1.2 Learning a language

Can you learn a language?

The definition of learning is: the process of gaining knowledge and experience.

With such a definition, I would say yes, you could learn a language.

How do you do that?

Study the language. You need to start reading, listening, writing and speaking the language. You need to practice it often in order to learn.

What would be the difference between learning and acquiring a language?

The definition of acquiring is: to obtain knowledge and experience. However, language acquisition is something different. Children acquire language through a subconscious process, during which they are unaware of grammatical rules. This means that they acquire a language while having a source of natural communication. Learning a language is the result of direct instruction in the rules of the language. This will mean that they have conscious knowledge the new language. A learner can ace a test, but that doesn’t mean that he/she can speak or write it correctly. (Haynes)