Adults learn language to fluency nearly as well as children: study

Re:Adults learn language to fluency nearly as well as childr... by shmat on Sunday May 12, 2019 @05:24PM (#19894676)

I've worked with Swedes, and they were all basically bilingual in English. Except for a bit of an accent, their English was better than many native speakers. Of course, my sample size is only 20, but I was impressed. I was told that many schools in Sweden dedicate one school day a week to English with all subjects being taught in English during that day. Those students end up fluent.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Adults learn language to fluency nearly as well as childr... by tapland on Sunday May 12, 2019 @10:39PM (#19896064)

That is not at all common practice. It's the first I've ever heard of it.

My fiancée moved here to Sweden and trying to get by with English when in contact with the tax office, doctors, municipalities etc has been impossible. The tech workers I work with are very good at English compared to the average person here, but would self-assess their skills about the same.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Adults learn language to fluency nearly as well as childr... by richardhod on Thursday May 16, 2019 @04:36PM (#19932923)

I think it very much depends on the population. Online quiz takers will skew young, whose English is a lot better than that of middle aged and older Swedes, on average. Most Swedes I know have at least competency in English, and I know a lot of them, from being in Sweden too, but I'm sure my sample is also biased. Nonetheless, I'm not suprised at the fluency of Swedes in foreign langauges compared with other countries. As with the Netherlands, they are not an inward-looking culture particularly.

[ Parent | on HN ]