It’s safe to say that most people have seen how well children become fluent in their own language or at times, even two languages. We think of children as having some sort of advantage in language learning. Because of this, we contrast children with adults and often think that adults have a much more difficult time learning languages, specifically English. We need to think about this for a second though.
How many children know more than two languages? This is much less common than, say, a bilingual child, who knows only two languages. There are thousands and thousands of adults who know more than two languages.
The fact of the matter is that adults have particular advantages over children when it comes to language learning. The key is to use these advantages and not try to copy the conditions in which a child learns his or her first language or languages, unless it helps adults too. So, can you really become fluent in English as an adult, and what are the best ways to approach English?
CAN ADULTS LEARN ENGLISH FLUENTLY?
The good news is that you absolutely can become fluent in English as an adult. The bad news is that it is difficult to be perfectly fluent in English if you learn English past the age of around18. You will probably always sound slightly different from native speakers, but this may be to such a small extent that native speakers may think you speak a different dialect, rather than thinking you have learned English as a foreign language. So, you can become unbelievably fluent in English, but it is difficult to become perfectly fluent, as if you learned the language as a baby. The good news is that you can become functionally fluent in English within one year. That means understanding movies, a variety of dialects, fast speech, songs, and many other aspects of the language. The key is to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages an adult has when learning English.
DISADVANTAGES THAT ADULT ENGLISH LEARNERS HAVE
Time
One of the advantages children have over an adult is the amount of time that they have. They can spend five years learning the fundamentals of English. This includes two years where they’re just listening to the language with limited speaking ability. Two years of learning without being able to speak fairly fluently is a substantial investment for adults. They have to be much more efficient with their time. This can be seen as a disadvantage, or it can be seen as a reason to study efficiently and intelligently.
No Built-in Social Network for English
Children also have a built-in social network that speaks English. They don’t need to search online for a speaking partner or hire a tutor. They have a tutor any time they are awake since their parents and other family members give them constant practice and motivation to communicate in English.
They develop a closeness to this culture that uses English. The culture feels natural because it’s all they’ve ever known. They have a desire to be like their parents and to describe the world they experience around them. They use English as an integral part of this process.
Adults have already done this in their own language. They normally don’t have the built-in tutor or a natural connection to the people and culture that speaks English. An adult needs to develop similar connections as fast and efficiently as possible. Without these connections, it’s much more difficult to become fluent in the language, and they will have holes in their language that are considered very basic to most native English speakers. Developing connections to English will not be the same as their first language or like an English-speaking child, but with the right approach, an adult can do this in productive spurts.
Attitude and Self-consciousness
There are many times when adults are way too self-conscious about their “mistakes” when they are trying to speak or write English. Their experience is a much more conscious one than many children. Children just accept their language as a form of communication. They don’t think, “Hey, I’m learning English.” Kids just want to express their desires and wants, and English gives them that opportunity, even if they make a mistake.
Adults on the other hand are used to speaking at a certain proficiency level. It is difficult for them to “go backwards” and not be able to express themselves easily and dynamically. For this reason, adults are sometimes hesitant to risk making a mistake when learning English. They also become frustrated by their lack of ability since it is nowhere near as high as in their own language. This is something that many adult English learners need to address so that they can speak confidently while learning from their mistakes.
Accent
If there is one advantage that children have it is the developing of a perfect accent. However, even many children even to work on their accent and must go to speech therapy to correct deficiencies in their English. Some sounds are hard for children, even in their own language!
However, children learn to speak like a native speaker. They change the language when they speak fast, just like other native speakers. They pronounce things differently from how they’re written in informal conversations and can hear subtle differences in tone and stress.
Adult English learners don’t have this advantage and must, in most cases, work extremely hard for many, many years to develop a near native accent. Some extremely fluent English speakers never have a perfect English accent, like Arnold Schwarzenegger for example. His English is perfectly fluent, but he still has his characteristic Austrian accent. This actually adds to his charm, but if his accent was too thick, it would make it difficult for native speakers to understand him. Adult English learners must work on this more than children. That is for certain.
Concept Connected to Sound
Children have another advantage over adults. When they learn a word, they are learning the concept of the thing at the same time. When they see an apple, it is “apple.” The sound is immediately connected to the concept of that piece of fruit. The brain connects the concept to the word. When another person who already knows a language learns a word in English, they have to suppress the word they learned as a child for “apple” and replace this word. This make the mind work in a different way from a child’s mind. In certain cases, this may also be an advantage as we will discuss below.
ADVANTAGES THAT ADULT ENGLISH LEARNERS HAVE
Reading in English
Adults already know how to read. They don’t have to spend countless hours learning this activity again. Their brain picks up on this very quickly in other languages, and the activity transfers fairly seamlessly. They can read it at their own pace, and they’ve got decades of practice of this skill. Children actually have a difficult time understanding much of the more advanced writing in English. They have reading levels that are appropriate to their age. Adults, on the other hand, have already achieved an advanced reading level.
Reading is a great tool for adult English speakers because the element of speed is no longer a factor. They can pick the sentence apart at their own pace. So, their previous knowledge and skills give adults a definite advantage over children.
Writing in English
Adults are almost always way better writers than children and teenagers. Adults have written so much more that their mind is used to different genres and styles. They can use this knowledge to help them understand the writing of English and developing their own writing style in English. This is a very important advantage.
Adult English Speakers Already Have a Large Vocabulary
Adults already have extensive vocabularies in their own language. This is particularly helpful in learning English when there are hundreds of cognates in your own language, say German, French, or Spanish. Even if you don’t speak a language that is naturally related to English, scientific and scholarly vocabulary is somewhat universal in hundreds of languages. Having this knowledge from your original language gives you a major advantage as an adult English learner.
Concepts
Adults have already learned many more concepts and more subject matter than children. They don’t have to expend energy, learning the concept. This allows them to concentrate on the language and follow the conversation because they’re familiar with the concept. This even works in your own language. Think about someone you know who is very knowledgeable in a particular subject. Have there been times when you had a hard time following what they were saying, even in your own language? There are fewer times when an adult can’t follow a conversation because of the concepts involved. This is not the case for children.
Learning Skills
Learning is a skill. Adults have spent much longer practicing this skill. When we learn a language, we are engaged in learning. This is true for both children and adults. Adults have found what works for them and have often developed a system to be more effective. Adults are therefore often very systematic in how they learn a language. This helps them with the next advantage.
Efficiency in Learning English
Adults can be quite efficient in how they learn a language, almost out of necessity. They don’t have the time that children have. Were you to place an adult in complete immersion for five years, most adults would learn English extremely well. Think about sports players in your own language on your favorite teams who have been in your country for five years or more. Their language is often very good, and many times, they actually speak to their family and friends in their own language, so they still don’t have full immersion. Adult English learners often don’t give themselves enough credit. As an adult, you can be very efficient with your time.
BEST APPROACH FOR ADULT ENGLISH LEARNERS
So, if we know the main advantages that an adult English learner has, then we theoretically know how they should learn a language. That means that they should use these advantages to progress as efficiently and quickly as possible to become fluent in English.
Reading
Adult learners should use reading as a central part of their language learning. They are already better at reading then most younger people who speak English as a native language. They just need to apply their readings skills to English. Another advantage of reading lots in English is that the words are consistent from book to book. This is different from listening and speaking. English can change even between individuals from the same town. Reading cuts down on this variance quite a bit or gives you the opportunity to slow down and analyze the sentence a bit.
Listening
Adults often have a difficult time understanding the wide variety of dialects and fast speech of native speakers because these native speakers omit sounds and blend others together. Adult English learners should have access to lots of audio that they can comprehend and listen to many times, otherwise they will have problems understanding spoken English. This allows them to train their ear and be efficient with the language. They can do this activity while driving or any other time when they have a moment or two to pick up their smart phone.
It’s particularly important for adult English learners to hear lots of English because the spelling system is so chaotic. When they already know the word through its sound, they will read much faster and reinforce correct pronunciation. This is what children do. They already know the sounds when they begin reading; they just need to match the sounds to the written word. A huge amount of English words does not conform to written rules, so you have to match the words through memorization. When you already know the word through listening, this process becomes much easier. Ideally, adult English learners should match listening with a written text and reading.
Writing That is Connected to Your Interests
Writing is a great way to explore active use of the language without speaking it perfectly. Again, you can take the sentence slowly and analyze parts of it. Eventually, your writing will get better and better and faster and faster. The structures and skills you develop writing will often directly transfer to speaking.
A way to enjoy English more is to find places where you can write about things you really love. Forums, YouTube comments, blogs, Reddit, and many other platforms are great places to write more often. Use these in conjunction with your tutor to improve your active use of the language. It’s also a great way to learn the real language and possibly make some new friends!
Meaningful and Efficient Speaking Practice With One-On-One Devotion
Speaking practice is essential to becoming fluent as an adult. Many students, both teenagers and adults, do not receive the opportunity to speak with a native speaker one-on-one in classroom settings. They can hide in the back, or they end up speaking with other students who are on their same level and who repeat many errors. These fellow students speak slowly and don’t emulate native speakers at all. One-on-one speaking practice is crucial to improve efficiently and quickly.
Repetition of English Structure and Forms
Anyone who learns English needs to hear different sentences and words over and over. This helps words or phrases stick in your mind. Adults are normally more analytical than children, so repetition of structures and small changes in the language allow an adult English learner to think about the structure and recognize patterns. The more these patterns are repeated, the easier it is to recognize them. This is the most efficient way to embed English in the minds of adult language learners.
Break Down of Sounds For Pronunciation
Because adult learners of English are not able to develop an accent as well as a child native speaker, pronunciation help is very important. Breaking down the actual sounds that native speakers say in a systematic but simple manner will help adult English learners to speak well enough, without being misunderstood because of an accent that’s too thick.
It is also important that adult language learners become aware of sound changes and omissions that native speakers do regularly. These ways of speaking are often not discussed in language courses and are not reflected in writing. An adult speaker needs to consciously be aware of these changes and make them to their spoken English.
Use Your English
Whether you’re an adult or a child, you have to use English. Think about a hobby you may have started. You may have become pretty good for a year or two, but then you stopped doing it for a year or two. When you came back to that hobby, you couldn’t believe how rusty you were. It may have taken you a month or two to get back into shape. The key to progression is maintenance. Use the language, or lose it. You need to keep building on what you already have. Make sure to use English so that you don’t have to relearn what you already spent countless hours trying to learn. Use English every day, even for a small period of time. If you’re using your English every day but you feel like your English isn’t improving, there are other reasons for that.
Enjoyment
Above all, you should enjoy the progress and process of learning the language. Integrate your interests and passions into your English learning experience as much as possible. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’ll be less likely to continue. Find the enjoyment and fun in learning English. Explore new music, books, movies, and YouTubers. Make English an exciting part of your day because your improving quickly or your engaging in activities that you enjoy.
So, there you have it. You now know that you as an adult have some disadvantages and some major advantages. You also understand how you should learn the language from a general perspective. Use these principles on your own, or use the RPL complete English course to improve much faster. We use all of the methods mentioned above in our course. Good luck!