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"According to Carroll (1962, 1981), there are four traits that constitute language aptitude: 

Factors affecting our aptitude to learn foreign languages

Researc...

"According to Carroll (1962, 1981), there are four traits that constitute language aptitude: 

1. Phonemic coding ability: the capacity to discriminate and code foreign sounds such that they can be recalled
2. Grammatical sensitivity: the ability to analyze language and figure out rules
3. Inductive language-learning ability: the capacity to pick up language through exposure
4. Memory: the amount of rote learning activity needed to internalize something (a new sound, a lexical item, a grammatical rule, the pronunciation or spelling of a word, etc

Factors affecting our aptitude to learn foreign languages

Research in Language aptitude (the capability of learning a foreign language) goes back to the late 50s when the US ministry of defense wanted to find out if a test could be devised in order to identify individuals who had more potential than others to learn languages more effectively and rapidly. Such test was created by Carroll and Sapon (1959) and it is called MLAT (Modern Language Aptitude Test). This test is based on a construct, made up of four components:

• Phonemic coding ability (the ability to analyze incoming foreign sounds in a way that can be recalled later)
• Grammatical sensitivity (the ability to recognize the grammatical functions of words in sentences)
• Inductive language learning (the ability to identify patterns of correspondence and relationships involving form and meaning)
• Rote learning ability (the ability to store verbal information in memory and recall it later)

Although this construct is still widely used, later research findings have added three more factors which predict success in L2 language learning: Motivation, Language learning strategies and Working Memory (different from ‘rote memory’ as defined earlier).

The effect of motivation on learning is self-evident. The effective deployment of Learning Strategies (defined as the steps or actions taken by the learners to improve the development of their language skills), too, seems to correlate with success in L2 language learning especially in instructed settings. Working Memoryis the latest addition to Language Aptitude models and a mounting body of research seems to indicate that it plays an essential role in foreign language acquisition. Working Memory underlies human ability to process any linguistic input and to store it in our brain (i.e. in Long-term memory) for later retrieval when it is needed. It is hypothesized that the more effective an individual’s Working Memory, the greater his/her ability to acquire advanced language skills.