limitations--a child's language acquisition environment.

This is done by adopting three of the main language acquisition staples:

1) Everything out loud.

2) Repetition of speech patterns and sounds--possibly in context.

3) Visual aid independence (no relying on text and pictures).

4) In general, recreating in training an environment that comes as close as possible to an actual daily conversation with a native speaker.

This potentially paves the way for higher levels of ease and comfort in speaking, along with self-confidence, enjoyment, and eventually fluency.