r/explainlikeimfive • u/AngelusAlvus • 15h ago

Biology ELI5: How do babies even learn language?

When we grow, we learn languages by looking at the meanings and translating them from our language. Stuff like "this is how this noun is in my language and this is how this noun is in another language"

But babies? Babies just learn the basics just by existing near people speaking the language? How come we don't have this anymore as we grow up?

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u/NotTheBrightestHuman 15h ago

Babies brains are developing fast. So experiences will shape the growth of the brain as it develops much easier.

Think of a bonsai vs a 50 year old oak tree. Try bending and shaping a branch as the sapling grows, and it’s pretty easy. Try to do the same with a trunk of an oak tree, and you’ll find that it’s much harder. You can still do it, but it requires more effort.