Learning Mandarin in Later Life:Can Old Dogs Learn New Tricks?

This case study reports on a native English speaker's learning of Mandarin as a 13th language starting at the age of67.The learner,after completing a 150-hour,3-DVD course called Fluenz Mandarin,had 70online sessions with a Chinese-language instructor from a Beijing-based University.The learning content focused mainly on pinyin,a Romanization system for the pronunciation of Standard Mandarin.The sessions contained real-life communication in Chinese based on Chinese sentences produced beforehand by the learner consistent with his life experiences and professional interests as an applied linguist.After the sessions,the instructor developed the sentences into formulated language and kept a detailed log with the learner's feedback as well.Meanwhile,the learner created electronic flashcards for words and phrases to review.The paper considers the impact of advanced age,hyperpolyglot status,and the use of a sophisticated language strategy repertoire on Mandarin learning.The paper reports on the learner's results as viewed from the vantage point of the learner and from that of his instructor as well,paying particular attention to vocabulary(e.g.,the use of measure words and the overabundance of homonyms and near homonyms),grammar(e.g.,word order),and pronunciation(e.g.,the perception and production of the four tones).