Adults C A N learn a language as fast as children.
I get so tired of hearing the lame excuse that adults cannot acquire a language as quickly as children. The myth that children are somehow super language learners has been debunked so many times, but, as adults, for some reason we want to continue to believe it. Why? I'm not really asking for an answer, I already know the truth, that adults can indeed become proficient in a new language just as quickly as children.
If you're an older adult like myself, please be encouraged that you can learn Spanish. If you can recognize the barriers and tear them down, you'll amaze yourself. This June will be my sixth year anniversary of my Spanish journey, and I'm proficient enough to converse with just about anybody. I'm called on regularly to interpret, do presentations in Spanish, I even worked as an interpreter in an OSHA construction training class. So, don't tell me you can't do it!
I've included a few articles that might be interesting....
11 Answers
no because the first 18 years of life your brain is best for learning
I agree that the best time to learn a language is as a child, but not because somehow children are better learners.
First we need to think about why children seemingly learn faster, and more importantly how they learn. It's simple when you think about it..
(1) They're immersed in the language. They have people speaking to them constantly. They hear it everywhere, on TV, the radio, from parents, from friends, there's no escaping it.
(2) They're forced to use the language. They don't get embarrassed to speak like adults, they don't have a another language to fall back on. They have no choice but to use the language.
(3) They are surrounded by people who are actively teaching them the language. Imagine having dozens of people (parents, friends, teachers, etc) as your personal tutor, 24 hours a day.
(4) In the early years they don't waste time learning grammar. By the time kids reach school age, they can already talk. Only then do you start learning grammar.
(5) We read to children and force them to read.
I could probably go on, but you get the point.
Stick any adult in that exact same environment and they'll learn just as fast if not faster than any child.
The biggest reasons adults have a hard time learning has more to do with the learning method, the amount time they dedicate to it, perseverance and more than anything, how often they actually use the language.
Using the language is the most important thing, I can't tell you how many people I see that are to shy to try and speak, but then turn around and complain that Spanish is hard and they can't do it because they're too old, blah blah blah. They find every excuse in the book. Children don't get that chance to complain and make excuses, they have to learn.
The real problem with adults is not that they aren't capable, or that they're passed the best years for the brain to pick up a new language, but rather they aren't applying themselves and they aren't using the best learning method.
Just my 2 cents on the subject.
Jack:
If you read carefully, you'll find the one repeating fact in all three articles:the setting is always a classroom, even though the second article talks about immersion in one of the questions, it reverts to compare it to a classroom in the answer to that question.
What everybody has to understand here is that kids do not have to worry about earning money, and that's about the only difference of why children seem to pick up a language faster than adults. I would say that they do! But they do it in the daily life aspect at their level, say watching cartoons or communicating with their next door neighbor.
On everything else, we adults are ahead of children, because we already know how to read, write and express (in more than one way) in our own language. We have already developed skills to tackle any of the challenges that a new language presents us, but we still have to make money to put food on the table, and that single factor kind of takes precedence and it is a stumbling block on our road to success, then we have to add myths such as this one, and we become our worst enemy of ourselves. 
I also think it is a matter of how badly do we want to learn. If we were put in a situation where noone spoke your native language, we would do everything possible to be able to communicate with them, out of desperation. I believe desperation is a necessary ingredient to learn anything.
Jack, I'm sorry but.
1 Hardly any young children are hard of hearing.
2 Hardly any young children have Alzheimers, or early onset Alzheimers.
3 No children have senile dementia.
4 The brains of young children have pathways that help them imitate intonation, these are open well before birth. But, once you're into your 50's I think they have closed..
5 I think we older people learn really quickly too. It's just that we forget as quickly as we learn.
6 Babies are not worrying about keeping their job, about the mortgage or about their inadequate pensions.. These things interfere with learning.
Sad but true. But we have stamina and we keep pegging on!
I agree with rodneyp. The best way to learn a second language is as a child at home and with the family. Many children are raised bilingual. But if you are not a child the method still works if you are able to use it.
I took a vacation to Costa Rica and never left. I learned enough Spanish to communicate in casual conversation, working with others to build and create new designs, as well as helping others change their lives. This is without ever setting foot in a classroom. I have been learning for around 4 years, 2 of which in a Spanish speaking home with my wife, and I remember when Mr. Peanut was president.
I had to learn. I wanted to learn. The majority of the time English was not an option. I was exposed to Spanish 24-7. It works without a doubt. Now all I need is classes for grammer.
I think that with hard work and dedication anyone can learn. Thanks for this post Jack, it is alot of encouragment to older SD members, but let me also say, I am young and it is still difficult. But yes it is possible.
If you can recognize the barriers and tear them down, you'll amaze yourself.
That seems like a big 'if' to me. What do you consider to be the main barriers and how do you tear them down? Thanks.
Maria Russell:
If you can recognize the barriers and tear them down, you'll amaze yourself.
That seems like a big 'if' to me. What do you consider to be the main barriers and how do you tear them down? Thanks.
mainly, that we consider ourselves, as adults, way past learning.
That our learning abilities are not the same as when we were young
That even maybe our intelligence has diminished
That if we had come to this country (or whatever country) when we were kids, we would be better.
Now you tell me what you think about yourself , as an adult learning a new language, and what are your problems in learning.
Then, I ask you.
Do you know how to read, write and express yourself in your own language and at your own education level, whatever that is?
Can you read and write in Spanish, right now?
Please answer to all of these and let's see.
www.talkingpage.org/artic006.html
I am also young and I'm learning super fast.
no because the first 18 years of life your brain is best for learning
