Discussion about this post

User's avatar
JFS's avatar

Thank you for this! We had an experience similar to yours: in 2017 we moved to Spain for a few years with our kids, 8 and 11. My husband is a fluent Spanish-speaker and the kids had already attended a bilingual school here in the US, but I ahead only toddler-level Spanish. Learning a language in mid-life was one of the most challenging, frustrating, and yet rewarding things I’ve ever had to do. 💪💪💪

Gabrielle, I wonder if you’d agree that there’s actually a fifth element to language learning, which is ... body language? The Spanish have so many hand gestures and facial expressions we’d never seen before and are not explained in any textbook. Do the French have some of these as well?

Expand full comment
MitSpeck's avatar

Language Learning is my métier. I have been an ESL teacher for 27 years and am National Board Certified in the USA. Spanish is my second language and I use it daily in my work, among other languages. I don’t teach language in a vacuum; I also support students in all other content areas.

First, some research. Language Learning takes time. In a new language, Basic Interpersonal Communication Skill (“Hello, how are you?,”Do you have any apples?”) requires from 1-2 years. I would say that varies +/- .5 to 1.5 years depending on a lot of factors that I will discuss later. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (“In conclusion, there are many factors that affect plant growth,” “Describe three long-term effects of colonialism.”) takes from 5-7 years, +/- 3 years.

Regarding whether or not younger folks learn languages “more easily.” Yes and no. Their brains are more plastic and can master the sound bank of a new language more easily. Older kids and adults may need more time and practice to develop the auditory discrimination to hear and reproduce different sounds, but it’s possible. Current research on neuroplasticity supports this. Older learners have an advantage in that they have more knowledge of how language works and how words are categorized and they are more proficient readers. They are better at comparing and contrasting their first language to the new language. Many of my students who speak English with no accent because they learned it very young often lack reading fluency in one or both of their languages. Listening and Speaking tend to come more easily to the younger crew, Reading and Writing more so for the older folks. Listening on the Phone is a deep skill that requires deep cultivation for almost everyone.

Younger folk tend to treat language learning like play. Most are not worried about making mistakes. After all, what parent has ever responded to a baby who said “mama,” by saying “NO! It’s ‘Mother’”)? The friends around them may repeat the phrase correctly for them without making them feel weird about mistakes. They are more likely to say “What?!” when they don’t understand. In primary grades and preschool, there is a lot of learning through play, lots of concrete visuals and lots and lots of context to help kids gauge what’s happening. The rate of speech is slower. Think back to how fast your kindergarten teacher talked, compared to your High School History teacher. Think about how much scaffolding and visual support was in that kindergarten class.

As we get older, we become much more self conscious about speaking a new language. Foreign language instruction typically reinforces this. Remember all those rigidly structured dialogues and red marks on your French/Spanish/German worksheets? Most adults prefer not to speak unless they can do it flawlessly. Many of us also carry our own flawed ideas about the perceived intelligence or lack of effort or people who do not speak our own language well.

Now, some factors and ideas that assist in language learning. What’s the urgency? In a classroom far away from the country, not so much. Need to get through the school day? Now your attention is laser- focused.

How close is the Sound Bank of that language to your language? What about the writing system? How much common vocabulary is there Many Western European/Romance Languages come easily to me because of the similar range of sounds, common vocabulary, and the Roman alphabet. I have picked up quite a few useful phrases to speak in Korean and Russian because the sound bank is close enough to English. Do I write those phrases? No. I can learn phrases in Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic, but it takes a lot more repetition and practice to make sure that I am saying them correctly.

Listening is important but Listening and Speaking go together. Anytime we move our tongue in the service of learning, our brain lights up like a fireworks display. Even when we are able to read silently, without hearing any voice in our head, those neurons are still firing. So talk it up, make mistakes, make a mess. One great thing that helps with listening is playing an instrument or singing for at least a year.

Use as many of the pathways as possible (L,S,R,W) at a time to help you learn. I love apps but most of us retain things more readily if we actually write them down.

If more practice, support and scaffolding that is available, usually that results in faster rate or learning.

You have to start where you are. If reading, read things that you can understand easily with 90%+ comprehension and can guess the rest of the words through context clues, NOT Google translate. So start with the pre-kindergarten books, preferably with audio. When you are done reading them, read them again out loud with the audio. Record yourself, but don’t beat yourself up. When I do this for Spanish I keep a journal where I write the title of the book, new words I found, my English guess and a picture/ quick explanation of clues that helped me. If you can, write your explanation in Spanglish, Franglish for a no accountability practice in writing. When that level becomes too easy, go to the next level. I use this technique for independent reading for my students and it works wonderfully and is great evidence of long term progress.

For listening, play videos at slower than normal speed with the target language captions on. So if you are learning French, do French. Duolingo has some great slow language podcast with lots of scaffolding that also help your learn a bit of culture.

If you don’t remember a word, don’t panic. Point and ask “What is it?” Describe it with the words that you DO know (Um… the long, thin orange vegetable that grows under the ground.). Draw a picture to show and and do the same. If the person says the word, repeat it out loud a few times. I find most people, even Parisians, are fairly polite if you are making an effort.

Relax, smile, and stay positive. This helps prevent cortisol from hijacking your brain and impairing your learning circuitry. Cultivate a “child mind.” Label your missteps as “experience,” versus “mistakes.”

Move your body while you learn. Dance, walk, bike, this reduces stress and brings oxygen to your hippocampus-- the memory center of your brain. Learn the lyrics to some songs while you are at it. Activities that use balance and/or coordination, like juggling, catch, hopping can help your brain, too.

Anxious perfectionists can have a hard time with language learning in real time. Especially if someone else in the family is diving right in and experimenting. When we have visited friends in Mexico, my husband needs to take time to explore away from me and/or have a drink or two before he is willing to talk. Help them cultivate a child mind. Also, for anyone who still seems to struggle, consider a developmental vision exam and/or an auditory processing assessment. There are therapies that can help with this.

Finally, time on task, even 15 minutes a day, can have a big impact over time. Kids have more time than parents, because most parents are caught up in the day to day of taking care of their families. Seek out the opportunities that you can, let your kids teach you and vice versa. Bilingual flashcards and math games are one great example. Be creative. It’s important for them to see you working diligently to learn something, too.

Expand full comment
17 more comments...

No posts