Have you ever wondered why children seem to be “better” at learning languages than adults? Are you currently learning a new language? What are some of the difficulties you experience in the process of learning this new language? How is this different from the way you learned a language as a child? In this blog, we will discuss some of the most significant differences between child and adult learning of a second language, and also a few of the most significant contributing factors to these differences.
Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is a process which people learn another language other than their first language, or the field of study that investigates this process. SLA differs from bilingualism or multilingualism in the sense that it is not learnt simultaneously but at a later stage after the first language has already been acquired. First language (L1) refers to the language inputs from either family or caretakers from the womb to around 5 years of age. This also means that there can be more than one input language. Second language (L2) refers to the additional language learnt after the L1 (first language) period. Here, we will treat language acquisition and learning interchangeably.
A second language can be learnt in a naturalistic or formal environment. When a language is learnt through formal instructions, it is referred to as a foreign language. However, for better understanding, we will not make a distinction between foreign language and second language.
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