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Neuroscientists have finally figured out why speaking a new language is so hard for adults
Speaking a new language is difficult for adults
- It is easier to learn to read and understand a new language than it is to speak it.
- According to a recent study, the adult brain compartmentalizes speech in the left hemisphere, showing minimal plasticity.
- As people become proficient in a language, their brains use both hemispheres to read and understand, but speech production remains cornered in the left hemisphere.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
Listen
The more you expose yourself to the new language, the sooner you will become familiar with its sounds and structures. Familiarity, in turn, will speed understanding.
Copy
Repeating the sounds (out loud or in your head) will give you a feel for the language. Memorize not just words, but sentences and even songs to get the rhythm and intonation of the language.
Read
Read words, sentences, children’s books, newspaper articles. Read as far and near as you can, whether out loud to an audience or quietly to yourself.
Seeing the language in print helps you understand word structures. It also anchors the new sounds, and helps them get imprinted in your mind.
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Key Ideas
Learning a second language
Research shows that children are proficient at learning a second language up until the age of 18, roughly ten years later than earlier estimates. It also shows that it is best to start another lang...
The decline in language learning
There are three possible reasons why the ability to learn a language decreases at 18.
- Social changes: At 18, late teens typically graduate high school and may no longer have the time, opportunity or learning environment to study a second language.
- Interference: The rules of a first language may interfere with the ability to learn a second language.
- Continuing brain development: Changes in the brain that continue during the late teens and early 20s may make learning harder.
Learning a new language
There are many examples of people who pick up a language later in life. Our ability to learn new vocabulary appears to remain constant, but most of us will not be able to master grammar like a native speaker.
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Key Ideas
Learning A New Language Fast
Though it may not seem plausible, basic communication of a new foreign language can be mastered in weeks. Learning a non-native language can be sped up by compiling a script for responding to quer...
Learning Full Speed
A will to start and self-confidence is necessary as is having the courage to speak, and not being afraid of making mistakes. The key is to immerse yourself and put your whole being to the task.
Total immersion necessitates activities like listening to the radio station of the language you are learning, reading and speaking to people.
Total Immersion
It is a good idea to master the basic skills first and focus on the grammar later, while asking for feedback and correcting yourself, learning on-the-fly.
Invest not only your head but your heart in the learning process. Practice makes perfect.