The author wants to know why toddlers who are surrounded by a language and can never speak to anyone about anything as long as they live unless they learn it outperform high school students who don't need it to communicate with their friends and spend one class period learning about it (and that instruction not necessarily even given in the target language)? Well, I have a theory on that.
Also, the previous post the author links to claims that it is remarkable that children learn language at a rate of 1 word every two hours? Seriously? I just learned a word of Greek in under two minutes. Kalimera!
Really, Khatzumoto of All Japanese All The Time says it best:
"It is a poisonous combination of ignorance, arrogance and innumeracy to expect to have even passable Japanese WITH AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE LESS EFFORT than even a typical Japanese toddler has put in."
Also, the previous post the author links to claims that it is remarkable that children learn language at a rate of 1 word every two hours? Seriously? I just learned a word of Greek in under two minutes. Kalimera!
Really, Khatzumoto of All Japanese All The Time says it best:
"It is a poisonous combination of ignorance, arrogance and innumeracy to expect to have even passable Japanese WITH AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE LESS EFFORT than even a typical Japanese toddler has put in."
http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/cute-girls-mathema...