“The brain is very plastic, meaning that it can be shaped by learning and experience.” I believe that if an adult has the will to truly learn a second language, has the right environment, and devotes their learning to an L2 then they can achieve it quicker than a child. Adults have more experiences and can attach meaning to more foreign words than a child. For a child, BICS comes quicker than CALP. In my opinion, and adult could probably be immersed in both at the same time and acquire language faster.

Take this example: Mowrer states that language is acquired through reward imitation. If the adult has an emotional link to the model of their L2 then it is possible to gain new skills (language) at any age. If an adult wants to start speaking a new language for their partner (who speaks that language already) then I believe this too would progress them in language acquisition quicker than a child.

In the Second Language Acquisition Myths book, it states that children do not acquire a language faster than adults – adults can learn a second language to high proficiency in the same amount of time it takes a baby to learn it’s first 20 words. In young children the perception may be that they learn an L2 quicker than an adult, but some people may expect less out of them as they are younger and don’t have as high a vocabulary as an adult.

It is my belief that it is easier for adults to learn a second language than it is for a child. Adults have advanced cognitive developments and are able to learn better as a result as it applies to second langue acquisition. In the myths book, studies have found that is takes adults 10,000 hours to acquire a skill to the level of expert, whereas the child requires 17,520 hours of input in order to become a proficient speaker of the language. It only seems that the child learns more quickly, because the type of language we expect from a child and an adult are so different. The only real advantage to learning a language as a child is the ability to develop more native like pronunciations. In the brain- based research power point the author questions native level of acquisition as a goal, rather the goal should be high levels of proficiency. This is supported by the brain-based research that high proficient bilinguals connect their L2 lexicon directly to concepts. Where as, low proficient bilinguals process L2 lexicon through L1 lexicon. This implies that a high level of proficiency is beneficial for the brain to process efficiently.

Collier (1989, 513) says, "Children's SLA (Second Language Acquisition) appears superior largely because the structures and vocabulary they need for adequate communication are so much simpler than those required of adults". The kind of language we expect from children is not the same that we would expect of an educated and experienced adult. Often when people compare the language progress and acquisition of children to adults they don't consider the "kind" of language they are comparing. There are two kinds of language; Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills, or BICS, and the language that is used in school and other academic contexts which is Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency, or CALP. According to our book, SLA Myths, research has shown that it takes children much longer to master CALP than it does normal conversational skills (BICS). So if we were to compare how quickly children and adults acquire the same "type" of language, according to these studies, we would see that older adolescents or adults performed better and faster than the younger children.

Secondly, adolescents and adults have more cognitive abilities than younger children. Adolescents have spent more time in school and know more academic language in their L1 than a younger child would. Having that background of CALP in their L1 give them an advantage with learning CALP in the L2. Additionally, adolescents and adults have the ability to apply learning strategies and memorization skills that younger children cognitively aren't able to do yet.

Lastly, our book SLA Myths tells us that "current brain research is showing that adults' brains are still malleable and can physically change in response to input." People often think that childrens' brains are more malleable than adults, so they therefore can learn faster. This does not have research to back it up though. Adults who have the determination, time, and needed input can reach a high level of language proficiency in the same amount of time it takes a baby to learn its first 20 words.

In my opinion, adults can learn a second language faster and better. Adults bring their own experiences and knowledge of language when learning a L2, while a child is still learning language structure. Several studies were done with missionaries that showed adults became fluent in their L2 around 18 to 24 months. While it takes a child 3 to 5 years to form the social (BICS) part of language and then 4 to 7 years to communicate academically (CALPS).

The text, Second Language Acquisition Myths states, "Current brain research is showing that adults' brains are still malleable and can physically change in response to input." The book continues to say, "...adults can learn a second language to high level of proficiency in the same amount of time it takes a baby to learn its first 20 words." This is further proof the adult already has the structure of language and can learn a new language faster. We assume children learn faster because we only expect them to communicate with the simpler structures of language. While adults are expected to communicate with much more difficult structures and academic vocabulary which takes longer to learn.

Research of the human brain shows that we are set up to learn and grow at any age. An adults brain is capable of learning a language like any other skill. A study by Kwok et al., 2011 found that adults' brains can change quickly in response to practice in as little as 2 hours. One of the most convincing pieces of information in the information I have read states, "Adults can learn a second language to a high level of proficiency in the same amount of time it takes a baby to learn its 20 first words." An adults advanced cognitive abilities put them at an advantage compared to children who receive instruction just one hour per week. And when adults, like missionaries, were placed in a situation where they are immersed in the language, they acquired the language in 18-24 months. This is much quicker than a child learning language. Children have not finished their acquisition of basic grammar until the age of 4. I am convinced that an adults brain is just as capable of learning a language as a child's is. The only difference is in how the brain receives and stores the information.

I believe that an adult can learn a second language faster and better than a child. As an adult, there has already been a lot of schooling completed. Studying tools and learning styles have been established. At this point in life, most people know how they learn the best and are able to apply that to what they are learning (a second language). While reading a book for our class I found an idea very interesting and it helped me better understand why adults are superior to children. We expect so much out of adults as far as how fast and how well they should speak the language after studying it for a certain amount of time. We expect adults to be fluent after a short amount of time trying to learn the second language. We have lower expectation for children, and if they are able to speak a sentences in the new language, we think they are learning so fast, when it actually took this student a long time to learn this sentence and they may not even understand exactly what they are saying. A child can master academic skills of second language learning easily, like memorizing words and such. Where children struggle is understanding the conversational side of the second language. Adults are able to learn this and pick this up much faster then a child would be able to. In the long run children may be able to understand and speak a language better than an adult, but under a specific time frame studies show that adults are much better and faster at learning a second language.

I think that adults can learn how to learn like children. The unfortunate reality is that they don't do it. Their motivation should be to join in that society, not just to learn the language. This is difficult for adults because they are discouraged by the fact that they are condemned to sound clumsy and less intelligent in the new language for a long time, most children don’t worry about these things.