4 ms·

Shouldn’t they start younger than 10? I remember reading that languages are easier to retain the younger you are.

vinay427 8y ago
Also, it's virtually impossible to gain fluency in a script after a very young age (around 5 if I recall correctly) and verbal language isn't much better, with native fluency very rare after the age of 13-17 or so.
- nudpiedo 8y ago
  I speak 6 languages including some Japanese and I disagree with you. I also met people who learnt to speak languages by the age of 60 and they made it good enough for easy business.
  - vinay427 8y ago
    I'm not sure which part you disagree with. I explicitly claimed "native fluency" is the hard part. See the source in my sibling (cousin?) comment.
- ApolloFortyNine 8y ago
  What exactly are you saying? People learn language after the age of 5 all the time.
  - vinay427 8y ago
    Yes. That's not what I'm saying. It's virtually impossible to learn a new script and have "fluency" (which I'll loosely define as being able to effortless read a page without processing individual letters) after a very young age. I read a study that described this recently that I'll try to find again.
- StreamBright 8y ago
  That age limit is 13. However, learning new languages is the only skill that does not get significantly worse by age, and you can do till you turn 65. Sources are underway.
- jason_slack 8y ago
  I'm 41 and learning 2 languages right now. I might learn slower than a 5 year old but I retain my learning and it isn't a race...
  - vinay427 8y ago
    I agree completely. I'm not sure if you thought I implied otherwise?
    - jason_slack 8y ago
      Yeah, I did think that is what you were implying.
- wil421 8y ago
  I know immigrants who moved to the US in their 20s and 30s. Quite a few didn’t have much of an accent and I would’ve guessed they were born here but learned English in school due to immigrant parents. Without fail the best speakers told me they lost their accent because they wanted to describe a huge up hill battle. Hard work, practice, and a commitment to figure out the right way to say it. Plus loads and loads of English TV.
- HAL9000Ti 8y ago
  Source please, and define fluency. I learned english at 22, german at 25, and mandarin at 28, It took several years of daily studying for each language, but I did it, and I was able to use these languages in professional environments. Plenty of people do it in my experience.
  - vinay427 8y ago
    I did state "native fluency" which is more descriptive. Anyway, sure, here's a source I found quickly which actually makes stronger claims than I did: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-what-age-does-our-ability-to-learn-a-new-language-like-a-native-speaker-disappear/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-what-age-does-...
- Aaronmacaron 8y ago
  This is absolutely not true. I started learning english when I was about 13 years old. Now I'm definitely fluet in English. So it's incorrect that you cannot achieve fluency in a foreign language after the age of five.
  - vinay427 8y ago
    That's not what I said... Please re-read my comment.
PavlikPaja 8y ago
I suppose it will be their fourth language for many, as they will still want them learn Swahili and/or English. But I know almost nothing about Kenya, so I may be wrong.
- tr33house 8y ago
  Kenyan here. You're actually right. English and Swahili are already taught in schools. Most kids speak at least another tribal language. So in this case, Chinese will be the fourth for many

Also, it's virtually impossible to gain fluency in a script after a very young age (around 5 if I recall correctly) and verbal language isn't much better, with native fluency very rare after the age of 13-17 or so.

nudpiedo 8y ago
I speak 6 languages including some Japanese and I disagree with you. I also met people who learnt to speak languages by the age of 60 and they made it good enough for easy business.
- vinay427 8y ago
  I'm not sure which part you disagree with. I explicitly claimed "native fluency" is the hard part. See the source in my sibling (cousin?) comment.
ApolloFortyNine 8y ago
What exactly are you saying? People learn language after the age of 5 all the time.
- vinay427 8y ago
  Yes. That's not what I'm saying. It's virtually impossible to learn a new script and have "fluency" (which I'll loosely define as being able to effortless read a page without processing individual letters) after a very young age. I read a study that described this recently that I'll try to find again.
StreamBright 8y ago
That age limit is 13. However, learning new languages is the only skill that does not get significantly worse by age, and you can do till you turn 65. Sources are underway.
jason_slack 8y ago
I'm 41 and learning 2 languages right now. I might learn slower than a 5 year old but I retain my learning and it isn't a race...
- vinay427 8y ago
  I agree completely. I'm not sure if you thought I implied otherwise?
  - jason_slack 8y ago
    Yeah, I did think that is what you were implying.
wil421 8y ago
I know immigrants who moved to the US in their 20s and 30s. Quite a few didn’t have much of an accent and I would’ve guessed they were born here but learned English in school due to immigrant parents. Without fail the best speakers told me they lost their accent because they wanted to describe a huge up hill battle. Hard work, practice, and a commitment to figure out the right way to say it. Plus loads and loads of English TV.
HAL9000Ti 8y ago
Source please, and define fluency. I learned english at 22, german at 25, and mandarin at 28, It took several years of daily studying for each language, but I did it, and I was able to use these languages in professional environments. Plenty of people do it in my experience.
- vinay427 8y ago
  I did state "native fluency" which is more descriptive. Anyway, sure, here's a source I found quickly which actually makes stronger claims than I did: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-what-age-does-our-ability-to-learn-a-new-language-like-a-native-speaker-disappear/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-what-age-does-...
Aaronmacaron 8y ago
This is absolutely not true. I started learning english when I was about 13 years old. Now I'm definitely fluet in English. So it's incorrect that you cannot achieve fluency in a foreign language after the age of five.
- vinay427 8y ago
  That's not what I said... Please re-read my comment.

PavlikPaja 8y ago

I suppose it will be their fourth language for many, as they will still want them learn Swahili and/or English. But I know almost nothing about Kenya, so I may be wrong.

tr33house 8y ago
Kenyan here. You're actually right. English and Swahili are already taught in schools. Most kids speak at least another tribal language. So in this case, Chinese will be the fourth for many