Why is it harder for adults to learn a language than for babies and toddlers?
Learning a new language as an adult or teenager can feel like an uphill battle – memorizing vocabulary, grappling with grammar rules, and struggling with pronunciation. Meanwhile, babies and toddlers seem to acquire their first language effortlessly, absorbing speech patterns and constructing sentences without formal instruction.
This discrepancy is not just a matter of age but also of methodology. The conventional approach to language teaching – grammar-focused lessons, structured vocabulary lists, and formal instruction – is the exact reverse of how young children acquire language naturally. Understanding these differences sheds light on why adults face greater challenges and how we might rethink language learning for better results.
How babies learn language: immersion and interaction
Babies are linguistic sponges, absorbing language from the environment through immersion, repetition, and social interaction. Unlike adults, they are not consciously trying to learn words or grammatical structures. Instead, they engage in implicit learning, a subconscious process that allows them to detect patterns in speech and make sense of language through context.
Several factors contribute to their success:
- No fear of mistakes: Babies and toddlers experiment with sounds and words without self-consciousness. They receive positive reinforcement from caregivers, which encourages further language use.
- Contextual learning: They learn words in meaningful situations – pointing at an object while hearing its name, responding to emotional cues, and associating phrases with actions.
- Gradual complexity: Babies start with simple sounds, then progress to single words, short phrases, and eventually complex sentences. This mirrors the natural structure of language acquisition, where comprehension precedes production.
In essence, babies learn language organically, through experience, social interaction, and repetition – without explicit instruction.
How adults and teenagers learn: the reverse approach
Traditional language learning in schools and courses follows a top-down approach, focusing on explicit learning rather than natural acquisition. The process typically involves:
- Memorizing vocabulary lists with little immediate real-world application.
- Studying grammar rules before using them in conversation.
- Practising structured exercises instead of engaging in natural, immersive dialogue.
This approach is the exact opposite of how babies acquire language. Instead of hearing and imitating first, learners are expected to understand rules before applying them, which can be cognitively overwhelming.
Why adults struggle more
Beyond the unnatural structure of conventional language learning, adults also face neurological and psychological barriers:
- Reduced brain plasticity: Babies’ brains are highly plastic, meaning they can adapt quickly to new information. As we age, our ability to absorb language effortlessly decreases, making explicit learning more necessary.
- First-language interference: Adults already have an established linguistic framework, which often interferes with new language structures. We subconsciously apply the grammar and pronunciation rules of our native language, leading to errors.
- Fear of failure: Unlike toddlers, who are encouraged to experiment with language, adults are often self-conscious about making mistakes, which hinders practice and fluency development.
The Grade 4 language barrier in South Africa
While learning a second language is already challenging for adults and teenagers, young South African learners face an additional difficulty – a sudden shift in the language of instruction at school.
In many South African schools, children are taught in their home language (such as isiZulu, Sesotho, or isiXhosa) from Grades R to 3. However, when they reach Grade 4, English becomes the primary language of instruction. For many of these learners, English is not spoken at home or in their communities, making this transition particularly difficult.
The key challenges these learners face include:
- Limited proficiency in both languages: By Grade 4, many learners are still developing reading and writing skills in their home language. Suddenly switching to English – a language they may only hear in school – creates an overwhelming cognitive burden.
- Loss of understanding in the classroom: When learners struggle to follow lessons in English, they begin to disengage from the learning process, leading to poorer academic performance across all subjects, not just English.
- Reduced confidence and increased dropout risk: Many learners lose confidence when they cannot express themselves well in English. Over time, this frustration contributes to higher dropout rates in later grades.
If we consider how babies learn a language through constant exposure, repetition, and interaction, it becomes clear that South African learners in this situation are being expected to master a language with minimal immersion and support.
How can we improve this transition?
- Bilingual support: Schools should continue reinforcing home-language literacy while introducing English gradually, ensuring that learners don’t lose comprehension in core subjects.
- More English exposure from an earlier stage: Increasing spoken and interactive English exposure before Grade 4 – through storytelling, music, and games – can help make the transition smoother.
- Fostering a low-pressure environment: Just as babies acquire language through play and interaction, learners should be encouraged to practise English without fear of making mistakes.
If language learning methods in schools mirrored how babies learn naturally, the transition to English would be far less disruptive.
Rethinking language learning for adults
Given these differences, a more effective approach to language learning for adults would involve immersion-based techniques similar to those used by infants:
- Listening before speaking: Exposure to authentic spoken language – via audiobooks, podcasts, or conversations – before actively trying to produce speech can help internalize natural rhythms and structures.
- Learning in context: Instead of memorizing isolated vocabulary, connecting words with experiences, images, and emotions can enhance retention.
- Encouraging natural speech patterns: Engaging in conversations, even with mistakes, is more effective than perfecting grammar in isolation.
Final thoughts
While adults and teenagers may never regain the effortless language-learning abilities of infancy, understanding how language is naturally acquired can help refine our approach. By shifting away from rigid, textbook-based methods and embracing immersive, experiential learning, language acquisition can become more intuitive, enjoyable, and effective.
More important, though, addressing the language transition challenge in South African schools requires rethinking how English is introduced and supported. Instead of the current abrupt switch in Grade 4, a gradual, bilingual approach that mirrors natural language learning would lead to better outcomes for learners across the country.