Language Learning Facts

I'm reading How the Brain Learns by David Sousa. It's an introduction to what parts of the brain are used for what function, and is written specifically for teachers and trainers.

At the moment I'm particularly interested in language learning. According to David, a newborn baby's brain is not a blank slate. Certain areas are specialised for specific stimuli, including spoken language.

And apparently the window for acquiring spoken language opens soon after birth (although I suspect it happens even earlier - in the womb). The ability to acquire spoken language tapers off around the ages of 10-12 years. Beyond that age, learning any language becomes more difficult.

In the UK, educators tend to provide language learning only at the age where the ability to learn is decreasing.

In the Republic of Ireland, Irish-language learning is provided from the first years of school, and has been since the earliest years of the Republic's inception. Yet the Irish language has been in steady decline.

So not only must we introduce language learning early so we can take advantage of the developing brain, we really need to analyse what kind of language learning works.

David points out that the genetic impulse to learn language is so strong that children found in feral environments often make up their own language. Children's brains are wired for learning quickly and effectively. As teachers and educators, we need to learn how to best deliver the information they need, when they're most receptive.