Please help: Questions for bilingual people

[aburt123]

I have a few questions to anyone who is bilingual (does not necessarily have to be Spanish and English). Thanks for the help.

1. What languages are you fluent in?

2. Did you learn these languages before or after you were 18 years old?

3.How long have you been fluent in both languages?

4. Do you think that being bilingual has any cognitive benefits?

5. Have you tried learning another language as an adult? Do you think it is more difficult?

6. What do you think is the explanation behind children being able to learn new languages more easily than adults?

[sosia]

I'm not really bilingual, but I have enough knowledge of english & german to write
1. What languages are you fluent in?
spanish (native), english, german
2. Did you learn these languages before or after you were 18 years old?
English in school. I began german with 15
3.How long have you been fluent in both languages?
Lets say 15 years
4. Do you think that being bilingual has any cognitive benefits?
It helps you with grammar structures, not only foreign languages but also programming languages. It also helps you to establish connections with other languagesor latin/greek
5. Have you tried learning another language as an adult? Do you think it is more difficult?
Yes Japanese. Of course
6. What do you think is the explanation behind children being able to learn new languages more easily than adults?

I read somewhere a man need 10 years to master something.
http://norvig.com/21-days.html
In adult, time is limited and controllable.
As children, time is not so important. A children learns while playing, and he can make mistakes continuously till he does it ok. You don't have so much patiente with adults.
And a children only focuses on playing, learning and direct emotions (mum, dad, friends). Adults must read the newspapers, complicate relatinships, and do a job. And, of course, learn a new language.
Hope it helps.
To the "real" fluent ones, please correct my mistakes.
Saludos

[Jessica]

1. Chinese and English

2. before..(I'm not 18 yrs old yet)

3. Not sure

4. Yeah

5. Learning Spanish right now in high school

6. no idea

[Ambarina]

Originally Posted by aburt123

I have a few questions to anyone who is bilingual (does not necessarily have to be Spanish and English). Thanks for the help.

1. What languages are you fluent in? Spanish & English

2. Did you learn these languages before or after you were 18 years old?
Before, long before. I was speaking both languages before the age of 5.

3.How long have you been fluent in both languages?
All my life.
4. Do you think that being bilingual has any cognitive benefits?
It helps in learning other languages.

5. Have you tried learning another language as an adult? Do you think it is more difficult?
Yes, German and it is a lot more difficult to learn as an adult. Whereas Spanish and English come naturally, i.e. no translating needed as I am able to think in both languages, the third language is learnt in a different way.

6. What do you think is the explanation behind children being able to learn new languages more easily than adults?

I think it must have something to do with brain functions which are developing as a child but complete as an adult. The different languages learnt as a child I think are compartmentalised in a specific area of the brain together for a child or an adult to be able to switch easily from one language to another. I think this applies to adults if both languages are used continuously throughout adult life. However, if a language is not practised throughout adult life, fluency falls by the wayside or one of the languages is forgotten altogether.

[chileno]

1. What languages are you fluent in? Totally fluent, my native language Spanish. Somewhat fluent, English.

2. Did you learn these languages before or after you were 18 years old? I learned English at 25 years old.

3.How long have you been fluent in both languages? I would say around 23 to 25 years.

4. Do you think that being bilingual has any cognitive benefits? Of course, it broadens your mind.

5. Have you tried learning another language as an adult? Do you think it is more difficult? No, I haven't, but I know I can do the same thing I did with English, which it took me about a year to acquire.

6. What do you think is the explanation behind children being able to learn new languages more easily than adults? They are worry free. However, as an adult you have the advantage of knowing how to read, write and express yourself, and that usually takes about ten or more years for a child to master.

[irmamar]

1. What languages are you fluent in?

Two: Spanish and Catalonian.

2. Did you learn these languages before or after you were 18 years old?

I was three years old when I took contact with Catalonian.

3.How long have you been fluent in both languages?

All my life, I live in a bilingual region.

4. Do you think that being bilingual has any cognitive benefits?

Maybe to learn languages.

5. Have you tried learning another language as an adult? Do you think it is more difficult?

I started learning English and French when I was a child. I've forgotten almost all my French and I'm not fluent in English, yet. Before 18 years I studied ancient Greek and Latin (and I was never fluent). As an adult I've studied Italian and as sometimes I have some contact with Italian people, I can practise it. Maybe learning a language as an adult is more difficult, but it all depends on the possibility to practise a language. If a child is not in contact with the language which is learning, he/she will not be fluent either.

6. What do you think is the explanation behind children being able to learn new languages more easily than adults?

Not only languages. Anyway, the way of learning is quite different.

[Sarah]

A while ago, I checked out a book that explained why children learn languages easier and how it helps them develop. It was actually interesting, not boring at all. I've forgotten the title, but your library probably has some books you can check out.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by aburt123

I have a few questions to anyone who is bilingual (does not necessarily have to be Spanish and English). Thanks for the help.

1. What languages are you fluent in?

2. Did you learn these languages before or after you were 18 years old?

3.How long have you been fluent in both languages?

4. Do you think that being bilingual has any cognitive benefits?

5. Have you tried learning another language as an adult? Do you think it is more difficult?

6. What do you think is the explanation behind children being able to learn new languages more easily than adults?

I have fluent in the Spanish that it's my native language and the second language that I have learn with the pass of the time English.
I learnt the language later when I complete the 24 years old.
In Spanish I dominate the 80 per cent and the English really I didn't know, but I believe that I dominate the 70 per cent.
Yes I think that I have more opportunities in the ambit labor than another people who doesn't know the language.
Not I think that if you are adult, you have more change to learn the language for your time free.
Yes the children have the mind clear than an adult, you know the adult has works meanwhile the children only has that study.