4 ms·

> Children don't need to apply rules to learn a language- they acquire it unconsciously. Adults actually DO need to learn the rules. This has been called into

> Children don't need to apply rules to learn a language- they acquire it unconsciously. Adults actually DO need to learn the rules. This has been called into a lot more question recently. Anecdotally I don't buy it based on my experiences. I think think children are probably only better at learning new sounds and developing a native-sounding accent.

mchaver 11y ago
I agree. They both learn rules, but mostly unconsciously. Adults generally bring a lot of baggage. They already have a language with which they will compare the language they are learning. A lot of classes focus on teaching the rules of grammar and pronunciation in a direct way. I would guess that most second language learners that learn well do so through interaction with speakers of the target language with an attempt to imitate the native speakers. Through imitation you pick up on the patterns and get a feel for what is correct, but you aren't necessarily listing formulas in your head about how to create those sentences. Prosody is an important part of speech and second language learners can attain that as well, but it is general not formally taught or generally documented in a rule format for most languages, mostly learned through observation and imitation.
- GolDDranks 11y ago
  What is meant by "rules" is, of course, dependant on the definition, but in the field of SLA (second-language acquisition), "rules" are commonly understood to be like rules presented in language classrooms, and separate from "some kind of internal systematic (implicit) knowledge of language". What's the role of rules in language acquisition is being debated. Check this essay Against "rules" by SLA researchers Jason Rothman and Bill VanPatten. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263791085_Against_rules https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263791085_Against_r... EDIT: This non-expert article by the same author is more approachable: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/images/TLE/TLE_OctNov14_Article.pdf https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/images/TLE/TLE_Oct...

mchaver 11y ago

I agree. They both learn rules, but mostly unconsciously. Adults generally bring a lot of baggage. They already have a language with which they will compare the language they are learning. A lot of classes focus on teaching the rules of grammar and pronunciation in a direct way. I would guess that most second language learners that learn well do so through interaction with speakers of the target language with an attempt to imitate the native speakers. Through imitation you pick up on the patterns and get a feel for what is correct, but you aren't necessarily listing formulas in your head about how to create those sentences. Prosody is an important part of speech and second language learners can attain that as well, but it is general not formally taught or generally documented in a rule format for most languages, mostly learned through observation and imitation.

GolDDranks 11y ago
What is meant by "rules" is, of course, dependant on the definition, but in the field of SLA (second-language acquisition), "rules" are commonly understood to be like rules presented in language classrooms, and separate from "some kind of internal systematic (implicit) knowledge of language". What's the role of rules in language acquisition is being debated. Check this essay Against "rules" by SLA researchers Jason Rothman and Bill VanPatten. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263791085_Against_rules https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263791085_Against_r... EDIT: This non-expert article by the same author is more approachable: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/images/TLE/TLE_OctNov14_Article.pdf https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/images/TLE/TLE_Oct...