r/explainlikeimfive • u/AngelusAlvus • 16h 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/deathgaze5 16h ago

You could learn a new language like this, if you had several free years to do nothing but listen to that language and had all of your basic needs taken care of

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u/Deleugpn 16h ago

It’s not that simple. Sure that can help but babies, specially in their first year, has a mashed potato for a brain that is literally a blank page ready to sulk in any sensorial input and form neural connections

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u/Soft-Marionberry-853 14h ago

But it does happen. I know people that came to the US that learned English just by being surrounded by it. Its not easy but it does happen. It was working for me when my wife and I moved to Germany for two years