Dustin Van-Orman’s Three Minute Thesis

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Learning how to learn a language

The degree to which people become fluent in a language is dependent upon: (1) learner characteristics (e.g. memory, aptitude, attention span and intrinsic motivation, etc.), (2) features of the environment (such as the learning environment and other people in the learning setting, etc.), and (3) features of the language itself (such as the pronunciation, word length and embedded culture, etc.), among others. These factors affect the process of language learning in various ways. This research seeks to understand, on average, the timeline for learning a language. Drawing from current and past research and experimental procedures to examine linguistic performance; individualized learning plans can be identified to optimize learning depth and speed.