Some People Really Are Better at Learning Languages
news.discovery.comPeople who learn many languages may have different brains from the rest of us.
For some people, genes may prime the brain to be good at language learning, according to some new research. And studies are just starting to pinpoint a few brain regions that are extra-large or extra-efficient in people who excel at languages.
For others, though, it’s more a matter of being determined and motivated enough to put in the hours and hard work necessary to learn new ways of communicating.
“Kids do well in what they like,” said Michael Paradis, a neurolinguist at McGill University in Montreal, who compared language learning to piano, sports or anything else that requires discipline. “Kids who love math do well in math. He loves languages and is doing well in languages.”
“This is just an extreme case of a general principle,” he added. “If you practice and have a great deal of motivation for a particular domain, you’re going to be able to improve in that domain beyond normal limits.”
