Learning a Language at Fifty
Following One Adult Learner Through Three Years of Italian From Hello to Reading CalvinoBy Dr. Beatrice Aldgate
Length7h 41m
About this audiobook
Learning a Language at Fifty combines memoir, research, and practical insight to explore what it is really like to learn a new language later in life. Written by a linguist documenting her own multi-year journey to fluency in Italian, the book offers an honest look at the challenges and rewards of adult language learning.
Rejecting promises of quick fluency and language-learning shortcuts, the author examines what actually works through the lens of both personal experience and decades of research in second-language acquisition. Readers follow her progress from complete beginner to confident speaker while learning about vocabulary acquisition, grammar mastery, immersion, tutoring, language apps, and effective study habits.
The book addresses common concerns among adult learners, including slower progress, memory challenges, motivation, consistency, and the fear of making mistakes. It also explores how language learning can reshape identity, build confidence, and provide meaningful intellectual engagement during midlife and beyond.
Combining scientific evidence with personal storytelling, this book offers realistic expectations and practical guidance for adults considering a long-term language-learning project. It demonstrates that while learning a language later in life requires patience and persistence, the rewards extend far beyond communication and into personal growth, cultural connection, and lifelong learning.
Audiobook details
GenreOther, Self-Help
Length7 hrs 41 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 4, 2026
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Chapter 10 — March to May 2023: Writing Italian, Badly and Often 9 8
2Chapter 1 — March 2021: The Penguin on the Desk
3Chapter 2 — April and May 2021: The Verb To Be, and the Tyranny of Gender
4Chapter 3 — June and July 2021: The Imperfect, and the Problem of Time
5Chapter 4 — August to October 2021: The First Tutor, and the Cost of Being Heard
Mostrar todos os capítulosVer menos
6Chapter 5 — November and December 2021: The Morning the Subjunctive Made Sense
7Chapter 6 — January to March 2022: The First Trip to Italy
8Chapter 7 — April to July 2022: The First Long Plateau
9Chapter 8 — August to October 2022: The Trickier Tenses, and the Politics of Correction
10Chapter 9 — November 2022 to February 2023: The Year of Reading
11Chapter 10 — March to May 2023: Writing Italian, Badly and Often
12Chapter 11 — June to August 2023: The Second Trip, and the Question of Identity
13Chapter 12 — September to November 2023: The Second Plateau, and the Tools That Got Me Through It
14Chapter 13 — December 2023 to February 2024: The Italian
15Chapter 14 — Spring and Summer 2024: The Tools That Did Not Work
16Chapter 15 — Autumn 2024 to Spring 2025: The Slow Long Tail
17Chapter 16 — What I Would Tell My March 2021 Self
18Chapter 17 — A Wet Morning in Cambridge
19Chapter 1
20Chapter 2
21Chapter 3
22Chapter 4
23Chapter 5
24Chapter 6
25Chapter 7
26Chapter 8
27Chapter 9
28Chapter 10
29Chapter 11
30Chapter 12
31Chapter 13
32Chapter 14
33Chapter 15
34Chapter 16
35Chapter 17
36About the Author
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