I tend to get pretty frustrated with language-learning programs that insist you can learn a second language “just like you learned as a child!” We all think that learning our first language was easy as pie; after all, we don’t remember the effort it took, and we’re all perfect at it now. And let’s face it: learning a second language is hard. And it takes lots of work. So who wouldn’t want a method that promises effortless, perfect acquisition?
There are a lot of problems with these claims. The first was very aptly put in this fantastic review of a certain language-learning software program – specifically, that no language learning method actually provides the true immersion experience we got as children with our first language, and even if it did, the learner would have to be “content to study the language all day every day for seven years and end up with a second-grade vocabulary and second-grade reading skills.” (You should really go read this whole thing, there are so many perfectly stated points in it.) By and large, adult learners are hoping for something more. They’re hoping to achieve an adult level in their target language. I would argue that, while this is of course ambitious, adults are actually uniquely positioned to achieve such a goal precisely because they are adults.
H.D. Brown’s Principles of Language Learning and Teaching[i] put it in a way that made me go “a-ha!” When you talk about first language vs. second language acquisition in these contexts, you’re usually actually talking about two different variables: age (child vs. adult) and language (first vs. second). If we’re going to be good scientists, we know that we can only manipulate one variable to make a reasonable comparison. In other words, it makes sense to talk about child second vs. adult second language acquisition, or child first vs. child second language acquisition, but child first vs. adult second is not a reasonable comparison to make. And that’s precisely the analogy that people make all the time.
So let’s take the better analogy: child second language acquisition vs. adult second language acquisition. When we compare these two, we find that children are better at some things while adults are better at others. Children tend to be less inhibited and less afraid of making mistakes, which are wonderful traits for a language learner to have. But adults are much more cognizant of their own learning styles and strategies, much more able to see patterns and use learning tools, much more able to make logical comparisons and conclusions. To put that in another way…adults are generally smarter than children. Shocking, right?
I’m not trying to call out any particular learning method. I think whatever works for you is what works for you, and no one should insist otherwise. But that’s precisely the point. You’re an adult learner, so you can do adult things like understand what works for you, make reasoned decisions, pursue languages that interest you, and achieve remarkable success through hard work and targeted practice. It’s good to learn like an adult!
[i] Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching (5th ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson.
polyglossic 
I think this is the only excuse adults have “Children tend to be less inhibited and less afraid of making mistakes, which are wonderful traits for a language learner to have.”
We all have the capacity to learn a language, and some children are weaker and stronger as are some adults. Certainly, bilingualism comes easier to a child but the only thing stopping an adult from achieving respectable fluency is themselves, well ourselves.
Nice article. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
I agree, and that chapter from Brown analyzed adult vs. child acquisition bit-by-bit and determined that the only thing that children might be able to acquire better than adults is accent, just because of how our muscles work. Other than that, there’s no upper limit on adult acquisition. I thought that was pretty inspirational! As well as challenging. Because of course you’re right, when it comes down to it, it’s all up to us.
I completely agree with this. Since I started learning Swedish I have been distancing myself from the notion of children learning faster. I am getting a strong and solid foundation, understanding confusing and complicated grammar rules, learning when to use what and how to correctly pronounce things. Children are good to practice with, but not to compare yourself to. The only factor is that children have an immersion. A need to learn because otherwise they will never be understood. The same goes for those who move to a new country and is forced to speak it because no one understands their native tongue. I think that is the comparison that people mistake for Adult/child. It’s the immersion factor. Of course you can learn without it, but it moves the process along.
I think true immersion certainly is a huge advantage, and I think also that children have the advantage that learning *is their only job.* As a very small child the only thing you’re actually required to do is learn how to communicate, while adults have a million different things they need to devote their cognitive resources – and time – to. Fortunately as adults we have the advantage of knowing how to make the best use of our time and concentration, and are capable of being conscientious about what we devote ourselves to.
Do you think being aware of your own language learning (like you said, understanding grammar rules, for instance) helps you learn? Or does it slow you down? Some people actually argue that this can be a disadvantage, so I’d be curious how you experience it.
Many people learn differently. I have a friend in my SFI class (Swedish for Immigrants) who has lived in a few different countries and picked up the language just by listening- it comes naturally. She knows five languages (Spanish and French being way better than the others), she doesn’t know any of the rules, how to spell, how to explain any of it. She would never be able to teach anyone the languages. Another friend of mine is very good with languages and learns them in a more strict way- all about the rules. Very mechanical. When I asked her what she thought of Swedish she told me that not many people understand her way of thinking or learning so it might not help. But it did. Maybe its because I am an English Major and know English grammar that I can relate to learning a language if I am more aware of it. Once I learned that Swedish is a V2 type of language, forming sentences was a breeze- no longer a mystery. If you know the verb is always the second word (Or part) in the sentence then the rest forms around it.
Pingback: Applied linguistics: Language ego « polyglossic
Nice post, I actually came to this post after reading your comment over at the Mezzofanti guild on learning without grammar. I was thinking about commenting on that post to offer some constructive criticism, but you had already covered some of the points I had in mind! It is a curious fact that every child on earth learns their first language fluently, while languages learned after the first are acquired/learned on such a vast spectrum of fluency and accuracy. I guess that’s why I feel learning about how second languages are learned provides some deep insights into how first languages are.
Something I’ve been considering is that languages are acquired so consistently by children because it’s not so much that children seem to not worry about making mistakes and behavioral things like that, although that plays a part I am sure, but rather that the logic of language as a system itself is perfectly designed to be acquired by a developing child. Adults can still learn languages fluently, but the way in which we do it, and think about how we do it is drastically different from a child’s way. This is why methods that demand of us to learn language like a child are basically asking us to revert our brains back to a specific developmental stage in our individual history.
Anyways, hope that wasn’t too rambling and looking forward to your future posts!
Gavin,
That makes total sense, and that’s exactly how I feel whenever I experiment with one of those “learn like a child” kind of techniques…I feel developmentally frustrated. Adults are smarter and, more to your point, considerably developmentally advanced. Which to me translates to – we are capable of learning grammar, for instance 🙂
I’m glad you found my blog! It’s nice to hear from a kindred scholar type!