My Relationship to Language

To me, language is the ability to use speech the way we were taught by our ancestors and family members. I believe it varies upon our race and it has a lot to do with the place where we were born. I also believe it is a way to express ourselves and show our emotions. It's a tool that builds up who we are. I for one was taught to speak Spanish by my mother and learned English in school; and that is why I believe education also has a major influence in learning the use of language.
As a child, I remember learning English very quickly. I went to daycare and preschool and by kindergarten, I was already talking English non-stop. While I was learning, I would always speak English and Spanish all mixed up together. For example, I would say “mommy quiero milk” or “mommy give me agua.” I remember finding this really “cool,” because I was speaking two languages. But as time passed, I learned how to not combine both languages and focus only on one. Little by little I learned how to make complete sentences in English and complete sentences in Spanish without combining the two. I believe that for me it was easier to learn a different language because as a child I was able to adapt to anything new. As we all know, little children always try to pick up something, such as a word or a habit, no matter what it is. And I believe that is what happened to me as a child. I was so excited about learning English, because everyone in school would speak it and I really wanted to learn the language, in order to fit in and communicate with my peers.
On the other hand, I believe learning a new language is really hard as an adult. From my family’s experience, I think as we grow older our ability to learn a new language decreases. For example, I remember a couple of years ago trying to teach my mom to speak English. Every time she came from work I would have a notebook ready for her with some work to do. As much as she tried, she never could pronounce the word and this made her more and more frustrated, to the point in where she would just give up. I would always try teaching her English by making the activities fun, such as using games and flash cards, but she just couldn’t do it. She would always tell me her brain was just not capable of adapting to the new language. We didn’t know how she was able to understand the language but not speak or write it.
In any case, my two experiences have left me with many unsolved questions. For example, why is it easier for children to learn a language, rather than an adult? Also, where does language really come from? How can we adapt to a language as an adult? How do children ACQUIRE a language, while we as adults LEARN a language? And in my mother’s case, why is it that some people have an easier time understanding a language, rather than speaking or writing it? My hypothesis is that children automatically adapt to the language. They copy everything they hear and I have proven my hypothesis correct with my niece. She is four years-old and at times, I have really observed her and the way she talks. Every time she hears a new word, she asks what it means, and then starts running around the house saying the word over and over, until she learns it for good. I believe that similar to me she is excited about learning something new as a child.
In conclusion, I believe I haven’t had many personal experiences on my own with language, but I can relate to the many experiences my family members have had acquiring a new language. My first experience was combining both English and Spanish and my second experience was when I was teaching my mom English. I didn’t have a hard time learning it as a child, but I personally saw how difficult it was for my mom to learn.