Ok, here we go again! If you have met me, you’ve probably heard me saying how age has no relation to learning a language. We question ourselves far too much about everything- am I too old to wear this or that? What about that hair style? Am I too old to go bungee jumping or sky diving? We are our own biggest critics and often too hard on ourselves, sometimes we need to see the bigger picture and give ourselves the credit that we really deserve. Perhaps Vogue’s latest fashion isn’t going to flatter our shape or size, the same goes for the hair cut but when it comes to learning, we don’t know what we are capable of until we try it.

It’s been said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This proverb, for the most part has been proven false by research published since the 1960s that has challenged this assumption. It’s the way we humans respond to new experiences and how we cope in the face of new challenges that we should measure. Our brains are capable of truly amazing things when we put them to the test, if we’ve already mastered a language (I hope) so another one should be a walk in the park!
Learning a new language may not always be easy for adults, it comes more naturally for some than others but by doing so, our mental wellbeing benefits. As we age, most of us will experience an age-related decline in mental functions such as attention and memory, the acceleration of this process can lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and some other forms of dementia. A number of recent studies suggest that learning a foreign language can slow this foreseeable age-linked cognitive decline or in some cases, even delay the onset of dementia because the learning of new vocabulary and regular revision keeps our brains actively ticking away.

I am a great believer that everyone, and I mean everyone is capable of learning a language, but at the same time, we mustn’t kid ourselves in thinking that we can all become linguists because they’re two different concepts altogether! Languages, like all other skills, take time, practice, patience and effort to master.

Despite the minor difficulties that may come with learning at an older age, many of my students’ regard learning a foreign language as a fun challenge and a good opportunity to make new friends who share the same common interests and goals. Once they find themselves beginning to be able to successfully communicate and get their message across in the new language, not only does it spur on their motivation, but it wakens up certain parts of the brain that they weren’t using before, exciting or what?

Do you consider yourself too old to learn a new language? Let’s hope not!

Until next time,
Marisa