Can you learn a language? (If yes, that implies there is a cognitive process) How do you do that? What would be the difference between learning and acquiring a language?
Yes, everybody can learn a language. First of all, you have to “love” the language in order to learn it. When you do that, you have much progress. If the love is not there, a person will be forced to learn a language and that will not end well.
When you have made your first step, you have to pay a lot of attention to the rules and the “logic” of the structure of the language. When you recognize the tricks and the logic, you will be able to connect all the dots and learn it without any problems.
There are of course a few different ways to learn a language. You can aqcuire it and you can “learn” it. When a baby is raised in an environment where they speak a specific language, the child will receive the language automatically. Of course, a bit of effort has to be put in, but the majority of its knowledge will be taught by just listening and being corrected.
An adult, that lives somewhere new, can acquire the language as well by just moving around and relate objects to words or to his own language. But of course, he can also go to school and learn and learn the langauge itself. Actually, Learning and Acquiring is the same. If it happens automatically or on purpose, you learn. When you hear a new word and relate it to something you know, that means that you have acquired it and eventually learned it.
