The book on individual differences edited by Karl Diller (1981) might answer the question.  There are certainly many factors — motivation as well as cognitive skills such as code-learning and retention, analytical skills, etc. One of the most intriguing studies in this area is by Loraine Obler, who studied “exceptional language learners” who exhibited what we consider a linguistic talent -- i.e., an exceptional ability to achieve native-like competence in L2 after puberty.  Her case study (1989), for instance, established a neuropsychological profile for an exceptional adult L2 learner with a combination of cognitive attributes and fetal-hormonal history — associated with left-handedness, homosexuality, allergies, having a twin brother, etc.  There are several other similar studies focusing on exceptional language learners, and they are definitely fascinating.  

The reason is certainly not genetic. The ease of learning second/foreign languages can be traced to a number of reasons, including (i) the teacher and his/her psychological relations with the learner, (ii) the appropriate method of teaching (to the age, needs, and psychology of learners), (iii) the textbook and accompanying materials, and (iv) above all the student's motivation to learn, which is a complex issue related to family tradition and history, material conditions, psychological factors, etc.

Thank you Dr. Zouheir,

If genetics and biological factors have nothing to do in this respect and it is restrictedly a matter of competent teacher, suitable teaching method, appropriate materials, and a certain level of motivation, how can you explain the fact that females are better than males in language learning and use?

Again, this is by no means genetics, but a stronger social leaning towards language and communication among females, which, in turn, makes their motivation stronger.

Thank you Dr.Zouheir for your contribution.

Hi, it has been said that females are more talkative than male, with my preservation, and that's why they learn languages easier and faster. In my opinion, the real reason behind their motivation is that females appreciate literature more than males, and consider learning languages more feminine than learning other topics or fields, and prestigious.

Thank you Dr.Aida for sharing your idea.

Welcome. Interesting topic.

following

As my contribution can testify, I said that females are better than males in being more sociable and communicative, which by no means signifies that they are talkative. Moreover, I never said that they acquire languages faster and easier; this process is relative and unequal. I have enough respect for females to accuse them of such a negative feature that has been attached to them for decades now (and, by the way, the fact that they quantitatively use more language and communicate better averts them more than males from having Alzheimer disease as has been pointed out in cognitive and neuro-scientific studies). At the risk of turning this discussion into a polemical matter, I would like to read about empirical studies that showed that females learn languages better and faster because they appreciate literature more than males. As far as my knowledge goes, literary appreciation goes by background, taste, and literary apprenticeship, and has not been treated as a gender issue. Mark Turner (1996), in The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language, argues that “narrative imagining - story - is the fundamental instrument of thought ... This is the first way in which the mind is essentially literary” (pp. 4-5). I hope that this will clarify my position.

Thank you Dr.Zouheir ,

Regardless of whether I agree with your viewpoint or not, your contribution is valuable and clear. It reflects no negative feature to be associated with females.

Best Regards

Dear Dr Zoheir

Thank you for sharing your wide knowledge and research perspective on language learning which is very helpful for my research on second language acquisition and in particular 'Listening'

Best Regards

It is a well-known fact that intelligence is viewed as an individual's genetic ability to comprehend and apply cognitive capabilities to environmental or life's situations and that it manifests itself in many forms. Intelligence , including linguistc intelligence, is basically resident in genes but influenced by environmental contributions. Linguistic intelligence, in particular, is well-agreed upon to play a significant role in language learning and is manitested in good performance of language skills.

I am not really familiar with language didactics nor with genetics, but I have been studying letters written in French by native Swedish-speakers in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the writers was a high official, who did not receive any formal education in his childhood and his youth, for lack of financial resources. His French, which he learned in his youth, is excellent, though not perfect, and of the factors mentioned by Zouheir Maalej , only (iv) motivation applies in his case. There were no (iii) textbooks nor (ii) methods, and the (i) teachers were soldiers, colleagues of his father, without any pedagogical training. One wonders of course if he did not have innate competences for learning not only French, but also German, English and probably also Russian and Finnish to a certain degree.

The book on individual differences edited by Karl Diller (1981) might answer the question.  There are certainly many factors — motivation as well as cognitive skills such as code-learning and retention, analytical skills, etc. One of the most intriguing studies in this area is by Loraine Obler, who studied “exceptional language learners” who exhibited what we consider a linguistic talent -- i.e., an exceptional ability to achieve native-like competence in L2 after puberty.  Her case study (1989), for instance, established a neuropsychological profile for an exceptional adult L2 learner with a combination of cognitive attributes and fetal-hormonal history — associated with left-handedness, homosexuality, allergies, having a twin brother, etc.  There are several other similar studies focusing on exceptional language learners, and they are definitely fascinating.  

Dear Tomoko Takahashi,

Thank you for this valuable contribution.

Interesting replies.

Interesting replies.

I think people with the gift of musical hearing are good at leraning languages.

It's not a theory, only my private opinion. I think there is in it a capacity of memorizing long sequences. It begins with phonetics, yes, but can be exteded to grammar and vocabulary. Such e person memorizes easily, before uderstanding, as children do. NB. we're talking about language learning, i.e. a skill of communicating as natives do, and not particularly grammar learning, isn't it?

Thank you. I hope it will be confirmed, but who knows?

Thank you Wanda . Your hypothsis is very interesting. I'll try to test it by checking the correlation of my students' musical intelligence and performance in language skills.

Dear Agnieszka, I think that memorizing here is more related to music than to communication.

Of course I meant memorizing before communication. Thank you, Agnieszka, for your remark.

Thank you Wanda and Agnieszka for sharing your valuable ideas.

Interesting point, Wanda Fijalkowska, that would be my intuition as well. I also think that phonological short-term memory should play a part here. There's abundant research on the effects of working memory capacity on vocabulary and grammar acquisition, as well as the development of skills.

According to lightbown and spada (1999) in How Languages are Learned, many factors can affect this area as intelligence, aptitude, personality, motivation and attitudes, learner beliefs, and age and acquisition.

These authors also classified a good learner characteristics as follows:

Willing and good guesser.

Get the message even if special language knowledge is lacking.

Willing to make mistakes.

Constantly looks for patterns in the language.

Practices as often as possible

Analyses his or her own speech and the speech of others

attends to whether his or her performance meets the standards he or she has learned.

Enjoys grammar exercises

Begins learning in childhood

Has an above average IQ

Has good academic skills

Has a good self image and lots of confidence.

Acquiring a language depends mainly on the learner's interest, desire and inclination.

Mrs. Takahashi, what can homosexualism possibly have to do with the gift

of quick language-learning? It's in most cases an acquired preference. Weel, and I must say I have learned foregin languages pretty quijk, I'm hetero and right-handed, with no twin :-) so there is perhaps more than one model?