AGE:

1. Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH)

 First proposed by Penfield and Roberts (1959) - A period which learners can
acquire L2 easily and achieve native-like proficiency. After this critical
period, L2 acquisition become more difficult
 Evidence supporting CPH comes from neurological studies by Lennebrg
(1967) indicate differences in language recovery and acquisition between
children and adult
 Studies of individuals have deprivation during childhood had to struggled to
achieve full grammatical competence
 No clear consensus on when the critical period for language learning ends.
 CPH suggests that there is a biologically determined period during which
language is most effective, and after that it becomes increasingly challenging to
achieve native-like proficiency in a L2.
*Theoretical importance of CPH
 Chomsky’s (1965) view language agured that children are equipped with a
language acquisition device – an innate, biologically-given capacity for
learning language that is distinct from other cognitive abilities
 Language Acquisition device contains knowledge of linguistics universal,
allowing children master the grammar of their native language
 Children acquire full grammatical competence due to their access to the
LAD.
 Adults lose access to Language acquisition device with the formal
operational stage of development (Piaget, 1973).
 Adults cannot fully compensate for the loss of the language acquisition
 Older learners fail to acquire all of the grammatical feature of the L2
2. Sensitive periods
 This concept was conduct by Penfied and Roberts
 This can extend other stages of life, not only for childhood
 This can easy absord and acquire a new language during this
period, through effectiveness may gradually diminish.
 Early neurolinguistics data suggested that children tend to excel in
learning both L1 and L2 compared to adult
 This involves broader time frames during learning is still optimal
but less constrained
3. Children and adult learners in L2