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Anyone here learned a new language in their 20s or later? (pg. 2)
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| Lira |
By the way, JiveBrianJingles, I know two Americans that learned Brazilian Portuguese in their twenties (one of them in his late twenties), and they speak quite well, thank you!
Now, what language would you like to study? |
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| Watts |
I started Norwegian in my twenties, but as a caveat, I already knew German.
There's no reason why it's not possible as long as you have patience and have the discipline to regularly study. |
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| zyklon-jay |
| yeah, although I'm not fluent in either language. I can only write in Korean, mandarin is very hard. I think being multilingual helps, due to being used to changing between languages in my daily life at work and at home pretty often. |
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| raveed |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
really, imo, once you learn the syntax of a language, how you become fluent is by memorizing vocabulary. that tends to fade if you don't use it often in real-world situations (or in class interacting with others). |
Excellent point! The misconception about people struggling to become fluent in a language past their teens is born primarily out of the fact that, after graduating you have so many additional responsibilities and considerably fewer opportunities to be among people in a social setting that the effort to learn and master becomes considerably harder.
Otherwise, I would assume that ,until one starts getting senile, adults would actually be a lot more competent at learning than would kids. Our brains are fully developed and we should be well accustomed to our preferred style of learning. The fact that we don't have time to study is really the problem here, not age. |
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| Intellekshual |
I learnt English and a couple of dialects well after the age of 18 and, while time-consuming, it was fairly easy. Same for my parents who learnt the language in their mid 40s.. Now, as with anything, learning a new language is easier for some than for others. Some people are born with an innate ability to understand and learn languages, just as some are great with numbers.
Learning a new language is easier for children not only because they're able to absorb and retain information more easily at that age, but also because they're much less conscious of the process of their learning and, unlike adults, are not burdened with setting goals and targets to reach a certain standard by a particular time.
The other difference is that adults have an "accent" when speaking the new language, children typically don't.
The most imortant factor in my view is exposure to the language you wish to learn, everybody learns much more quickly and effectively in an environment where the langauge is being constantly spoken. Another thing that helped me greatly is watching movies in English (or whatever language you wish to learn) subtitled in your native language. Also, interacting with people who speak the language you're learning on the interwebs (that was one of the reasons I joined TA :D ) |
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| Lira |
| quote: | Originally posted by Intellekshual
Another thing that helped me greatly is watching movies in English (or whatever language you wish to learn) subtitled in your native language. Also, interacting with people who speak the language you're learning on the interwebs (that was one of the reasons I joined TA :D ) |
This :) |
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| Halcyon+On+On |
| I only write/talk American. :( |
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| love_child |
| Anyone try that Rosetta Stone ? Does it really help? |
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| Joss Weatherby |
My aunt was in her 20s I believe when she moved to Italy. She now speaks Italian and German fluently, and I believe Spanish as well.
The main thing is getting yourself in an environment where it is possible to use that language constantly. |
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| zyklon-jay |
| I'm surprised that you would let someone that likes Italians to feed, clothe, and shelter you. |
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| Halcyon+On+On |
| Not to mention wet nurse. |
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| Acton |
| quote: | Originally posted by love_child
Anyone try that Rosetta Stone ? Does it really help? |
My company's purchasing the full Rosetta Stone 'French package' for me, when I move to Paris in a couple of months, so I'll be able to report on it later this year....
... until then, it does seem like the 'full' options are rather expensive, if one's to pay for it personally.
The basic packages look great, though, if you're just starting. |
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