Comments on: Is There Such Thing as a Critical Period for Language Learning?

By: Free American Accent Training

Free American Accent Training — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:22:58 +0000

How to Learn American Accent…

[...]Is There Such Thing as a Critical Period for Language Learning? « SpanglishBaby™[...]…

By: Can Everybody Learn a New Language? « SpanglishBaby

Can Everybody Learn a New Language? « SpanglishBaby — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:35:31 +0000

[...] in life, this is obviously accomplished only through hard work. But, besides hard work and age (which we’ve written about in the past) what else determines the speed and ease with which [...]

By: Global Language Project: Empowering Students through Language « SpanglishBaby

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:42:29 +0000

[...] we know it’s never too late to learn a new language, we are firm believers that the earlier you start, the better it is. Did you know that for the most part U.S. students begin studying a second [...]

By: Beth Ortuño

Beth Ortuño — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:59:28 +0000

Jan I don’t think there’s a cut-off age per se, but just a little more of an adjustment period when we are older. And it may change us in ways we didn’t predict. I was always really extremely good at Scrabble (vocabulary/crossword game) — in English — never studied another language until high school and college and was never really fluent in anything but English. When I started learning Spanish, around age 30, as I got truly fluent in it I suddenly became TERRIBLE at Scrabble in English. I’d sit and sit looking at the letters but my mind was always just blank! I was so pathetic my 10-year-old found it too boring playing Scrabble with me and suggested different games. I also started having difficulty verbally spelling out things like MY OWN NAME or email address — in my “mother tongue” English! I’d get started and be ok for the first few letters, then my brain would sort of freeze and I’d be standing there probably resembling a dead fish with my mouth open, really trying hard to concentrate and say the next letter in English, then when I finally said it, the Spanish sound would come out anyway! It was very frustrating but I had already put so much time into learning Spanish and was already seeing a lot of benefits in my life from becoming fluent. I just didn’t want to give up. Over a few years it has gotten much better. I can enjoy playing Scrabble again (although I don’t win often) and can spell out my name to a clerk at the pharmacy without fear. It just took time.

By: Beth Ortuño

Beth Ortuño — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:03:06 +0000

I was around 30 when I started learning Spanish. It is NEVER too late. But… it is very true whereas adults may struggle to learn a language, kids absorb it much MUCH more easily. The relatively small effort pays off BIG.

By: Jan Exner

Jan Exner — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:26:17 +0000

Ah… actually not strange at all: in the first comment, the “)” is part of the link!

Can you edit that? If so, feel free to delete my other two comments

By: Jan Exner

Jan Exner — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:24:34 +0000

Hm… the link in my first comment doesn’t work for me, but it is indeed http://babelkid.blogspot.com/2009/04/language-and-personality-revisited.html

Strange…

Can I use HTML here? If so: Language and Personality Revisited

By: Roxana S.

Roxana S. — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:57:48 +0000

I never even thought about that, Jan! Very interesting… I didn’t learn English until I went to a bilingual school back in Perú, so it wasn’t from birth. But, it’s been such a huge part of my life since I’ve lived in the States for more than 20 years, that I really don’t feel any different when I speak it. I started learning French when I was in the 5th grade, but I don’t use it enough to notice if I’m a different person when I speak it…
BTW, the link you left in your comment doesn’t take you anywhere… I’d love to read it, though!
Thanks for your comment and remember we’re hosting the next carnival!

By: Jan Exner

Jan Exner — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:24:29 +0000

The interesting question here is this: is there a cut-off age from which on learning a language comes with “adding a personality”? (See http://babelkid.blogspot.com/2009/04/language-and-personality-revisited.html)

I learned my 2 “foreign languages” late, probably past the age of 16 (English) or even 25 (French). I clearly am someone else when I speak English or French. A friend of mine who is trilingual from birth says he does NOT feel different, but he does when he speaks languages he learned later on.

So when does this happen? From what age on?

By: Let the Carnival Begin! | bilingualreaders.com

Let the Carnival Begin! | bilingualreaders.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:39:25 +0000

[...] good friends at Spanglish Baby submitted an excellent article about the age old question: Is There Such a Thing as the Critical Period for Language Learning? Bilingualism expert Barbara Zurer Pearson weighs in on this subject with some encouraging words and [...]