Second language acquisition

Many people feel that learning a new language would be too hard for them. Perhaps the difficulty is not in learning a new language; instead it is in the method used.

Often people attempt to learn a second language for the first time in a classroom setting. There the instructor often gives the students vocabulary lists and grammar rules that the student needs to memorize. Studies have shown that this method is frequently ineffective. Perhaps the struggle many students go through with this method is what leads so many to decide that learning a second language is too hard.

Researchers in Applied Linguistics distinguish between language learning and language acquisition. Language acquisition is the process young children use to learn a language. In language acquisition the learner gains the language through natural communications. A child learning a language learns by gaining a feel for the language through listening and practicing with adults.

In language learning the student learns by studying the vocabulary and the grammar rules of the language. Students learning this way often gain a good understanding of the rules of the language, but might struggle to carry on a conversation in that language.

As children grow up they use a mixture of both methods to learn their native language. They constantly learn the feel of the language through natural communication and they study the grammar in school. However as we grow older and later try to learn a second language most people rely mostly on language learning rather than acquisition.

Perhaps the best way to learn a new language is to follow the example of our children and combine both methods. Moving beyond a study of the grammar and vocabulary and seeking opportunities to use the language and interacting with others will increase the ease and effectiveness of learning a second language.

Learning a language takes time, and trial and error. Children learn of the course of time and through many mistakes, perhaps adults would benefit from their example. 

 ‘Small drops combined form an ocean.’
- Marshallese proverb

Language benifits
http://www.omniglot.com/language/why.htm
Longer list
http://www.ncssfl.org/papers/BenefitsSecondLanguageStudyNEA.pdf

http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_acquisiti_vs_language_02033.php
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050615060545.htm
http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html