Everyone always wants to learn languages as adults in the same way they did as children. When we were children, we learned language pretty much unconsciously, so there’s this lovely idea that it could “just happen” to us. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. We cannot learn languages as adults in the same way that we did as children, and there are two main reasons for this: neurological differences and environmental differences.
Neurological Differences
Our brains are different. After the first few years of life, they start to change in ways that prevent us from absorbing language the same way we did as infants. Children have an incredible ability to pick up the grammatical structures of a language simply by hearing them. As we get older—around three or four years of age—we gradually lose that specific ability to intuitively grasp grammar.
That doesn’t mean adults can’t learn a new language. In fact, we retain an amazing capacity to learn new vocabulary, expressions, and idioms throughout our lives—much like you might pick up new professional or technical terms in your native language. But we do that within the context of an existing framework that was established early on. As adults, our brains simply won’t allow us to “soak in” new grammar in the same effortless way.
Environmental Differences
Our environment is different, too. Children have parents, teachers, siblings, and friends constantly supporting them and patiently directing them to learn language. As adults, we want to speak like our adult selves immediately, but we don’t have that all-encompassing support system—and creating it would be both difficult and expensive.
On top of that, adults have responsibilities. Kids can focus on learning and exploring, while we have jobs, families, and other obligations. The environment around us just isn’t as conducive for language absorption as it was when we were children.
Are We Doomed?
No, we’re not doomed at all. We can learn languages to high levels of fluency as adults—we just have to do it differently. The good news is that as adults, we have existing knowledge and experience, and we can use these to learn much more efficiently than children do.
We don’t want to spend years learning to talk like a six-year-old. We need to use language professionally and discuss adult topics. We can do that by really understanding languages as systems. While we can’t absorb grammar automatically, we can study these systems, break them down, and internalize them using tools like spatial memory.
Systematic Learning and Spatial Memory
Languages are systematic, and grammar is just the “rule set” that ties everything together. When we represent those rules in a memory palace or another spatial memory system, we tap into our powerful ability to learn and remember new spaces. This makes internalizing grammar a lot quicker and more fun than traditional rote learning. Once we have that system in place, every interaction with the language—reading, speaking, watching films—becomes an opportunity to absorb vocabulary and improve, just like in our native language.
In Conclusion
We may not have the same neurological or environmental advantages we enjoyed as children, but as adults, we have options for achieving real fluency. By approaching language through systematic grammar study and leveraging spatial memory techniques, we can learn new languages faster and more effectively than we might think.