Adult Language Learning: Listen First, Read Later?
2025-03-15
A new study reveals that adults learning a new language benefit more from initially focusing on the melody and rhythm of speech rather than written text. Czech adults listened to Māori, then were tested on distinguishing Māori from Malay. Those who simply listened performed better than those who also read subtitles; reading actually hindered their ability to discern the languages' rhythmic patterns. This suggests that adults should mimic infants, prioritizing the overall sound patterns of a language before tackling written forms, potentially unlocking the brain's inherent language acquisition mechanisms.