Comprehensive Analysis: Factors Influencing Language Learning

This essay delves into the multifaceted factors that influence language learning across different age groups. It examines how infants acquire their first language, focusing on the role of word complexity, caregiver interaction, and environmental context. A comparison is drawn between language acquisition in adolescents and adults, highlighting the impact of social interaction, learning environment, prior knowledge, and motivation. The essay concludes that while infants are primarily influenced by their immediate surroundings and the simplicity of words, adolescents benefit from greater social exposure and structured learning, and adults are affected by motivation, personality, and previous linguistic experience. Desklib offers this essay and a wealth of study tools to aid students in their academic pursuits.

Running head: FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE LEARNING OF A LANGUAGE
Factors that Influence the Learning of a Language
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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE LEARNING OF A LANGUAGE 2
Factors that Influence the Learning of a Language
The learning of language is a complex process that occurs at different rates in individuals
based on their immediate environment and the age of the learner. This paper explores the factors
that influence the leaning of a new language for different classes of individuals. The learning of
the first language by infants has been explored and related to the factors that affect the rate at
which the infant learns particular words. A comparison has also been made between the learning
of languages between adolescents and adults such as their second or third and third languages.
Generally, adolescents have been reported to learn foreign languages at a faster rate than adults
and the reasons for this have been discussed in detail.
Infants learn languages by first learning specific words and using them in sentences later.
The rate at which an infant learns a word depends on the complexity of the word (Roy, 2011).
The length of the utterance is used as the measure of complexity. The words that the infant
leaners are from the immediate environment and the caregivers are the top determinants of the
rate and the order in which a child learns a language. The caregivers, in this case, were the father,
the mother and the nanny. The visual aspects that a child is exposed to also affect the learning of
the language (Still Face Experiment: Dr. Edward Tronick, 2009). Relating words and the aspects that
they represent in the real world. The context in which a child hears a word for the first time and
the consequent times affect the rate at which the child learns the word. Language connects to
events and this case makes infants draw direct links between objects and words and repetition of
a particular word in a given context draws the attention of the learner top the environment and
the language. A child will learn words that are mentioned on a daily basis around its environment
such as water in the case of the child that was studied (Roy, 2011). Feedback where the

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE LEARNING OF A LANGUAGE 3
environment responds to the linguistic developments of the child. The caregivers subconsciously
restructured their language automatically to help the child learn it.
Adolescents learn languages at a faster rate than adults. This can be attributed to more
social interactions among adolescents than adults (Thompson, 2014). The fact that adults are
mostly helping up in professional and family commitments could lead to less exposure time to
the language in question than adolescents who are exposed to the language more inn their daily
activities such as schooling. The learning environment and the prior knowledge also affect the
rate at which one learns a given language. The factors that necessitate the learning of the
language also affect the rate at which the learner comprehends the new language. Adults may
have been exposed to a lot of languages already and this may slow down their rate of learning as
a result of the confusion that may arise. Adolescents also have the opportunity to be taught the
languages in institutions such as schools.
Motivation also affects the rate at which one learns a particular language. Immigrants
who are forced to learn languages in order to get incentives such as citizenships of other
countries lean the foreign languages requires at a faster rate than other learners. The human brain
is more receptive to things that are considered important. The pursuit of stability in life by most
immigrants makes them work hard in learning languages if they are a prerequisite for things they
need such as peaceful settlements. Personalities such as introverts slow down the rate at which
the withdrawn learner understands and can communicate in a new language. Learning a language
requires practice and conditioning of the brain through a lot of listening and social people have
an easier time learning a language if and when they socialize with people who speak the
language they are interested in.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE LEARNING OF A LANGUAGE 4
In conclusion, learning of first languages in infants is influenced by the complexity of the
specific words. Longer words are considered to be more complex than shorter ones and infants
learn shorter words first as a result. The environment in which infants are brought up also affects
the rate at which they learn a particular language. The feedback that the infant gets such as the
automatic restructuring of the words by the caregivers is some of the factors that influence the
rate at which the infant learns the language in question. Adolescents learn languages at a faster
rate than adults. Motivation towards learning a particular language and the personality of the
learner are some of the factors that affect learning of a language for adults. More interactions
with speakers of the language that a leaner is interested in making it easier to learn the language.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE LEARNING OF A LANGUAGE 5
References
Roy, D. (n.d.). The birth of a word [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/talks/deb_roy_the_birth_of_a_word.html
Still Face Experiment: Dr. Edward Tronick [Video file]. (2009, November 30). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzXGEbZht0
Thompson, C. (2014). Smarter than you think: How technology is changing our minds for the
better. London: William Collins.