Babies and language learning

Babies have an amazing capacity for language learning. Better than most adults. So, are you smarter than a baby?

Well in some ways, of course, you are. You can walk, talk, you can keep yourself clean, maybe drive, and are possibly even capable of producing a fairly decent meal. But is that the same as being smarter?

A big difference between babies and adults is that we use logic, whilst they function purely on instinct. And although this may make us feel superior if we are truly smarter than our younger counterparts we should at least take a moment to observe in which ways they are succeeding more than us and why. 

I am of course speaking of a very specific thing here. 

How do babies achieve language learning?

You won’t remember, but at some point, you had zero language skills yourself. You could communicate with your caregivers by crying and laughing but you couldn’t understand what they said nor could you take part in any conversation. Of course, not all of us achieve a full master of our language, but I bet you would say you at least get by. So how did this happen? How did you accomplish the learning of your language?

Well, you did it in the same way as the rest of us. You sat there for days on end listening to everyone around you and you slowly started repeating the words, one by one. Then you started creating sentences, trying and failing, and eventually, you learned your language like every single babe on the planet, through immersion. 

You didn’t study a big list of vocabulary. No one explained grammar or past and future tenses. You just soaked it all in until you learned the language. 

And you might think, well that’s a fair way for a baby to do their language learning, but that doesn’t work on adults. Well allow me to tell you, my friend, you are wrong. You are right in thinking it is easier for babies to learn languages through immersion than it is for adults, but language learning through immersion is not just for infants. 

Neuroplasticity and Learning

So why do we as adults, shy away from the idea of sitting in a room being talked to in a language we don’t understand until it starts to make sense? Why do we waste our time with apps and translated books?

Partly it is because we understand a hard truth. Even if immersion does work as a language learning tool for adults it takes more time than it does for babies.

Neuroplasticity is the phenomenon of our brains physically restructuring when they learn new things. There is no denying that neuroplasticity, is easier for younger folk. However, it is for this exact reason that we should engage in activities that promote this occurrence, especially the older we get. The younger we are the easier for our brains to shift and mould around new concepts, but the more that we force them to keep on changing and learning the younger our brains will stay, keeping maladies such as dementia at bay.  

But in honesty, this is not why we feel so intimidated by language learning by immersion. After all, this just means that we need to be patient. The truth is simpler than that. To be able to learn a language with immersion we need to be a lot more like babies than we are comfortable with. We need to be okay with seeming stupid. Because that is how we see babies.

In fact, we see babies as so ignorant that every time they achieve the simplest of words we go crazy. Call the entire family tree, let’s celebrate, little bubba said “mama” everyone! The bar is incredibly low. And we like to think that our bar has gotten higher. We no longer need looking after, we need no pandering, we can look after ourselves. So we refuse to be put in such a vulnerable situation because it makes us scared.

Fear not, be like a baby

Still, don’t they say that bravery is not the lack of fear but doing something despite your fear? Babies are not smarter for learning languages by being blissfully ignorant. It is their luck that they don’t have a say in the matter. However, we can show our cleverness by allowing ourselves to be in an uncomfortable situation that will benefit us. So do not dread making a fool yourself and rather rejoice at every new word you are able to utter.

Check an example of an immersion Spanish class.

Check out our last Chinese Language Exchange!