> That’s why if someone who knows a language never speaks it again after age 7, there’s a good chance they’ll forget most of it. But if you yank them away around age 12 or older and reintroduce them to it 30 years later, there’s a good chance they won’t miss a beat, Hernandez says.
This squares with my experience. I learned Kannada from age 4 to 7, living in Bangalore. My sister, 4 years older than me, also learned it, and can still read and understand the language. I, on the other hand, had forgotten Kannada within 8 months of leaving Bangalore for Mumbai, where it's not commonly spoken.
This squares with my experience. I learned Kannada from age 4 to 7, living in Bangalore. My sister, 4 years older than me, also learned it, and can still read and understand the language. I, on the other hand, had forgotten Kannada within 8 months of leaving Bangalore for Mumbai, where it's not commonly spoken.