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A SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) Analysis on Learning Foreign

Language as Adult

Regardless it is highly recommended to learn foreign language from as young age as

possible, it does not mean that every individual does not need to learn English when they become

adults. Learning foreign language for adults has their own strength and weakness. It also can

bring its own opportunities, as well as having its own threats. A study published in the journal

Cognition says that it is almost impossible for adults over the age of 10 to be fluent in a foreign

language if they only learn it as adults. Hartshorne (2019) stated that “this is not because adults

cannot digest a new language, but because they are running out of time to learn. They can still

learn foreign languages past the age of 10, but they won't be completely fluent”. This theory is

supported by Singleton (1995) which stated that “younger is better in the long run”. However,

the ability to master foreign language is influenced by many factors. In this paper, a SWOT

analysis will be explained about individuals when they are just learning foreign language as an

adult.

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. A SWOT analysis

aggregates important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats into an ordered list and is

generally displayed in a simple grid bar. Strengths and Weaknesses are things that we can control

and modify that are internal to an individual. Threats and Opportunities are exterior factors that

have an impact on external events. Although they cannot change them, people may seize chances

and guard against threats.

quickly because they already have a larger vocabulary and a working knowledge of how

language functions. Adults also can start learning foreign language right away because they

already have a firm grasp on the details of grammar and the reasoning behind challenging ideas

like verb conjugations and homophones. This allows them to concentrate on the key differences

between their native language and the target language without having to worry about the

underlying linguistic ideas. The “continuity theory” states that both children and adults who

speak their native language rely on syntax while processing grammar. Adult language learners,

however, rely more on lexical-semantic and pragmatic information than first language learners or

adults who speak their native language. Additionally, a study was conducted by Dulay and Burt

(1973) showed that 73 adults learner of English from different their first language had better

result in acquire grammatical morphemes, just as same as children. Our understanding of

language learning in general has been greatly enhanced by this research, which also demonstrates

that individuals of any age may grasp a language remarkably fast.

For individuals who learn a foreign language as adults also have weakness. It is

frequently suggested that exposure to language before puberty is necessary for human

development to proceed normally. It is difficult to evaluate the findings from young children

who were deprived of language since it is not always known if they could have been born with

additional problems (Curtiss, 1977; Eubank & Gregg, 1999). Both systems are used by children

and adults when learning a language, but as people become older, they more rely on the

declarative system to comprehend vocabulary, morphology, and syntax. Evidence for this comes

from neuroimaging and Event-Related Potential (ERP) studies; they demonstrate little lexical

processing differences between first language and foreign language speakers, but more
pronounced grammatical processing differences. Yet, due to individual variations in declarative

memory capacity, not all foreign language learners can utilize declarative information effectively

(such as explicit knowledge about language). So, pure dependence on the declarative system

cannot result in the same level of competency as first language learners who are adults or

children who can more successfully use their procedural memory systems. The knowledge and

production of adult foreign language learners may automatize and be retained in the procedural

memory system, possibly resembling first language processing. Yet, critically, this depends on

the “individual's natural procedural learning ability” ” (Ullman, 2006) and either enough practice

or early acquisition. DeKeyser, Alfi-Shabtay, and Ravid (2010) argue that age influences

morphosyntactic ability, and that different aptitudes have a role in this: “younger learners learn

more while relying less on aptitude; older learners learn less, and to the extent they do learn,

must rely more heavily on their verbal aptitude”.

DeKeyser (2000) found that child learners rely more heavily on implicit learning

mechanisms, whereas adults rely more on explicit learning. This ushers in opportunities for

adults learning a foreign language. This is because as foreign language learners, adults have

more opportunities, both in terms of time and place of study. Adult language learners are more

disciplined, naturally driven, and adaptable than their younger counterparts, which should come

as no surprise. This adaptability is particularly crucial since it gives adults the basic advantage of

being able to take advantage of additional language learning opportunities available to them.

There are several ways to learn a language experientially, including attending classes, reading

books and periodicals in the target language, seeing foreign movies and listening to foreign

music, joining a local meet-up group for speaking practice, or even saving money for an

international trip. Adults are also free to employ the expanding range of technical tools available
for language acquisition, such as online courses that could better match their hectic schedules.

All of these opportunities can be used by adults who want to learn a foreign language so they can

guard against threats.

Doidge (2008) asserts that when the key time for language learning has passed, acquiring

a foreign language becomes more challenging because, as we get older, our native language

increasingly takes over the linguistic map space and the foreign language struggles to compete.

This was first described by Norman Doidge (2008) as "the tyranny of the mother tongue." As a

result of the tyranny of mother tongue most adults return to cross-translation while learning a

new language, and that is a prescription for failure. Adults unconsciously link new words they

learn in other languages to words they already know from their own tongue rather than the sign

they depict. The development of a foreign language system is aided by the learners' reliance on

their native tongue. The majority of teachers view this cross-translation process as normal and

inevitable. Nevertheless, a close examination of how the mother tongue is employed in foreign

language acquisition indicates a drawback to this process; bilingual material is more challenging

to memorize. Since the brain defends the authority of its home language, adults must work more

than children to learn a foreign language. The majority of experienced ESL teachers believe that

when students use their mother tongue to assist build a foreign language system, this is not a

mistake but rather a requirement. Cross-translation is the biggest drawback of employing the

mother tongue while designing the foreign language system. When learning a new language,

most individuals unconsciously go back and forth between their mother tongue and the target

language. The key obstacle that the majority of teachers overlook is cross-translation. When

adult as foreign language learners cross-translate, they attempt to communicate in a foreign

language while thinking in their original tongue. Children do not experience the issue of cross-
translation and pick up any language they come into contact with subliminally by creating direct

associations between symbols or concepts and words or phrases in the target language. As a

result, children become fluent in every language that they study. This is a threat that the learner

cannot change because mother tongue has been acquired naturally since childhood.

After analyzing these four points, it is hoped that adults who want to learn foreign

language can analyze the strengths and weaknesses they have when learning foreign language, as

well as analyze and find out the opportunities and threats that might be faced.

References

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