Adult Learner Multilingualism and Contributing and Hindering Factors in Acquiring Languages

Abstract

This study focuses on multilingualism of adult learner who is learning English and Indonesia in Indonesia which
English as its foreign language. The aim was to explore the factors that enables him to acquire languages in certain
context or social environment. An adult male student (29 years old) from Comoro, South Africa was chosen for the
subject of the study. Experiences from the subject as the participant of the research are discussed, drawing on critical
theory to understand emerging phenomena such as plasticity, Krashen’s five second language acquisition hypothesis
and linguistics. The paper findings conclude that several factors such as motivations, plasticity, input, first language,
agency, and age have been contributed most to the development of languages acquisition of the subject.