Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!husc6!yale!mfci!rodman
From: rodman@mfci.UUCP (Paul Rodman)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: foreign language requirements f
Message-ID: <755@m3.mfci.UUCP>
Date: 6 Apr 89 13:46:01 GMT
References: <161@landru.UUCP> <93900021@hcx1>
Sender: rodman@mfci.UUCP
Reply-To: rodman@mfci.UUCP (Paul Rodman)
Organization: Multiflow Computer Inc., Branford Ct. 06405
Lines: 34

In article <93900021@hcx1> garyb@hcx1.SSD.HARRIS.COM writes:
>
>>> >>>I presume, Henry, that you know how f^&*#%$ hard Japanese is to learn...
>>> >>
>> 
>> Note that little children have learned Japanese, Latin, and other foreign
>> to us languages. Not exceptional kids, either, but those present-day kids that
>> live in Japan, and the historical kids that lived in the Roman Empire.
>> It can be done.
>
>I remember reading somewhere about some research that suggests the
>human mind's ability to learn to speak new languages is much reduced
>after about the age of 12, or 15, or some other very young age.  In
>particular, the ability to speak it well, especially without an accent
>is much reduced.  

I too have heard this. For example, I think for a Japanese raised the 
distinguish-ability of "L" has not been wired in very well. If you can't 
tell what it sounds like, that makes it hard to speak later

The NOVA I saw used infants in various stages of development to show this 
in a really ingenious experiment.

Various languages have sounds that are differentated so slightly that
non-native speakers can run across words that sound identical, but
are not. To a native the same words are quite different sounding.

-----


    Paul K. Rodman 
    rodman@mfci.uucp
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