Bilingualism is beneficial for our brain health.
As we age the brain needs exercise, and learning a new word every day or a new language can functionally and structurally alter the brain. It can make it more flexible and efficient.
Let’s talk about learning a new language.
Learning A New Language
Am I Too Old To Learn A New Language?
No matter how old you are, you’re never too old to learn a new language.
However, because our brain’s ability to adapt and change does decrease over time, we’ll probably have to practice a little bit more.
Does Bilingualism Improve Cognition?
According to researchers at Edinburgh University, bilingualism is beneficial to brain health.
After examining medical records of certain patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers found that monolingual patients developed dementia earlier than those that spoke two languages.
The lead researcher noted that learning a new language later in life is beneficial because it helps to exercise the brain. The brain needs to be exercised, and learning a new language can make it more efficient and flexible.
Playing brain games that keep the mind active such as crossword puzzles, card games, and scrabble is also recommended.
Seniors can also improve problem solving skills by building something. Starting a new project will exercise your brain.
What’s The Hardest Language To Learn?
Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn according to multiple sources.
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in category 4, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers. (Source:www.usatoday.com)
Who Holds The Record For Speaking The Most Languages?
Powell Janulus, a Canadian polyglot entered the Guinness world records for learning 42 languages fluently, and was stringently tested on all 42.
How Long Does It Take To Learn A New language?
True language fluency requires consistent effort and time, and while 500 to 1,000 hours might sound like a lot, a typical person could probably invest that level of time over 12 to 18 months, with the right study schedule. (Source:www.optilingo.com)
How To Say Hello In Different Languages
- Spanish: hola.
- French: bonjour.
- German: guten tag.
- Italian: salve.
- Chinese: nǐn hǎo.
- Portuguese: olá
- Arabic: asalaam alaikum.
- Japanese: konnichiwa.
- Korean: anyoung haseyo.
- Russian: Zdravstvuyte. (Source:www.rosettastone.com)
How Many People Speak English And Chinese?
- Chinese: 1.51 billion people (native speakers: 899 million; second language speakers: 178 million)
- English: 840 million people (native speakers: 330 million; second language speakers: 510 million) (Source:www.babel.edu)
What Is The Easiest Language To Learn? (For English Speakers)
Some of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers:
- Dutch.
- Norwegian.
- Spanish.
- Portuguese.
- Italian.
- French.
- Swedish. (Source:www.berlitz.com)
Final Thoughts:
Although learning a language at any age has been found to stimulate the brain, it’s not easy to master a second language when you’re older.
As we age, it can be more difficult to learn a new language. Children and adults learn new languages in different ways.
Many people believe that you lose the ability to learn new languages.
The language experts, however, have confirmed that we’re never too old to learn a new language so don’t let that stop you.
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