• Question: Do you think language ability is a natural talant? Are some people naturally better at understanding language than others?

    Asked by TomHadden to Wil on 13 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Wilhelmiina Toivo

      Wilhelmiina Toivo answered on 13 Mar 2017:

      This is a really good question. I do think some people can be naturally a bit better at learning languages, but with effort and a learning strategy that works for them anybody can reach a good level of fluency in a language. So I don’t think it’s all about natural talent! 🙂 Also it depends at which stage of your life you are learning the language – children can learn a language a little bit easier than adults.

Comments

  • Photo: Diana

    Diana commented on :

    As with any skill, there is a strong component of inate ability.
    In their mother tongue, people vary enormously in their vocabulary and in their ability to express themselves in clear sentences.
    The effect of what a child hear in the first 3 years of life is massively important. The more speech a child hears before age 3, the better their vocabulary and their language skills in standard tests at all ages.
    Learning foreign languages is also massively affected by environment. There is a critical period for learning language. Children in homes where more than 1 language is spoken fluently and frequently in early years acquire all languages at at least the same level as monolinguals. If they go on using all languages they will be multilingual in adulthood. furthermore, multlinguals [mostly bilinguals] have a general cognitive advantage