Brittany Luce

So babies are going like big brain mode, basically.

Yes.

Yes.

Their brains are very elastic and it makes it easier for them to learn new languages.

But listen, just because it's harder for us olds does not mean it is impossible.

We are still forming a

ton of new neural connections.

After puberty, you never stop learning, right?

I mean, you know, we might be, you know, 30-something-year-old dogs, but we can still learn new tricks.

Yes, I agree.

So the person who taught me this, by the way, is a neurolinguist whose name is Sarah Francis Phillips.

She's based at the University of Arizona, and she said that researchers maybe shouldn't call it the critical window.

Can I jump in?

Yes.

Okay, I have another little reframe of how we can think about language learning as adults.

This is courtesy of Nicole Ziegler, Associate Professor in the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawaii.

My producer Liam spoke to her.

Okay, so you're saying that these kids should actually be

impressed with my language learning abilities.

I mean, maybe they should be.