As language trainers, we often debate whether adults should learn a new language the way children do. Children acquire language seemingly without effort, through a natural process that happens largely implicitly
What is implicit learning?
Implicit learning is acquiring language naturally through immersion and experience, without explicit instruction. Key characteristics include:
– Learning occurs through context and repetition rather than grammar explanations or vocabulary definitions
– It’s context based; visual cues and real-world situations support understanding
– It’s acquired through constant repetition
– During the childhood-long learning process, language complexity gradually increases over years, aligned with cognitive development
– Children’s implicit learning happens during critical neurological development periods when the brain is exceptionally plastic and optimized for language acquisition
Additionally, children benefit from immediate feedback and correction in real-time conversations by caregivers or school teachers – adults often lack this constant, personalized feedback loop, unless being in a learning environment
What does that mean for an adult?
For adults to learn a language like children do, they would need constant exposure to the language and an environment that adjusts to their learning level and skills.
It requires to experience specific situations with native speakers frequently enough to consciously or subconsciously process the content – this works well for everyday situations—greetings, small talk, weather conversations—where repetition naturally occurs. However, less common topics require significantly more time and exposure to absorb implicitly.
Most adults lack the immersive language environment that children experience. They aren’t exposed to the target language throughout the day, and when they are, the language complexity far exceeds their learning level. However, the most significant difference between adult and child language acquisition is brain functionality—an adult’s brain has been shaped by decades of development.
An adult’s brain has developed powerful capabilities over decades that make language learning fundamentally different from childhood acquisition:
1. An adult’s brain has developed metacognitive abilities – the capacity to think about thinking and learning itself, which allows adults to consciously monitor and adjust their own learning progress.
2. It can utilize abstract thinking and conceptualization skills that aren’t fully developed in children, enabling faster understanding of complex grammatical concepts rather than through years of exposure.
3. An adult’s brain naturally seeks for patterns, structures, and rules. It works analytically, seeks to draw conclusions, and loves to compare new input to already known information.
4. An adult’s brain benefits from existing linguistic knowledge as well as years-long learning experience. It can transfer learning strategies from other domains, as well as making connections that children cannot yet make. Consequently, skills like planning, goal-setting, and self-regulation can be consciously applied to language learning for more efficient progress
My learners constantly demonstrate these cognitive abilities. They ask detailed questions to understand German grammar and are eager to discover the underlying structure of the language. They naturally compare German to their native language and often to English as well. This analytical approach makes it nearly impossible—and perhaps even counterproductive—to expect an adult brain to learn a new language the way a child does.”
The advantage of adult learning lies in the brain’s cognitive maturity: The advantage of adult learning lies in the brain’s cognitive maturity: adults can grasp explicitly taught rules and structures remarkably quickly, which significantly accelerates language acquisition. Their progress is further driven by their conscious motivation to advance.
As a teacher, it would be unnatural to me to ignore an adult’s cognitive capacities—to avoid answering their questions, to refrain from discussing how the German language works, or to exclude comparisons with their mother tongue. A purely implicit approach would fail to leverage the analytical strengths that adult learners naturally bring to language acquisition.”
However, knowing the rules and structures alone won’t make you fluent. What it does is give you the tools to apply them, reflect on what you say, analyze what you hear, and correct mistakes more effectively
With consistent, regular practice, you’ll eventually reach the point where you create sentences naturally—without consciously thinking about the rules.
Combining explicit with implicit learning
The ideal approach to language learning combines both explicit and implicit methods. Implicit learning serves as a powerful complement to explicit, conscious learning strategies.
Two effective strategies:
– Revisit material you’ve studied explicitly by exposing yourself to it implicitly
– Create daily routines with consistent contextual frameworks. Regular exposure (ideally daily) to similar situations, environments, and content allows patterns to sink in naturally.
For a deeper exploration of this topic, see my article on implicit learning (coming soon).
Conclusion
To conclude, let’s revisit the journey of children acquiring their first language for a moment.
The child’s years-long journey of implicitly acquiring their mother tongue provides the advantage of grasping subtle nuances, developing natural flow and pronunciation, and building an extensive vocabulary that are characteristic of native speakers. For an adult to reach a comparable level in German, full immersion in a German-speaking environment would be necessary.
However, here’s the encouraging news: even without being immersed in a German-speaking environment like a child, you can reach an impressive level of German fluency within just a few years. The key is to use all your brain functions, skills and capabilities, while maintaining consistency and dedication to your learning journey. Your commitment will take you further than you might imagine!
