Mastering Languages Later in Life: Why Adults Have the Upper

It is widely believed that children have an advantage in learning languages because of their developmental stages.

Would you believe me if I said that adults actually have an advantage when it comes to learning a new language?

In fact, you already know more than one “second” language – how to talk to your boss versus how to talk to your kids, or professional terminology for your job that others outside your industry don’t understand.

Thus, you’re always learning “new” languages!

As an adult, learning English and becoming fluent can be so much easier once you stop using traditional language learning methods.

As an adult, you’re much closer to achieving fluency than you might think as compared to learning as a child.

Childhood Language Learning Disadvantages

Children generally seem to have the upper hand when it comes to language development – it seems like they can pick up new languages without any effort! However, learning new languages during childhood has several disadvantages.

1. The lack of control over learning is the first problem

A child learns a language as part of their natural environment, which can leave gaps in their language skills if they aren’t exposed to comprehensive instruction.

A child might hear a word or phrase when they are two years old, but not really understand what it means. Years later, they hear the word again in another context and finally understand i