I am 50 years old and I can tell you the longer you stay with your second or how many languages you speak, the easier it will become. That means through lots of practice and never quit.
This insightful video should encourage folks to "keep on keepin' on" with their L2 learning! Many of my friends feel they are BAD at learning a language, because they don't just absorb it like a child would learn native language. (Or they can't speak their world language conversationally after taking one in high school -- likely memorizing vocab and grammar rules). But they may find that with a solid strategy (including as much immersion as possible), they aren't so BAD at it -- and they may even have fun trying with the kinds of tools and materials that support their learning style and that motivate them. Especially if they get to practice with fluent speakers of the new language -- then the theoretical becomes real! ;)
What's really scary and interesting is: no L1 before 7 means no L1 at all, ever. Frightful but every single person who was literally raised by animals and only tried to acquire language after 7 .. didn't. It's the strongest argument I see for a "golden period" for language learning BUT I started Chinese as an adult and am now at least b1.
I agree - this is such an interesting and devastating topic! We'll have a video on age effects in language learning coming soon, and we'll definitely touch on the critical period for L1 learning.
"[...] which helps explain why people becole so proficient in first languages" 3:39 I think there is a logical fallacy there. The mere fact that all L1 learners start in the 0-4 years period does not explain anything in particular. In fact, it is itself the definition of being native of a language. The actual question (i.e. "why does everyone become so proficient in the languages they start learning at 0-4 of age, as opposed to later languages?") rests on that definition, rather than being answered by it
![First and Second Language Acquisition | Marjo Mitsutomi, Minna Kirjavainen [ACLL2014]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZqDt2isALig/mqdefault.jpg)
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I am 50 years old and I can tell you the longer you stay with your second or how many languages you speak, the easier it will become. That means through lots of practice and never quit.
Brilliant exposition. Thank you!
This insightful video should encourage folks to "keep on keepin' on" with their L2 learning! Many of my friends feel they are BAD at learning a language, because they don't just absorb it like a child would learn native language. (Or they can't speak their world language conversationally after taking one in high school -- likely memorizing vocab and grammar rules). But they may find that with a solid strategy (including as much immersion as possible), they aren't so BAD at it -- and they may even have fun trying with the kinds of tools and materials that support their learning style and that motivate them. Especially if they get to practice with fluent speakers of the new language -- then the theoretical becomes real! ;)
What's really scary and interesting is: no L1 before 7
means no L1 at all, ever. Frightful but every single person who was literally raised by animals and only tried to acquire language after 7 .. didn't.
It's the strongest argument I see for a "golden period" for language learning BUT
I started Chinese as an adult and am now at least b1.
I agree - this is such an interesting and devastating topic! We'll have a video on age effects in language learning coming soon, and we'll definitely touch on the critical period for L1 learning.
Regarding age, and I mean full adult age, and acquisition, never tell me the odds.
"[...] which helps explain why people becole so proficient in first languages" 3:39
I think there is a logical fallacy there. The mere fact that all L1 learners start in the 0-4 years period does not explain anything in particular. In fact, it is itself the definition of being native of a language.
The actual question (i.e. "why does everyone become so proficient in the languages they start learning at 0-4 of age, as opposed to later languages?") rests on that definition, rather than being answered by it