Myth #4 – Too Old to Learn a Language

I’ve heard people enrolled in mandatory language classes complain that they are never going to succeed because they are “too old to learn a second language.” It’s a good excuse, but no one is really too old to learn another language.

While children and teens are generally accepted as the better language learners in a natural environment; adults are certainly able to learn a second language to a high degree of proficiency as well. I have a friend who learned Italian as an adult. Italians think she’s a native speaker, just from a different city.

Perhaps what makes adults feel they are too old to learn a language is the difference in the effort involved for them vs. the effort for children. Language acquisition for children seems effortless in a natural environment; whereas the adult is very conscious of his/her learning and is highly affected by his/her attitudes and motivation, anxiety levels, and willingness to communicate. These are the true impediments for an adult learner to overcome: fear, anxiety, motivation, and attitude.

The effect of age on language learning is a hotly debated linguistic topic (the Optimal Age Theory, Maturation Theory, Critical Period Hypothesis). Most of these theories explore whether or not the ability to learn a second language diminishes after puberty. Results are controversial and provide ongoing debate in linguistic circles. There does seem to be a definite advantage, however, in terms of native-like pronunciation for children as a group. Notwithstanding, adults, too, can achieve native-like pronunciation, just not as consistently as a group. And adults and teens are actually better at many aspects of overt language learning than children, at least, initially.

Another consideration for adult language learners is personality. Linguistic studies on which personality traits correspond to good language learning seem to indicate that risk-takers and those with a high tolerance for ambiguity are better at learning a new language. This doesn’t mean you can’t be a good language learner if you are a careful person and need to understand everything. It just means that learning a new language is easier for those who are comfortable with guesswork, split second decisions, looking silly and making mistakes (all important aspects of learning another language).

To those who use age as a reason not to learn a language, I would like to point out that as we age, learning a second language, even in a classroom setting, can be extremely beneficial. It’s a great way to keep the mind active. A classroom setting for language learning does require memorization of vocabulary lists and grammar rules, tasks that involve short-term memory.  This may not be comfortable for some seniors whose short-term memory may be affected by age.  However, seniors report that they feel that studying a language is an overall boon: it improves their enjoyment of life and their self confidence.

So don’t give up on language learning if you are 30+. For adults, learning a language is indeed about the A word: but that word is more likely “Attitude,” than “Age.”

Myth #1 - English is the Hardest Language

Thought I’d tackle a few language myths I’ve heard people confidently reinforcing to each other. A common one I’ve overheard is that English is the hardest language to learn or that it’s one of the hardest languages to learn, or that it’s much harder to learn than French. I take a deep breath and begin…

Actually, it’s all relative: it depends on where you start.  If the language you are learning is closely related to your mother tongue, you’re alright—that language won’t be hard to learn. If, however, the language you are learning is completely unrelated to your mother tongue (e.g., English and Mandarin), the language you are learning will be hard since you can’t transfer much knowledge over. 

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Look at the Proto-Indo-European language tree here. If you speak Dutch and want to learn English, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch. If you were Dutch and wanted to Iroquois (a language not even in this family), you are facing a much greater challenge since those two languages are completely unrelated.

Uncomforable though it is, with language, there are no absolutes. If you like standards, there aren’t any. All languages are complex in their own ways and no one language can be said to be the most complex of them all. So no, English is not the most difficult language.Remind me to tell the people in front of me on the bus.