Our language affects what we see and how we process that information. The grammar and vocabulary of each language instills in its speakers a particular way of looking at the world. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, also known as the linguistic relativity hypothesis, proposes that the particular language one speaks influences the way one thinks about reality. How does that influence work?
If we consider the number of speakers, English is today the most spoken language in the world, with 1.5 billion people who speak it natively or as a second language. In this list, Spanish appears as fourth, with 548.3 million speakers. Likewise, the language of Cervantes is the second most common language in the United […]
It is often said that as we grow older, it becomes harder to learn new skills, especially language skills. Taking a second or third language during primary or secondary school is not the same as trying to do so as we get older.
Brain plasticity that is, our brain’s capacity to evolve with learning, is much more pronounced in the first years of life. So, at what age is it best to learn a new language?