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Language learning becomes easier

I am a 37-year-old English woman living in Norway. At the age of 32 I moved here with my husband and children. I started learning Norwegian at evening classes. Within three years I had passed written and spoken exams at A-level standard. I put this down to the good grounding I had in grammar from my French lessons at secondary school and sixth form college. Language learning is after all really about how language is constructed. Once you have learned one, other languages are easier to learn. What could I have achieved if I had started foreign language learning at primary school! Here my children's friends have started learning English at the age of six, at 13 they get the option of starting a third language. This may become compulsory in the future as the government has taken note of the world trend towards greater international business links. Our children will stand taller in the international market place if they are multilingual. Personally, with fluent English and Norwegian, seven years of French and two years of German, I am excited to begin my fifth language - Spanish. You never know where life will lead you, but you can be sure that the future will hold increased international connections for all of us.

Sent by: Jane

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