What Is The Right Age for Language Acquisition?

What is the significance of age in language acquisition? Does age really matter in learning a language? Is there a specific age after which language acquisition becomes difficult or impossible? Why do children seem to learn a second language much faster than adults? These questions have interested linguists for a long time, and the debate still continues.

The Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) was put forward to explain the differences in language learning between adults and children. According to the CPH, you can only learn a language up to a certain age after which the language learning ability declines.

There are two main reasons for this -

Plasticity - According to the linguist Penfield, a child's brain is still developing and therefore is a lot more plastic than the mature brain of an adult. This plasticity is lost at puberty, after which easy language acquisition becomes difficult.

Lateralization - Lenneberg put forward the theory of brain lateralization taking place as the brain matures. Lateralization means the brain functions are divided up between the left and right brain hemispheres. The language function, for instance, is allotted to the left hemisphere. It can transfer to the right hemisphere in the cases of prepubescent children who have suffered damage to the left hemisphere, but such a shift is not possible after puberty. Lateralization also makes it difficult for adult learners to pick up the exact accent in a second language.

The problem with these two theories is that the research was mainly concerned with cases of brain damage rather than normal brains. The focus was also on first language acquisition rather than on second language acquisition. Thirdly, the idea that language learning abilities decline after puberty is contradicted by the fact that there are many adult learners who do pick up a second language with proficiency as well as with the correct accent. Research carried out by Dr. McClelland of Pittsburgh on Japanese English language learners has shown that it is perfectly possible for adults to acquire the right accent in a second language.

Other researchers, like Kraschen and Cummings, suggest that the way in which a second language is learned is what mainly differentiates language acquisition in adults and children.

• When children learn a language they are usually learning it for extended periods of time in a natural setting. Adults, on the other hand, usually learn in a more formal setting and for a more limited period.

• Children are less self-conscious than adults about making mistakes, and they also usually receive more leeway for making them.

• Children learn a language accompanied by physical actions, which, according to linguists, makes for faster learning. This does not usually happen with an adult learner.

• Adults have the advantage of using the concepts they know from their first language in learning a second language, but they tend to over analyze everything and this can put road blocks in the way of easy language acquisition.

• Adults may be less motivated to learn a language, unless they are doing it for the pleasure of it, to boost their grades and career prospects, or to adjust in a new culture. Motivation makes a huge difference in how much you learn.

• Children received personalized and constant language instruction from their parents, caretakers and so on. Adults do not have this luxury and, however motivated, may suffer from the drawbacks of an uninspired teacher.

• The intelligence and personality of the learner also makes a difference in his or her language acquisition abilities.

• It's also important to keep in mind that children have a more limited vocabulary than adults, and have to use the language for less complex tasks than adults.

It seems how you learn a language matters more than any biological time barriers. There is no right age in language acquisition, although, of course, the earlier you start, the more time you have to get proficient. However, the more you use a language the better you will get at it.