Hi Steve:

Yes, I agree with you that there is plenty of evidence that children can learn a new language faster than adults. And, as you point out, this is mostly related to the environment that children can more easily immerse themselves in, in school, while playing, etc.

To replicate similar situations for adults is clearly more difficult, even if they could overcome their own anxieties, time constraints, etc. Adapting to a new language and culture takes more time for adults than for children.

I also found R.Goldstone and A. Hendrickson’s, 2009 paper, interesting. It defines “categorical perception” as “the phenomenon by which the categories possessed by an observer influences the observers perception.”

The concept of CP suggests that as adults we have already categorized the world around us.(e.g. related to sounds, why Chinese and Japanese speakers have difficulties with the “r” and “l” sounds) And CP may therefore provide ONE explanation, why adults have more difficulty in learning a second language than children.