Is Language Learning in the Genes?
Learning a second language is an important skill in the modern world. However, quantifying the speed and ease with which someone will develop their skills is difficult, depending on a variety of different factors. The time that it takes to learn a new language, and the difficulty that the learner may experience, will in part depend on the similarity in structure that the new language has with the learner’s native language. There are also environmental factors to be taken into account, such as the prevalence of the language or the learner’s immersion to the language both in the classroom and the public environment. Finally, there are factors unique to the individual that can impact upon the ease and speed with which they can learn a new language. The most obvious being the time, dedication, and focus of the learner to learning the language.
However, like many important skills learning a new language seems an easier, more natural process for some people than it does for others. Therefore, it is natural that we might begin to wonder whether proficiency for language learning is in the genes. The role of biology in languages, and the question as to whether genetics plays a role in a person’s ability to learn a language, has been studied by neurobiologists. These scientists have identified that the FOXP2 gene directly correlates to language development. Research highlighted in the UK publication the Daily Telegraph shows that variations in this gene can be shown to have different impacts on the ability of young adults to process unfamiliar speech sounds. This suggests that on some level the ability to process languages in the brain is impacted by genetics. There are, however, many different parts of the brain involved in language processing, so it is not possible to isolate this as the only determining factor. Alongside the genetic aspects, there are of course cultural, personal and environmental factors which affect language learning. Language learning may be a unique journey for each individual, genetics may play a role (as it does in all learning). But, with the right approach and learning environment, language learning is more than just genetics.