When do we become unable to learn a language like a native speaker? (2018)
IMO one of the most prominent reasons - and one that I never see mentioned - that learning a language as an adult is more difficult is that the older you are, the more socially-unacceptable it becomes to point out grammatical and vocabulary errors. When you&#x27;re a child, elders correcting you is so natural it scarcely even breaks the flow of conversation:<p>child: &quot;Me and Tim went -&quot;<p>adult: &quot;Tim and I went.&quot;<p>child: &quot;{pause} Tim and I went...&quot;<p>As an adult, you simply do not get this kind of feedback. There&#x27;s no chance in hell I would interrupt another adult to make the above correction. It&#x27;s simply too disrespectful. And yet it is precisely this disrespectful interruption and correction that enables children to have tight feedback loops which result in fast, effective learning.