How to Learn Languages like Children
There are so many ways to learn languages and yet a lot of people seem to be confused in pinpointing which method is definitely the best. Of the numerous methods of language learning known to man, there are some which are effective for some yet not effective for others.
Studies have shown that children learn languages faster and more effectively than adults yet there are other studies that show that it is not the age difference but the method which makes children effective language learners.
Children who are exposed to a new language in a new environment tend to learn the language while adults have a hard time doing so. Children tend to learn languages by just listening, without making an effort to talk. This method is considered to be effective in also for adults that want to learn a new language. Children and adults can learn a language effectively but the difference between children and adults is that the adults react to the new language and try to talk back right away whereas children tend to listen more often.
The Listening Approach, which is known in more recent years as Automatic Language Growth, is the method which states that any attempt to speak or even think of the language to be learned before automatic speaking comes, will cause damage and limit final results. Language learners who will use this method will have to go through a long “silent period” during which they will focus only on listening. After the silent period of six to twelve months, language learners begin to speak the new language naturally and spontaneously without having to go through much effort.
If adults learn a language thorough an intensive year of listening, they will be able to know how the language sounds and how it should be used. Adults will be able to learn the language naturally and then will be able to express themselves fluently even with clear pronunciation.
Results of a test where adults and children learned a language through intensive listening have shown that they have learned the language effectively. The only clear difference with children and adults is that young children have not yet gained the ability to learn languages wrongly; by destroying it though forced speaking.
Adults are more conscious of language and are thinking of sentence structures, substitutions, rules, translations, and grammar. Thinking about these things prevents adults from speaking naturally, like native speakers of the language. Confusing the grammar of their own language with the grammar of the language they are currently learning.
This is a very interesting method that might help you at the beginning of the language learning process. If you would like to read more about this method, read more on Automatic Language Growth.
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March 4th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
While it may be true that children spend more time listening to a language than adult learners, it is a fallacy to suppose that children learn languages just by listening.
1. There is always some attempt to try out the new sounds. Even babies bable.
2. Children do not learn languages just by being exposed to the sound of it, for example, by the sound of people speaking in the language on the radio, television, CD or tape recorder.
For language learning to occur the listener must be engaged by the teacher and the student must participate and interact with the teacher.
Children learn language from parents, care-takers, school teachers and other children, all of whom interact with the child. The child is expected to respond in some way, even if this is just to nod, stand up, sit down or tak out their books. They follow the lead of other children and note the supporting gesticulations and facial expressions of the person talking to them. It is all very action orientated.
Listening may very well be more important than speaking in the early stages of learning a new language, but is must be engaged and active listening and the speaker usually needs to be interacting with the child in some way.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Let’s see some citations on the research. Thanks. Interesting claim.
March 5th, 2009 at 2:44 am
Interesting article. I would love to see some citations for some of the “facts” you have stated.
You state, “Children tend to learn languages by just listening, without making an effort to talk.” I believe this to be contrary. Children need to make an effort to at least communicate, whether by talking or not, in order to put language into a context. Otherwise, the words would have no meaning.
The subject is fascinating and thank you for pointing us toward the Automatic Language Growth.
March 5th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
THis is sooooooooooooo fake.
March 5th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Dear Readers, to write this article I based myself on a study done at the American University Language Center in Bangkok by Dr. J. Marvin Brown.
When it comes to methods in learning new languages, there is no “correct” method that you can use. We thought that this was an interesting approach that could help some of you to learn a new language.
I agree with Rosemary when she said “There is always some attempt to try out the new sounds. Even babies bable.” It will be very hard to learn a language if you don’t practice speaking it at all. This is why I feel that this method might be helpfull at the beginning of the language learning process, but eventually you will need to speak and practice.
If you are interested in reading more about the research you can check out this source:
http://priwit.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/learning-languages-like-children-by-dr-j-marvin-brown/
Thanks for the comments
March 5th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
The “resource” you provided is just a blog about a study that allegedly took place in 1984 in Thailand. None of the reference on the blog link to this study either. They just link to places that are trying to pass off this idea as a reputable study program and make money doing so.
In your comment you dismiss everything about this program when you say “It will be very hard to learn a language if you don’t practice speaking it at all.” and you agree that children do in fact try to speak immediately after hearing language spoken. Those are really the only claims this thing makes, if you disagree with the entirety of this study then why publish this at all?
For future reference, If you’re going to write something based on a scientific study make sure that you actually read the study or are atleast certain it really exists.
March 5th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Hi John, here are some publications on the subject.
1. The Listening Approach by Brown and Palmer. Longman, 1988.
2. The input hypothesis: Issues and implications by SD Krashen – 1985 – Longman Group United Kingdom
3. The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom by Krashen and Terrell. Alemany Press.
4. Learning a Foreign Language by Eugene A. Nida. Friendship Press. 1957
You can search for these articles in http://scholar.google.com or http://books.google.com
I published this article because this Blog is not about what I think, it is about learning languages and giving information to people that want to learn. As I mentioned before, when it comes to methods in learning new languages, there is no “correct” method that you can use.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Thanks for providing those. As you suggested I did search for those on google, unfortunately I couldn’t find any copies available online to read. What I did find is that the first three are all based off of the work of one person, SD Krashen. As a matter of fact all the sources you provided are based on his work. The complete title for the fourth is actually “Learning a foreign language: a handbook for missionaries” and I couldn’t find what exactly it is based off of.
I couldn’t help but notice that all these references are atleast twenty years old which raised some alarms for their current accuracy so I went and did some research on Mr. Krashen. Unsurprisingly I found plenty of crtiicism.
http://www.geocities.com/pan_andrew/sla.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/az/english4thechildren/krashen.html
http://www.timothyjpmason.com/WebPages/LangTeach/Licence/CM/OldLectures/L10_Monitor.htm
http://fredshannon.blogspot.com/2005/11/input-hypothesis.html
You say you published this to give information to people who want to learn, but how can you in good conscience give people information that is only supported by out of date and inaccessible books (most of which are written by the same person) and that you personally disagree with. There may not be a “correct” method but we might be able to find one that occasionally works.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
You TELL ‘em, admin.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:24 am
For the most part and linguistically talented people aside, children learn languages better than adults because at that age, the process of neurogenesis is still at its peak, whereas it is barely existent in the adult brain.
March 6th, 2009 at 3:56 am
Thank you for a thought provoking article.
I am no expert, but it seems to me that very nearly all kids learn a first language. Many learn several more. However very few adults learn a second language with anything like the fluency a child achieves.
I believe children are driven by a need to communicate. As a child in India, I spoke Pahariah or Hindi with the local kids & the servants, and English with my parents. When we moved to the UK, I forgot all but a few words of the Indian languages.
At school, I was bottom of my French class for 5 straight years, but I could beat everyone at conjugating irregular verbs. My mother sent me to stay with an old school friend of hers in France for 3 weeks over Easter, where I had to learn French just to get by. On my return, I spoke the language more fluently than my teacher.
After 5 years working in the Netherlands, I spoke no Dutch. (I met just 2 Dutch people in all that time who did not speak English.) Then, when I moved to Belgium, I found English was much less common, so I had to learn Dutch.
Working all over Europe, I gained varying degrees of fluency in a number of other languages (Try being stuck in a foreign country, with no English speakers for several months. One rapidly learns such basic words as cerveza/pivo/birra/biere/ol, etc)
Since moving to the US, I have vastly improved my understanding of Spanish by using Pimsleur CDs on long commutes. Unfortunately, while I now read the language well, and enjoy Spanish language movies, my speech does not flow, because I mentally translate, rather than simply thinking in the language as I do in French, Dutch, German or Italian.
So, with respect to the academics, I’ll stick with my belief that kids learn more easily, because they are motivated to communicate, and do so initially with a small, but steadily expanding vocabulary. At a young age, they also pick up accents more easily than adults, probably because they listen to, and repeat the sound, rather than attempting to vocalize a spelling.
Anyway, thanks again for the article, and the blog. Wish me luck learning Welsh this year, which I will do entirely by listening and reading, there being a surprising dearth of Welsh speakers in Baltimore.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
John, thank you for providing more references to the study.
Your criticisms of the article are valid. Every study, hypothesis, methodology, etc. has its criticisms. Your comments and references, allow our readers to see both points of view in using this method.
I just want to add that even if this is an old method, it doesn’t mean that it will not help others when learning a new language. Each person after reading this article can make his or her own judgement of the study and retain the information that will be helpful to them. The books I mentioned were the valid references you asked for, and I assume you can find them in a library even if they are not available on the internet.
March 7th, 2009 at 2:13 am
When I taught fourth grade in the US, I had many foreign speaking children move in. Within two months they were speaking fluent, non accented, conversational English without any intervention other than being exposed to the language.
A friend, as an adult, learned fluent Spanish in Peru, just from being surrounded by Spanish speakers.
They listened and learned. No coaching or practicing involved.
March 7th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
thanks you all and admin, i enjoyed reading the comments
March 7th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
@ John. I just thought i’d remind you that this is a BLOG. it is NOT a peer reviewed scholarly Journal. If you don’t like it don’t read it.
March 7th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Just wanted to provide a little insight about why this article can’t provide any or much legitimate or believable data. I am currently studying linguistics at the University of Maryland as an undergraduate, which certainly makes me no expert by any means, but nevertheless I know enough to at least lay out the argument in scientific terms.
Many linguists agree that language is innate, in fact, the field is pretty much based off of this principle. Language is obviously a learned behavior (nurture), but at the same, scientists believe that the human mind is biologically programmed to acquire language (nature). This biological factor of language is supposedly what separates us from animals. While animals can undoubtedly communicate, they don’t use grammar, or a set of rules that governs communication and has special things like principles of recursion (etc). In terms of evolution, language is probably the most important step in explaining why humans dominate the globe.
Getting back to the point, the human mind at around the age of 12 turns off its natural abilities for learning language. There are famous cases in psychology, like the story about Genie, that support this claim, because Genie was never able to construct a sophisticated grammar after being locked in her room for her entire childhood. The conclusion I draw from this is that it seems like adults have trouble learning languages because they already have a language-specific inventory of rules that govern their syntax.
But anyhow, the claim in this article doesn’t seem to be based off of much of anything that the scientific world can agree with. If language acquisition is biological, then there is no way adults can “learn languages like children.”
March 8th, 2009 at 6:33 am
There are several differences in the typical adult method of learning and the typical infant method of learning that are not addressed here. One is total immersion. A baby learns by being surrounded by the language he is learning all of his waking day, and possibly even hearing it in the background while he sleeps. An adult spending an hour, or even four hours, a day is at a serious disadvantage in comparison.
I think the other huge difference, though, is not in method but in attitude. Babies and toddlers are not afraid of making mistakes. If they mispronounce a word they’ve never said before, nobody mocks them, but they get a room full of adults clapping and saying “yay.”
There is also the fact that babies learn in stages that we might perceive as two steps forward one step back. For instance, a child who at six months might say a word perfectly by twelve months may be saying it in baby talk; but he’s a better talker at that point because he’s not just imitating individual sounds but focusing instead on cadence, tone, and patterns. In time he starts going back and correcting mispronunciations but fitting correct pronunciations into a more complete context.
Adults who learn a language, on the other hand, fear imperfection or sounding foolish; they also tend to fear unlearning things they have already learned, so they do not experiment with different aspects of the language the way children do.
March 9th, 2009 at 4:44 am
The “Automatic Language Growth” does NOT say that it is applicable to all. No learning theory ever claimed that it is the ONE SURE THING for learning- either languages or academic subjects OR LEARNING FOR ANY HUMAN ENDEAVOR. But it just an answer on the Individual theory being considered in the learning process. In this Individual theory, each individual has a learning style that is may be only applicable to him and not to others. Maybe this style of learning is applicable to them but not to us.
The Automatic Language Growth is not a universal theory for learning but it is a suggestion on how you may learn a language. As a Filipino we have more than100 language in our country (the number 100 languages is not based on research, but teachers here claimed that that there are a lot more, more than a 1000; for clarification); English is taught in school but at home we interact with more than 5 more languages daily. But I could not speak these languages (Ilonggo, Waray, Pampangueno, Batangeno and Native Languages) and I kind of just hear it from friends and their families imagine the confusion.
But when I was immersed in a place that speaks the language(Ilonggo language): I was surprised that the learning is easier. I speak the Ilonggo language now as if I m a native Ilonggo speaker; in just a year of exposure in a community that speaks the language. The exposure to the language for many years without even thinking about it HELPS a lot.
From John: The “resource” you provided is just a blog about a study that allegedly took place in 1984 in Thailand.
My answer: “Take note that the study was done in THAILAND- this “Automatic Language Growth” may be applicable and successful for the students there but can not be applied in the UNIVERSAL LEARNING PROCESS (for so many factors to consider).
From John: For future reference, If you’re going to write something based on a scientific study make sure that you actually read the study or are atleast certain it really exists.
How can we be sure that the study does not exist? The study is quite interesting- It deviates from Thorndike’s basic laws of learning (this learning theory was really a must for education teachers to know and practice); BUT like Thorndike’s law which receives so much criticisms in his time that lead him to modify and add another laws to support his claim- it can be a basis for further studies- it may find useful results for the study of a language in Asian countries.
From Rosemarie: Children do not learn languages just by being exposed to the sound of it, for example, by the sound of people speaking in the language on the radio, television, CD or tape recorder. (They do! Our children (considering the age from 3 to 10) here in the Philippines speaks the Filipino language through the exposure on television; you will be surprised where they get their Filipino vocabulary but of course they try to communicate using it).
Thank you very much!
March 10th, 2009 at 8:03 am
The article is excellent for people interested in abroad languages. I salute to whoever wrote this one. Keep writing and More Power to you.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:15 am
It’s true. I’m exposed to Spanish all day. I recognize the patterns, and the topics that come up. I just can’t start to babble as I make eye contact with my co-workers. If I could, unselfconciously, if I was a cute baby, those around would get me going in no time at all. There are factors here that a study cannot fully explore. I suggest observation to be meaningful when you are dealing with humans.
Those who talk about the environment and school. I never did any work in school, but I was constantly exposed to how you were supposed to write and talk, and I picked it up fine, without doing the work required in class. Once I realized that exposure was all I needed, life got much easier.
March 10th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
@ Christina and Babes011878,
Thank you for discussing some key issues in learning languages, such as:
1. Total immersion is an important key to learning languages.
2. Lack of confidence: we don’t have to be afraid of getting mocked because of mistakes we make when we are speaking a new language. Everyone makes mistakes, even in their native language.
@ All,
Thank you for the great comments and for sharing your experiences with all of us.
All the best
March 10th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
@ All,
I found this article from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, that is related with what we have been discussing.
It states that:
“Dr Sulzberger has found that the best way to learn a language is through frequent exposure to its sound patterns—even if you haven’t a clue what it all means. ”
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/victorianews/ViewNews.aspx?id=2455&newslabel=hn
I hope you like it.
March 11th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Great article! And I totally agree with what was said before – someone needs to remind this john guy that this is in fact a BLOG, that’s the beauty of internet – you can write whatever you want – if you don’t like it don’t read it! (by the way I hardly ever write comments but reading this guy’s comments annoyed me to the point I had to write one myself)
March 11th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I never write comments either, but I did want to say that I think it is good that John did that research and told us about it. Maybe there is too much negativity, but that is usually what I find in blogs. People are quick to have an attitude from the comfort of their computer. John questioned the article and told us his opinion. This is really important, otherwise many people just take information at face value without finding out more, and thank god some people out there do it for us because there is so much junk on the internet! No offense to anyone, but I think Americans are pretty gullible, me included, and it is necessary to include criticisms. I have been sent some forwarded e-mails with the most outrageous information in them and I feel so bad for the person who falls for that!
March 12th, 2009 at 12:37 am
This blog post purports to make statements of fact. At least a handful of people are endowed with sufficient critical thinking skills to take issue with these ‘facts’. Sadly, the author appears unable to genuinely substantiate any of them. Perhaps this is because the aim of the blog is really just to generate interest in the product that the website proper would like to sell us. Well, there’s a first.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:29 am
admin, you handled all the jerk criticisms very well. everyone wants to prove everything wrong just for the sake of being right. it’s really sad. i’m proud of the way you dealt with john’s copious amount of insecurity issues. and i agree with the article. well done.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:32 am
i also wanted to say that a great way to get better at a language is to drink heavily. when i lived in chile and argentina, everytime i drank i became fluent. i guess the reason children learn languages more fully is because they are heavy drinkers. this is personal research cited by me, just now.
March 12th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
jargo, I think you’re speaking on good authority.
I can only provide anecdotal evidence, so I’m sure there is some expert out there who will contradict this with a mountain of dissertations. But I have learned five languages by studying them intensively, grammatically, and “correctly” for at least four years each, and I really suck at all of them.
On the contrary, I spent three weeks in Sweden mute as a rock while my wife did all the talking. I suspended my desire to know everything instantly and just listened and watched, and by the end I could distinguish phrasal boundaries and common words in the quick daily talk on the streets of Stockholm.
March 13th, 2009 at 6:17 am
The fact of the matter is that humans are born without any language skills. But the brain quickly absorbs languages from the surrounding environment(i.e. parents, house keepers, other children etc.). At about 4 months they begin to exhibit receptive language skills(reading lips). At 5 months expressive language begins(babbling). Children babble in only one or two syllables at a time in sounds from all languages, but at 10 months they begin to babble in only the native languages of the environment they live in. At one year they are able to speak about one word at a time, learning one word a week. At a year and a half they learn about one word a day. By the time they are two they know roughly 200-300 words. This rapid pace continues until about the age of seven when the critical period begins. At this point, a lack of exposure to language begins to affect future development in that language. This is why kids learn languages faster. The brain starts using space for other things and uses less for language development. I learned all this in my college psychology class . You can search the book if you want at:
http://www.racc.edu/Faculty/AlVanim/pdf/EPChapter9notes.pdf
http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=104
March 13th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
My son (turning 3 in May) speaks Dutch with me and French with my husband. He has no problem in any. He mixes them sometimes, but knows how to correct them. When we watch Bob the builder, we have dvds in French, Dutch and sometimes English – and he has no problem following the English. In daycare he hears a lot of Luxembourgish (which is where we live) and starts to talk that too now.
It’s for me a lot to do with the OPOL method (one parent one language) and the total immersion at a young age when it is normal that you do not understand a lot of things
March 14th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Wow, that is definitely an eye opener. I always said that immersion and listening are the best, but no one believes me.
March 14th, 2009 at 8:06 am
wow. i speak, read and write five languages fluently. and, with the exception of Mandarin (which i learned in three months) and French (immersion as a child), i learned all the other ones by speaking what i knew as often as i could. and not a single one took me longer than six months to nail down a high school equivalency. listening is important, but to sit and listen alone is utterly useless. you will get nowhere. use it or lose it!
and anyone who has had a kid and actually paid attention will see that we have language skills right out of the bag. in fact at least five word-sounds that are demonstrably language. for those interested, check out the Dunstan Baby Language. best thing for new parents and saved our sanity with out kids.
what’s more interesting is the Soviet studies of language roots that have shown a common sound-base to ALL known languages. very interesting indeed!
March 17th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
@All,
Thank you for your comments, they have really enriched our article.
All the best.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:57 am
I am an ESL teacher and am once again amazed at how little is known about language acquisition. This page full of comments is more evidence of the mystery that language is.
I just wanted to say I enjoyed the great conversation and would like to share a painting I recently purchased. The link below is the image of the painting. It is Titled “The signifier and the Signified” and as a linguistics buff, and a Noam Chomsky Fan, this painting just makes me all happy inside.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:57 am
http://wofflings.wofflehouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/chomsky.jpg
sorry, here is the link to the image.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:37 am
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July 24th, 2009 at 7:38 am
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November 1st, 2009 at 3:12 am
I know that university students believe it’s their duty to believe the tenets of their textbooks and teachers but the truth is that science should be open minded enough to have no tenets and question everything.
The linguistic hypothesis proposed by Chomsky that language is innate has been scientifically questioned and disproven by many researchers proving that there’s nothing innate in language. And no linguistics existed even before they made this unsupported hypothesis, so you don’t have to believe in it to be a linguist.
Everyone will have to choose which hypothesis they want to believe but rest assured that “language is innate” is just a thin air hypothesis but a fact and not certainly something you “must” believe.
I want to suggest John Bruer book “The Myth of the First Three Years”
Disproving scientifically with brain scans the hypothesis that children are meant to learn and adults not (as if learning something every day of your life wasn’t needed to survive and thrive in this planet) and the hypothesis that the brain of children is a sponge and that of adults is a wall.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:58 am
@Danny, great comment. Thanks for the recommendation of the book, we will try to write about “The Myth of the First Three Years” to give our readers more information regarding other hypothesis. Thanks
June 5th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Good post. What other WP resources do you suggest?
June 7th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Hello Suzi!
Thanks for your post. Well, i suggest you to take a look to all the tittles of the post and see which ones are more interesting for you… there is so many topics, and every week we publish at least 2 new ones!
Cheers!