Second Language Acquisition

[Niko]

What stops adults from learning?

There is no doubt that the ability to acquire a second language perfectly decreases as one grows older.

Second language acquisition in adults is quite similar although not identical to second language learners of children. In fact, a study in 1973 by Dulay and Burt, concluded that:

• Children and adults use common strategies and process linguistic data in fundamentally similar ways.

So then why are children more effective in second language acquisition?

After a review of the relevant research conducted in 1973, it was concluded that what may be necessary for the adult to acquire real native proficiency in a second language is:

1. a persevering motivation.
2. the desire to identify with other cultural ego boundaries.

It seems likely that psychological variables may constitute the major reason why adults are not always as successful as children in language acquistion. Aptitude and intelligence is not the only important ingredient to learning. A positive attitude also plays a role in the learning process.