proposes a neurocognitively structured model that challenges conventional adult second-language instruction. Traditional approaches prioritize introducing learners to letter, explicit grammar, translation, and rule memorization, often resulting in knowledge without automaticity and persistent dependence on the learner’s native language. This work introduces the Independent Pathway Immersion Model (IPIM), which reverses that sequence by positioning auditory exposure as the primary foundation of acquisition. The hypothesis argues that the adult brain develops linguistic automaticity most efficiently when it first stabilizes phonological and high-frequency lexical patterns through dense, repeated listening input before formal instruction is introduced. During this initial phase, meaning is constructed through contextual cues—visual input, gesture, repetition, and emotional salience—rather than translation. This process is proposed to create an independent neural pathway for the new language, reducing cognitive load and minimizing interference from the native language system. The model distinguishes between concrete and abstract lexical development, suggesting that abstract vocabulary is acquired more effectively after high-frequency auditory patterns and core verbs are deeply encoded. Once this auditory-semantic network reaches sufficient density, explicit grammar and literacy instruction can be mapped efficiently onto already internalized structures, transforming conscious knowledge into fluent performance. Grounded in principles from implicit statistical learning, usage-based linguistics, procedural memory consolidation, and automaticity research, the hypothesis frames listening not as passive exposure but as neural preparation. The theory ultimately proposes that adult language acquisition can be optimized by aligning instructional sequencing with the brain’s natural learning architecture, enabling a transition from effortful decoding to spontaneous comprehension and production.
Nora Journy (Sat,) studied this question.