Foreign Language Aptitude and Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

The field of language aptitude can tell us a lot about the acquisition foreign languages in children and adolescents, who have been so far under-researched populations. Although memory and auditory abilities involve more implicit processes and are therefore more relevant for child learners, research shows they might be particularly important in naturalistic settings. Language analytic ability, more associated with explicit, adult acquisition, could nevertheless be crucial in classroom contexts with limited input even for young learners. Adolescents are assumed to learn more explicitly, similar to adults, however, the role aptitude plays in their L2 acquisition might be related to the type of instruction received, rather than merely be related to age. Altogether, proficiency rather than age might be key in mediating the role aptitude plays in language learning for both age groups, but more research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.