Language learning after 50

[IronMike]

Reviving this ol' thing due to someone asking once about learning a language at 52 (IIRC).

I agree re: hearing. Mine is shot from my years with headphones on. Add background noise (crowded room, traffic on the streets) and I'm useless.

Vision...well at least I can put my readers on and I'm good!

[Le Baron]

I read through the first page and saw Speakeasy's post which more or less tallies with the view I hold. That you don't become worse at learning (anything, not just languages), but that older people simply don't and sometimes can't interact in the social groups and situations that are conducive to language acquisition and subsequent usage 'in the field'.

You need time over a good period, where you don't feel the clock ticking, in which to accrue vocabulary and develop habits and this is what young people have at their disposal. When older you're simply invested in more things which require attention, Older people have a tendency to desire more control over learning, whereas in youth you are more led than leader.

Being in the workplace where the target language is used is actually an excellent place for an adult learner. The opportunities for engaging socially are there for the taking if you make the effort; much more than if you are mostly learning in a solitary situation. If an older person can manage time effectively and find opportunities for 'living' their target language then learning should always be possible.

[IronMike]

I would note that in the U.S. State Department, one can become a foreign service officer up to the age of 59.

[Le Baron]

I would note that in the U.S. State Department, one can become a foreign service officer up to the age of 59.

I have quite a bit of time left then!

Now I only have to get U.S. citizenship....