There’s a common assumption that if someone starts learning a language when they are very young, they will quickly become fluent.
Many people also assume that it will become much harder to learn a language if they start later in life.
Research into language learning shows that how old someone is when they learn a language does matter, but there is no point at which the ability to learn a language switches off.
While a young language learner can more easily acquire a native accent, adults retain the ability to learn new languages well into later life. Anyone can continue to learn and refine their vocabulary and grammar. Other factors, like motivation, can also play a role for learners of all ages.
I am a linguist and the author of a forthcoming book, “Beyond Words: How We Learn, Use, and Lose Language,” which looks at how language is learned, used and lost across a lifespan — and why age alone does not set hard limits on our linguistic abilities.
Instead, the strategies learners use, the outcomes they achieve most easily, and how others judge their progress can all change over time.
How age shapes language learning
Someone’s age can influence their language learning ability in a variety of ways.
Scientists sometimes talk about sensitive periods, or an early development window in which the brain is especially receptive to certain kinds of input.
When it comes to language, babies and children are particularly sensitive to the sound patterns of speech. They can also pick up on subtle phonetic distinctions that adults struggle to perceive or reproduce.
This helps explain why children who grow up bilingual often sound native in both languages. Accents, more than vocabulary or grammar, are where age-related differences are most pronounced.
Sensitive periods are found in other animals, too, especially birds, which have an early sensitive period for learning their species-specific song from an adult tutor.
After this window closes, learning a new language is still very much possible. But it usually takes more conscious effort and practice.
Studies also show that children exposed to a second language early, roughly before puberty, are more likely to develop nativelike pronunciation and intonation.
Brain imaging research shows that people who learn two languages early in life tend to process both languages in the same parts of the brain. Those who learn a second language later often use slightly different brain areas for each language.
In practical terms, early bilinguals are more likely to switch between languages effortlessly. Later learners may have to more consciously work through their second language, especially at first.
Benefits to learning a language as an adult
Pronunciation is only one part of language proficiency. Adults bring their own strengths to the task.
Unlike young children, adult learners already have a fully developed first language. They also have skills in reasoning and pattern recognition, as well as an awareness of how language works.
This allows adults to learn in a more deliberate way, as they study grammar rules and consciously compare languages. Adults are also more likely to rely on deliberate strategies, such as memorization, to learn a language.
In classroom settings, adults often outperform children in early stages of learning, particularly in reading and writing.
Language learning never truly stops. Even in adulthood, people continue to develop and refine their first language, shaped by their education, work and social environment, and how they use it day to day.
While it may be harder for adults to acquire a nativelike accent later in life, the good news is that grammar, vocabulary and fluency remain well within reach for most adult learners.
Benefits of learning a language as a kid
Children, meanwhile, tend to learn languages implicitly, through immersion and interaction, often without conscious attention to rules.
Social and emotional factors also play a major role in successfully learning a language.
Children are generally less self-conscious than adults and more willing to take risks when speaking.
Adults, by contrast, are often acutely aware of mistakes and may hesitate to speak for fear of sounding foolish or being judged.
Research consistently shows that being willing to communicate is a strong predictor of success in learning a new language. Anxiety, inhibition and negative feedback from others can significantly slow progress, regardless of age.
Accent, bias and social pressure
Other factors, like social pressure and discrimination, matter as someone tries to learn a new language.
Research into language and identity shows that listeners frequently associate accented speech with lower intelligence or competence, despite there being no connection between accent and cognitive ability.
Non-native speakers often experience stigmatization, discrimination and prejudice from native speakers.
This bias can discourage adult learners and reinforce the false belief that successful language learning means sounding native.
Motivation and aptitude matter, too
Motivation is another key factor that affects learners of all ages.
People learn new languages for many reasons: a new country, work, school, relationships or interest in another culture.
Research distinguishes between the different reasons people learn a language. Some are practical, like advancing a career or passing a test. Others are personal, such as wanting to connect with a community, culture or family.
Learners who feel a strong personal or emotional connection to the language are more likely to keep going even when it gets difficult, and they often reach higher levels of fluency than those without this connection.
Other people have a natural aptitude for learning a language and can pick it up easily. Perhaps they quickly notice sound patterns, or they can remember new vocabulary after hearing it once or twice.
Language aptitude is different from intelligence and varies from person to person. Aptitude makes success in learning a language more likely, but it doesn’t guarantee it.
Learners with average aptitude can still become very proficient in new languages as adults if they have consistent exposure, practice and motivation.
Different ages, different strengths
So is it better to learn a second language as a child or as an adult? Research suggests the more useful question is which aspects of language learning, such as pronunciation, fluency or long-term mastery, matter most.
Learning a new language early makes it easier to sound like a native speaker and to use the language smoothly, without having to think about the rules.
Learning that language later in life draws on adult strengths, such as planning, problem-solving and focused practice.
Ultimately, some people pick up languages quickly while others struggle, regardless of how old they are.
Beliefs about language learning shape education policy, parenting choices and how multilingual speakers are treated in everyday life.
When adults are told they’ve missed their chance to learn a language, many never bother to try. When foreign accents are treated as flaws, capable speakers can be unfairly discriminated against.
In fact, research shows that learning a language is possible at any age – it’s a lifelong, achievable journey, rather than a race against the clock.
This article originally appeared on The Conversation. You can read it here.
