Of course there are some students who “take to” language learning more readily than others. We tend to see that children, who are more verbal in their native language, use this tendency to their advantage when learning a second language. The challenge is not to send a message to students that language learning is difficult and that one has a knack for it or not. This is not the case. All students have the ability to learn a second language - even those who have specific learning difficulties.
There is a difference between language acquisition and language learning. There are some individuals who seem to develop analytical thinking skills more readily than others, and this helps them in the learning of grammatical concepts. However, that does not mean that only those students who are highly analytical should study a foreign language, as second language acquisition (listening and speaking) is a global process. Just as everyone needs to develop skills in a variety of curricular areas, everyone can benefit from learning a foreign language, whether it is because of the cognitive advantages or the exposure to and understanding of other cultures.