How to learn vocabulary

With right lessons, non-native kindergarteners learn vocabulary faster than native English-speakers fromThe University of Chicago Press-An important study from The Elementary School Journal explores vocabulary development at the kindergarten level among English-only students (EOs) and English-language-learning students (ELLs) who speak another language at home. Analyzing rates of target word acquisition and overall vocabulary development, the study found that students learning English as a second language picked up general vocabulary more quickly and target vocabulary words at the same rate as native English-speaking kindergarteners.

“This study contributes to knowledge about vocabulary instruction by investigating the effects of a vocabulary intervention with children from a variety of backgrounds,” writes Rebecca Deffes Silverman, who conducted the research while at Harvard University and is now at the University of Maryland. Past studies have identified vocabulary as the “single most encountered obstacle” for English-language-learning students, Silverman points out, and vocabulary is also the primary determinant of future reading comprehension.

Read more Learn vocabulary

Adults can learn languages faster and sometimes better than children, with the exception of the accent.