Can Anyone Learn A Foreign Language? Yes, Absolutely
Written by: Rachel Marie Paling, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Personally, I believe we can all learn a foreign language. There are seven major reasons I truly believe this.
1. To begin with, everyone learns their native language, so we do in fact, all “acquire” a language! But let’s be honest here – it takes us about five to six years to learn our own language well and we learn it through what is known as implicit learning: in other words, we absorb the language knowledge subconsciously, as in those early childhood years our prefrontal cortex executive functions or “conscious learning” is not available to us as the development of that part of the brain occurs approximately after the age seven-year mark! So, yes, we all learn our native language albeit without consciously knowing HOW we learnt it. Can we learn like this as an adult? Yes, we can! When we go to live in the country of the target language, the immersion scenario means that we constantly bombard our brain with the language through multisensory input. The question for any adult learner would be how to replicate that scenario from our own homes without having to go to live in the country. Nowadays, modern technology greatly facilitates this scenario!
2. Secondly, let’s explore two factors that hinder language learning. The first one is that we often pick up negative beliefs in our childhood which we then carry through our subconscious and constantly live out, like self-fulfilling prophecies. If at some point, we were disempowered by comments like “language learning is so hard” or “you aren’t bright enough to learn another language”, we might have absorbed that as a “fact” that we constantly kept reliving and bringing out as a truth and therefore we never really believed or even today believe we can do it! The second is a “bad learning memory” from school where we were embarrassed in front of the class or mimicked or laughed at or failed an exam due to the fact that the teacher had never really gone through the information with us and we had not fully understood. Those moments in time may also become lodged in our subconscious and also trigger us to negativity around language learning and the self-fulfilling prophecy that we will never learn goes on through life.
3. Passion, drive, vision for learning are key for any new topic, but for languages they really are the essential motor for the learning! Often, we do not really discover the true motivation for wanting to know that language and we need to go beyond the reasons and discover what is the ultimate vision behind it and what doors or opportunities could it really bring me to speak this new language. When you really get to the Why of Whys, that is when commitment will also automatically kick in!
4. We now know from the neuroscientific research that every brain is unique. So, language learning “en masse” at school is NOT the best way to learn plus we need to be able to feel safe, especially so that we can try it out and actually speak it. Learning in big groups where no one really gets to apply, use and converse in a foreign language is absolutely NOT the way to learn it. Reading, writing and understanding a language rely on different brain networks than actually speaking and producing the language. When learning a language, we need to be able to engage on all different language levels: reading, writing, listening, understanding and above all speaking!
5. How many of us have grammar nightmares from school due to the boring, unstimulating, often confusing way this is taught. This grammar nightmare then carries on through our lives and constantly triggers the feeling that we just do not understand how the language works or comes together. It would make it easier to appreciate that all languages are like a code that logically and systematically connect to create certain patterns and rules that can also be scaffolded and connected to our existing native language, to see where the similarities and/or differences may lie. Coaching conversations around grammar would stimulate discussion, scaffolding and instant application of the new grammar so that learners can immediately grasp the concepts and talk through/iron out their doubts and uncertainties on the spot.
6. The process of learning a language is about understanding its learning journey knowing that consistency and patience are essential. A couple of useful brain hacks for language learning are: a) scaffolding as much as possible from the native language as mentioned above. b) breaking the language down into smaller bite-size chunks so that the brain can pattern and piece together the new language more readily and easily.
7. An accountability partner is key for this type of learning. Someone who can keep you on track as well as bring in their expertise. For example, a Neurolanguage Coach could help unlock the process by explaining explicit and implicit learning and tailoring the learning to each individual. The coach can empower the learner beyond those negative beliefs and get him/her to rationalise those bad learning memories. Grammar is delivered through coaching conversations that arouse curiosity and promote patterning and instant comprehension of the logical make-up behind the language. Goals are set reflecting the chunking down process and the language learning journey becomes a joyful, a playful voyage of discovery which unlocks the potential to communicate and truly understand different cultures and people across the globe to allow a deeper comprehension of us all as humans, who all live life with diverse neuro-perspectives and neuro-experiences!
So now, tell me, what is stopping you from learning that new language?
Rachel Marie Paling, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Rachel Marie Paling is an International Game Changer in Education, in particular, the education of languages. She has created the method and approach Neurolanguage Coaching, which incorporates professional coaching and neuroscience principles into the learning process. She coaches and trains teachers worldwide, transforming them into certified and ICF accredited Neurolanguage coaches and has created the Neurolanguage Coach network with over 1000 NL Coaches in just over 100 countries worldwide and is now bringing the approach to schools and institutions over the world through her licensed trainers and in nine languages. Rachel started teaching language at 17 and has a BA Honours in Law and Spanish, MA in Human Rights. She is a qualified UK lawyer, MA in Applied Neuroscience, and a PCC ICF Life Coach. She is the author of the books Neurolanguage Coaching and Brain-friendly Grammar and has written numerous blog articles about learning, coaching, and neuroscience. She has spoken at many international conferences, and her company was awarded the Bronze Award at the Reimagine Education Awards 2019 in the Science in Education category. She is dedicated to the shift in education and is currently establishing an educational foundation to bring coaching, neuroscience, and heart science into educational processes.
