You might think that learning a second language is something that you can do anytime, or maybe even never. After all, English is widely spoken around the world, right? Well, not exactly. There are many benefits to learning a second language, and the sooner you start, the better. 

Have you ever wondered when is the best time to start learning another language? Do you want to know how your age affects your language skills? Well, I'm here to tell you some cool facts about how our brains process language and why it's easier for kids than adults. Let me break it down for you three key factors that influence language acquisition: hearing, understanding, and articulation.

Let's start with hearing, which is the ability to perceive sounds through the ear. Hearing is essential for language learning, because it allows us to distinguish the sounds of human speech. These sounds are called phonemes, and they are the building blocks of words. Different languages have different phonemes, and some of them can be very hard to hear or pronounce for learners of another language. For instance, English has 44 phonemes, and more than 20 of them are vowels. Bulgarian has 45 phonemes, but only 6 of them are vowels. This means that Bulgarian adult speakers may struggle to hear and produce the different vowel sounds in English, and vice versa.

However, not all learners have the same difficulty with hearing. Children have an amazing ability to "catch" sounds that adults may miss or confuse. This is because children's hearing is more flexible and adaptable than adults'. Children can tune their ears to new sounds and learn them quickly and naturally. Adults, on the other hand, have a more fixed and resistant hearing, which makes them rely on their native language sounds and patterns. This can lead to errors or accents when learning a second language.

So, does this mean that children are better at learning languages than adults? Not necessarily! There are other factors that we need to consider, such as understanding and articulation.

There's this thing called understanding. That's when we hear a word and we know what it means. Like, when someone gives you an apple and says "apple", your brain connects the sound with the image of the fruit. Pretty neat, huh? But this doesn't happen right away. It takes a lot of practice and repetition. The more you hear a word, the more you remember it. On the other hand, once we learn one language structure, it's hard to learn another one. Language structure is when we put words together to make sentences that make sense. Different languages have different rules for this. For example, in English we say "I agree", but in Bulgarian we say “Аз съм съгласен” which literally means “ I am agreed”. In English we say "She closed the book", but in Korean we say “그녀는 아름답 “ which literally means “ She the door closed”. You get the idea. Our brains get used to one way of doing things and don't want to change. But kids are more flexible. They can learn new rules and patterns without much trouble.

Third, there's this thing called articulation. That's when we make sounds with our mouths and tongues to say words. This is also super important for learning a language, because you need to be able to copy the sounds you hear. And guess what? Kids are awesome at this! They can imitate any sound they hear, even if it's from a different language. Adults, not so much. They tend to stick to the sounds they already know from their native language. That's why they sometimes make mistakes like saying "I'm agree" instead of "I agree". Oops!

That's why I think everyone should start learning a second language as early as possible.Language skills are acquired over time and are directly related to the snowball effect - the longer it rolls, the bigger it gets.

Sure, it is never too late to start learning a second language, because it is beneficial for everyone, regardless of age. However, the earlier you start, the better. It's good for your brain, your communication skills and your cultural awareness. Plus, it's fun! You can make new friends, watch movies, read books and travel the world with another language.

So don't wait any longer. Pick a language that interests you and start learning today. You'll be amazed by how much you can learn and how much fun you can have.