Interestingly, Wikipedia suggests that the mechanism is relatively easy (read: already successfully done in rats) to manipulate in some cases to restore (partially and temporarily at least) the superior learning ability that children have and adults lose (probably at the cost of degrading some of the already learned memories and skills).
I don’t really think that children have a superior ability at learning languages.
There are plenty of adults who can learn a new language in under a year if they undergo complete immersion and use mnemonics to help them.
I think children are usually only better than adults is bad at learning or if the adult has to unlearn a bunch of things that he learned to practice the new skill.
At least some things are easier for (most) children than for (most) adults. For example, most adults will have to work very hard to speak a foreign language without an accent. Children who were exposed to a second language, even if they don’t speak it for years, will be able to pronounce it correctly later. See this.
I suspect some grammatical structures are also harder to acquire later, given how hard it is for adults to learn syntax elements that don’t exist in their native language (see the stereotype about foreigners always forgetting “the” in English).
I don’t really think that children have a superior ability at learning languages. There are plenty of adults who can learn a new language in under a year if they undergo complete immersion and use mnemonics to help them.
I think children are usually only better than adults is bad at learning or if the adult has to unlearn a bunch of things that he learned to practice the new skill.
At least some things are easier for (most) children than for (most) adults. For example, most adults will have to work very hard to speak a foreign language without an accent. Children who were exposed to a second language, even if they don’t speak it for years, will be able to pronounce it correctly later. See this.
I suspect some grammatical structures are also harder to acquire later, given how hard it is for adults to learn syntax elements that don’t exist in their native language (see the stereotype about foreigners always forgetting “the” in English).