I know kids can learn things way faster so I've always been confused if it's really practical or not. i don't want to ask cringelibs because ifeel like i'm going to get generic "you can do it if you try real real hard!" responses

  • sappho [she/her]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Language acquisition being easier for kids is not just neuroplasticity. Human brain does some real crazy shit when you're young learning language that never happens again. If you don't learn to recognize and pronounce certain sounds your brain will never be able to parse them from human speech. If you aren't exposed to enough language during this period you'll never learn to use it as others do, even with intensive training later. It's a very different and specific process from learning other things, so not a good barometer for how well we learn in childhood vs. adulthood.

    • LoudMuffin [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      If you don’t learn to recognize and pronounce certain sounds your brain will never be able to parse them from human speech

      I remember as a music major there was like a very high chance that any Chinese or Vietnamese speakers (or other tonal language, but those are the most common) had perfect pitch vs other people due to having to pick up on intonation from an early age