You’re Never Too Old to Learn Spanish!

You know what they say – age is only in the mind so really - you’re never too old to learn Spanish. You could actually do your mind a favor – whether you’re 8 or 80. It’s stretching your brain, training it so it can accommodate a larger gold mine of information. By learning Spanish, you tread into uncharted waters and then learn to survive because you stopped by the Tower of Babel!

Of course we can’t deny that when it comes to acquiring skills in sports, arts, sciences and languages, it’s always good to start early and set the foundation during your formative years. It is easier – and quicker – to learn new things while you’re young. Things come more naturally and a young brain is wired to retain more. This, however, should not preclude you from learning Spanish just because “you’re a certain age.”

Languages don’t discriminate – while they reflect the thinking, habits and quirks of a given population – they don’t have the power to stop people from acquiring the skills and expertise required to verbalize and speak. Spanish is a dynamic language. As years come and go, a larger arsenal of words gets added to its inventory. As the rate of technology intensifies, so does a language. When new things are discovered, a language becomes stronger because words have to be invented to keep up with evolution – and to some extent – revolution.

When high definition television entered our lives, it was called a revolutionary product. So was Wi-Fi. The same goes for PDAs, digital cameras and Facebook. The Spanish language went through a re-birth or a process of enrichment, only because more and more words had to be found to keep up with the changing times.

You are therefore never too old to learn Spanish because you can grow up with it. You grow old gracefully because you can converse in a second tongue. Like we said, a language derives its dynamism from new realities. It welcomes new terminology so it becomes more robust. The same can be said for the human brain. The brain, for as long as it’s healthy, develops sophistication when it is nurtured continuously. This is why neologisms make an interesting area of study in linguistics.

Too Old for Spanish? Pooh!

Don’t get into the habit of using your age as an excuse not to learn Spanish. If you’re shy about being heard or sitting physically in a classroom dreading the moment when the teacher calls on you to express yourself, you can do it in the privacy of your study or office. All you need are a computer and a quick Internet connection. Log into www.dailyspanishphrases.com and see how fun it is to learn by yourself. This way, you’re not distracted or embarrassed. You can laugh at yourself and read the words and expressions as loud as you can without having to put up with the polite giggles of your fellow students in a classroom. What’s more, Daily Spanish Phrases will carry out the task of sending you a daily Spanish lesson into your mailbox everyday if you subscribe to a particular level of your choice.

With Daily Spanish Phrases, a lesson means ample time for learning. You don’t receive meager lesson modules. You receive 15 useful phrases you can use in everyday situations. Not to mention the conjugation of two verbs daily, a quick grammar tip and a vocabulary game.

Stop thinking of your age as a barrier to learning Spanish. You probably will be dumfounded if we told you that administrators of online language courses say they have individuals well into their 80’s and 90’s who are enrolled in their courses. They combine their new-found hobby for computers with their love for foreign languages and are as mentally alert as your 17-year old. In fact, one administrator confided that it is her 82 year old student who sends her the most number of emails because he says he wants to practice his writing and conversational skills.

Karen Bond is a linguist from Vancouver, British Columbia who has always been intrigued by people who were successful language learners and those who performed poorly. Through her research and live interviews with language students, she learned that age is absolutely a NON-ISSUE. There are many documented studies that reveal that people who learn a new language during their adult years are capable of being 100% proficient in that language.

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