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Bilingualism and autism

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LostInSpace
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11 Sep 2007, 8:12 pm

Sora wrote:
monty wrote:
The person who said it matters when you learn the language is right. As people get older, the brain changes and it becomes less easy. There probably are differences between AS and autism, and from person to person.


That's the funny thing actually. I was fairly old when I learned English. I was twelve years old already, but it only took me four weeks in which I was confronted with English to enable me to read and understand a regular English novel for adults. It took another two to make me feel safe in expressing myself in that language. I learned from day-to-day spoken and from written English only (though I preferred written at that time due to my trouble perceiving oral speech). I picked vocabulary as well as grammar up from the raw language presented to me, although I had no idea of grammar other than what I had learned in elementary school about German grammar. Vocabulary I learned mostly by explanation or by looking the words up once and twice when I had forgotten them. I learned by listen and reading - and just somehow got it.
I assure you I had the time of my life and even started to fancy speaking, which I hadn't done much before.

One year later I started my first foreign language at school which was French. I failed horribly at grammar and vocabulary half a year.


Actually, a number of studies have shown that under immersion circumstances (like moving to a new country), young adolescents (maybe ages 10-14) learn new languages just as well, and actually faster than, young children. This doesn't jive with what I've seen, but there have actually been a number of studies done which have gotten these results.



SamuraiSaxen
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11 Sep 2007, 11:15 pm

Spanish (my native language) and English. I'm trying to learn Japanese, I'll try to begin with self-taught formal classes two or three weeks later.

I can easily write in spanish and english, my problem is when I'm talking to people, I can't find easily some words in my mind and I'm very slow, even when I'm speaking Spanish.



Zeno
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12 Sep 2007, 9:59 am

Even though my speach is impaired during meltdowns, I was able to master Chinese at the age of 30 to the point where I can read classical Chinese. Although almost all Chinese Singaporeans study Chinese for 12 years in school, most people are effectively monolingual and speak, read and write only English. I almost failed Chinese in school and it amazes me today that I can speak Chinese so flawlessly that the people in China think that I am a China born Chinese. I also speak perfect American English (in addition to Singapore English) and the ability to switch into different natural accents is an ability that is quite rare.

I view the speach and language function of my brain as disrupted rather than impaired. Not only did I master Chinese, in the process of doing so, my command of English also jumped by leaps and bounds. But things are different when the meltdowns occur. When that happens, the words just do not come.



michel
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12 Sep 2007, 10:00 am

English is my third language. French is my first...



Ragnar59
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12 Sep 2007, 8:25 pm

I took Japanese for two years, and I'm trying to keep with it now. I'm definitely better than anyone else who was in the class, but I've still got a long ways to go. :(

I can usually make out half the words if something's in Spanish or French too.



Frannie
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13 Sep 2007, 10:47 pm

Ragnar59 wrote:
I took Japanese for two years, and I'm trying to keep with it now. I'm definitely better than anyone else who was in the class, but I've still got a long ways to go. :(

I can usually make out half the words if something's in Spanish or French too.


Best wishes on studying Japanese. It's a challenging language. :) That's great you've already taken two years of it already.