Why can’t we learn languages just like babies learn their native languages, by listening and imitating the language without the help of other people
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My daughter was fascinated at age 3 that people spoke different languages. She discovered this bc her fave show to watch with Dad was Iron Chef in the original Japanese, without translation. She’s not really conversational in Japanese but she knows lots of basic from Japanese TV and anime.
She learned Spanish starting in first grade in an immersion program. The teachers provided no translation but like with toddlers, they acted out what was being taught. You might not know what “ponerse la chaqueta” means in my mangled Español, but if you see the teacher grab a jacket and put it on, you’ll figure it out.
Daughter went to China and Korea with a year of high school each, when she was 18. She taught English to college kids and learned their languages, becoming conversational in both.
So to the OPQ, I say people can learn languages like babies do, but babies take a few years to get conversational. Invest that time and adults can too.
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