If you think about it, a human is constantly learning their native language from birth to probably teens / young adulthood. Some even are eager to learn throughout their entire lives. Much of our grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and so on are indeed learned early on but are not mastered for many, many more years.
As an adult, I imagine it's possible to learn a new language within 1-7 years depending on the dedicated one has. This seems actually faster than a child. A child is fully immersed in his native language everyday and spends a large portion of time in school. Many adults learning a new language have few ways to practice their studies, less free time and typically are out of an educational setting.
I agree that children have an advantage of learning a language "for free" since they don't typically view basic language learning as a hardship. But in early childhood even they struggle to convey their needs despite having some years behind them. Adults have an advantage as they know how language works already and what goals to set. It's just harder for adults to find the time. I think this is the bigger barrier than neuroplasticity.
What do you guys think?
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