zoe_zee said:
Ah I knew my psych degree would come in handy one day (hee hee even if it is on an escort review board)
Babies have the capacity to produce all sounds in all languages up to a certain point (I think around 9months) after that, it becomes physically impossible to produce certain sounds unless learned at that age (think of the rolling of the r's in spanish). There is a certain part of the brain that deals with langauge acquisition. It is easier to learn a language the younger you are.
I think that theory can be debunked by some other study. I have met people who have never made a rolling R sound before in their lives, but with some coaching, and lots of practice they manage to reproduce it. But of course it does not happen overnight.
I am not saying that anyone who immigrates to any particular country should be able to speak the official language perfectly, just well enough to be able to communicate and fulfill their basic needs.
(BTW you don't need to roll your R's to be understood in spanish).
Well I guess this thread is coming to an end.
