Can you really learn a language after 60?

Learning a new language is generally considered to be a time-consuming journey, demanding patience, persistence, and practice. This is the case no matter the age at which you first pick up a bilingual dictionary - but does the language learning process become more difficult the older you are? 

"Age is not the main barrier. Although the brain changes over time, I believe teaching methods matter more," Montpellier tutor, Jérôme Casanova, told The Connexion. 

Years of one-to-one teaching convinced Mr Casanova that many traditional learning techniques are ineffective because they rely too heavily on rereading notes and recognising information rather than actively recalling it.

He developed an approach to learning based on training the brain through repeated quizzes and self-testing, a method he says can help people remember information "accurately and automatically" over the long term.

This method is spotlighted on his free website, Make Instant Links Quiz (milquiz.org).

For those who fear they are too old to learn French, one of the strongest endorsements of the method comes from his own family.

"My mother is 65 and currently uses the method to learn English and Spanish," said Mr Casanova. 

"She writes vocabulary lists, hides the answers and regularly tests herself. She says it helps her remember words that previously slipped away from her," he added.

Rather than relying on short-term memory, he says that the difference lies in finding memory hooks and improving the way learning connections are formed.

"When children learn their mother tongue, the world constantly presents them with ideas, objects and situations, and they have to find the words that match them. The answer is not handed to them immediately. They have to retrieve it, and that repeated effort strengthens the connection," stated Mr Casanova. 

Learners should therefore seek to identify the right questions, hide the answers and repeat the process until recall becomes effortless.

'Let your brain know what is important'

Louisa Hoff, founder of Little Language School, even goes as far as to say that memory hooks are "one of the biggest advantages to older learners" due to their wealth of life experience and knowledge.  

"They can often relate a new word or structure to something they already know, and I find that really helps it stick," said Ms Hoff. 

"Often older learners worry that they are not retaining things as they get older, that somehow there is no space for anything new - but our brains are perfectly capable of learning throughout our lives.

"However, we do have to let our brains know what information is considered 'important'. If you only come to a lesson once a week and never look at the language again, your brain normally decides it is not something to keep memorised. That is why doing a little bit between lessons is so important, because you are telling your brain: 'I am going to need this again,'" she added. 

She also says that older learners often underestimate how much progress they are making - with one of their main barriers being not ability, or motivation, but a lack of confidence. 

"Becoming a beginner again can feel quite uncomfortable. One of the first things I try to do is help them realise that making mistakes is completely normal. In fact, it is how we learn. The only people who don't improve are the ones who are too afraid to have a go.

"Overall, I think age is much less important than people imagine. In my experience, confidence, consistency and a willingness to make mistakes have a much bigger impact on success than whether someone is 30, 60 or 80," said Ms Hoff. 

Have you learnt French - or another language - at the age of 60 or over? Tell us how it went via feedback@connexionfrance.com.