Espanol y El Cerebro
Second Language Acquisition
Is it better to learn a language when younger or older?
If you think about a toddler learning a language it would easier for the to learn than say an eighteen year old learning a second language. A three year old has no prior knowledge to any other language like and eighteen year old does. An eighteen year old would need to learn a whole new vocabulary. It would be much more difficult for an older person to learn a second language than a three year old learning their first language.
What ages are best to learn a language?
Eric Lenneberg stated that it between the ages of two years and puberty are the best years to learn a second language. The ability to learn a second language is negatively affected by the completion process of lateralization.
Critical Period Hypothesis
Older learners use a different part f their brain when learning a second language while younger learners use the same part of their brain. Younger learners before the age of five are native speakers. A native speaker is someone who has spoken the language from the earliest childhood. Younger learners are also most likely yo develop native-like accents. They also have less to earn to be proficient in the language. Older learners though have greater knowledge that they can pull from their first language.
How to be proficient in a language & how long it takes.
To be proficient in a language you will need to be speak fluently in the language. You need to be able to write it and spell it correctly. And lastly, you have to understand the language and its culture.
It takes about 2-3 years just to be able to understand everyday discussions and converse in the language. And 4-10 years to be able to read, write, speak, and listen at an academic level.
Early speech production.
Early speech production is when your are able to understand more than you can produce or being able to produce one or two words at a time. The teacher/instructor should be able to ask the learner yes/no questions. Many skills and concepts are common or are interdependent across the language. Also if a skill or concept was learned in one language.