Question about the fluency of a second language learned in childhood, and age?

Question

I spoke one language up until a few months before I was 8, when I moved to another country. I stopped speaking my native language all that much and just immersed myself in the culture. I could speak the local language fluently without an accent within a year, though it wasn't perfect.

I moved back to my native country as a teen, and my native language was horrible. I can't express myself well in it, and people make fun of me when I speak. Yet, they say that since I learned my 2nd language at the age of 7/8, that I couldn't possibly have native-like fluency, and that research proves this.

Could someone please tell me about the studies done on this? What age do you need to have learned the language to have native-like fluency? I remember though, that there was a girl who was just a few months older than me, and she never perfected her accent. She was an early bloomer, I was a (physically) late bloomer.

These people are saying that if I speak to my child in the language I feel more comfortable speaking (my 2nd language) that it'd be child abuse and that I'd be robbing my child of the chance to speak my ''REAL'' language well enough.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Very interesting question. I don't have studies to confirm what I say but even adults can achieve native-like fluency if they live in a country surrounded by native speakers long enough (I know plenty of them). At 7-8 years old you're even more likely to achieve it.

In this video, at 1:25, they say: "The babies and children are geniuses until they turn 7 and then there's a systematic decline." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2XBIkHW954

"research shows that Given the right conditions adults can learn a new language as easily as a child can" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUqlOIyMcJE

Also, I personally believe that you should speak to your children in the language they are the less likely to learn and make sure there is someone who will speak to them in the most common language (family, kindergarten and school). There is a guy on youtube who makes video games videos in English. They moved from China to USA when he was 8 years old, he has no accent (still speaks Chinese at home) and he will go to Harvard next year so I believe he must have reached native-like fluency. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JnT8KCo6a0

? · Answer

a million. Through immersion pretty much. It's well to have lecture room guide first so you'll have so much or many of the language down earlier than then. But yeah essentially the most realistic strategy to achieve fluency in one more language is solely to spend expanded time in an atmosphere in which different humans are talking the language. So you'll research a semester or 2 in Germany or another German-talking nation for instance, you would be amazed how so much you'll opt for up in a short while. two. There are different techniques to make use of you understand. Look up a few on-line dictionaries. I like Reverso considering it is truthfully beautiful correct (for French besides, do not know approximately German however I expect it would have the equal specifications). You can installed a phrase and it'll supply you a couple of examples of what it could translate to and wherein challenge, how it is used as extraordinary materials of speech, idioms or terms the phrase would possibly look in. I do not know if it is one hundred% correct, I'm definite there could also be a few errors someplace, however it is larger than Google Translate in which it spits out a phrase you wish is correct :P

Ryan · Answer

These people sure have some interesting ideas...Anyway, abuse is physical and mental, but not speaking to a kid in a certain language is VERY far from child abuse. Also, it doesn't matter what your age is, if you work hard enough, you can get a second language perfect. Or, in your case, moving to a different country does the trick. These people are just typical people making excuses as to why they can't learn a language, too.

GermanSheppardGirl · Answer

I speak from personal experience... Here's my story. My husband is Italian (born and raised in Italy) and I am Canadian with Italian born parents (I speak fluent Italian...meaning if I speak Italian people think I'm actually from Italy) Anyway, when our daughter was born 7 years ago we decided to speak to her only in Italian for 2 reasons..first because my husband's parents (her grandparents) live in Italy and we wanted them to be able to communicate to eachother and secondly because it doesn't hurt to know another language.  So, my daughter only spoke Italian (fluently) until just before she started school.  When she began to learn english we still spoke to her in italian so she wouldn't lose it. Today at age 7, people are amazed that she speaks Italian very well, mind you, not fluently as when she was younger but very well.  She speaks to our Italian other friends with ease and she leaves them speechless. People used to tell me that it wasn't good not to speak to my daughter in English because she will have a hard time in school if she learns Italian first... Well, my daughter is at the top of her class (even if only in Grade 1).  Teaching your children another language other than the one most commonly spoken where you live is a great advantage. The child (in my case my daughter) will eventually learn English.  As long as the child practices and continues to speak the first language they will never lose it.  I'm a prime example. I spoke Italian until I was 6 years old, no english at all and to this day I am still fluent....

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Question about the fluency of a second language learned in childhood, and age?

4 Answers