Introduction to Language Learning in Older Adults
By STEPHEN WADE
TOKYO (AP) — I speak decent Spanish, picked up working several decades ago as a news and sports reporter in Spain, Mexico and Argentina.
Now I report from Tokyo. After seven years, I still can’t grasp Japanese. My weekly language classes have taught me humility more than anything else.
The Challenge of Learning a New Language
Ayaka Ono, my current Japanese teacher, estimates she’s tutored about 600 students over 15 years. They’ve been mostly between 20 and 50. I’m more than a decade beyond her eldest.
“I find older students take tiny, tiny steps and then they fall back,” Ono-san — “san” is an honorific in Japanese to show respect — tells me. “They can’t focus as long. I teach something one minute and they forget the next.”
It’s well established that children have an easier time learning second languages. In recent years, scientists have studied whether being bilingual may help ward off the memory lapses and reduced mental sharpness that come with an aging brain. Much of the research on the potential benefit involved people who spoke two or more languages for most of their lives, not older adult learners.
The Benefits of Language Learning for Older Adults
“The science shows that managing two languages in your brain — over a lifetime — makes your brain more efficient, more resilient and more protected against cognitive decline,” said Ellen Bialystok, a distinguished research professor emeritus at York University in Toronto who is credited with advancing the idea of a possible “bilingual advantage” in the late 1980s.
There’s good news for older adults like me: Attempting to acquire a new language is worthwhile, and not just because it makes reading a menu easier while traveling abroad. Bialystok, a cognitive neuroscientist, recommends studying a new language at any age, comparing the challenge to word puzzles and brain-training games that are promoted to slow the onset of dementia.
“Trying to learn a language late in life is a great idea, but understand it won’t make you bilingual and is probably too late to provide the protective effects of cognitive aging that come from early bilingualism,” she told The Associated Press. “However, learning a new language is a stimulating and engaging activity that uses all of your brain, so it is like a whole-body exercise.”
The Latest Research
A large study published by the science journal Nature Aging in November suggests that speaking multiple languages protects against more rapid brain aging, and that the effect increases with the number of languages.
The findings, based on research involving 87,149 healthy people ages 51 to 90, “underscore the key role of multilingualism in fostering healthier aging trajectories,” the authors wrote.
Researchers acknowledged the study’s limitations, including a sample population drawn only from 27 European countries with “diverse linguistic and sociopolitical contexts.”
Bialystok was not involved in the project but has researched second-language acquisition in children and adults, including whether being bilingual delays the progression of Alzheimer’s disease or aids in multi-tasking and problem-solving. She said the new study “ties all the pieces together.”
“Over the lifespan, people who have managed and used two languages end up with brains that are in better shape and more resilient,” she said.
Learning a Language Later in Life
I visited Spain’s Mediterranean coast in the 1990s when I worked in Madrid. I was shocked by how many non-Spaniards there had lived in the country for years and could say only a few words in Spanish.
Now I get it. When I attempt Japanese, the reaction is often an incredulous, “And you’ve been here how long?”
I have workarounds to navigate my hostile linguistic environment. One is saying “itsumono.” It means “the same as always,” or “the usual.” It’s enough to order morning coffee at a neighborhood cafe or lunch at several regular stops.
As an aside, Japanese is one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to master, along with Arabic, Cantonese, Korean and Mandarin. Romance languages such as French, Italian or Spanish are easier.
My once-a-week class is grueling, and one hour is my limit. I use this analogy: my brain is a closet without enough empty hangers, and Japanese doesn’t go with anything in my wardrobe. The writing system is intimidating for an English speaker, the word order is flipped, and politeness is valued more than clarity.
Conclusion
I’ll never progress beyond preschool level in Japanese, but overloading my brain with lessons might work in the same way that my regular weight-training sessions help maintain physical strength.
Ono-san, my Japanese teacher, called language-learning apps “better than nothing.” Bialystok said technology can be a useful learning tool, “but progress of course requires using the language in real situations with other people.”
“If old folks try to learn a new language, you are not going to be very successful. You are not going to become bilingual,” Bialystok said. “But the experience of trying to learn the language is good for your brain. So what I say is this. What’s hard for your brain is good for your brain. And learning a language, especially in later life, is hard but good for your brain.”
FAQs
Q: Is it worth trying to learn a new language as an older adult?
A: Yes, attempting to acquire a new language is worthwhile, and not just because it makes reading a menu easier while traveling abroad.
Q: Will learning a new language make me bilingual?
A: No, learning a new language as an older adult will not make you bilingual, but it can still be beneficial for your brain.
Q: What are the benefits of language learning for older adults?
A: Language learning can help protect against cognitive decline, improve mental sharpness, and increase brain resilience.
Q: How can I start learning a new language?
A: You can start by taking classes, using language-learning apps, or practicing with a language exchange partner.
Q: Is it too late to start learning a new language?
A: No, it’s never too late to start learning a new language, and the experience of trying to learn can be beneficial for your brain, even if you don’t become fluent.
