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1. The first position is that there’s a critical period.
The following arguments are often advanced in support of a critical period:
- L2 learners are not uniformly successful at acquisition the way L1 learners are.
- Some studies have shown that the human brain is more open to linguistic development during the years between birth and pre-adolescence and that children who learn a language before the onset of adolescence are more likely to develop or attain native - like pronunciation (Curtiss, 1995, Johnson & Newport 1989, Strozer 1994)
- After puberty people seem to be relatively incapable or it becomes hard for people to acquire native - like proficiency of the L2.
2. The second position taken is that there’s no critical period.
The following are some of the arguments advanced against the notion of the existence of a critical period (Van Patten and Benati 20100
- Research has shown that non natives indeed can obtain native like ability For example researchers such as Birdsong, White and Genesee have shown that indeed L2 learners can achieve native –like competency.
- LI and L2 acquisition are similar in the sense that they both use the same mechanisms for acquisition and the differences in the learning outcomes (namely L1 acquisition is universally successful and L2 success varies) would be due to factors outside the domain of learning mechanisms.
- Research has shown that the loss of ability to learn language is not linked to a particular period instead the ability to learn a language declines stately over time. It is progressive and therefore does not fit in within a critical period.
- The weaknesses observed in later L2 learners are not necessarily due to the loss of the language learning mechanism used in L1 acquisition but due to the L1 linguistic system and other factors within the environment which may prevent complete L2 acquisition
3. The third position is that there are critical periods for some things.
- A number of scholars reject the idea of a monolithic critical period. These scholars argue that language is made up of components and there could be critical periods for certain components. Eubank and Gregg (1999) for example have argued that language is componential in nature. Not only does it consist of morphology, syntax and phonology etc some of which may have critical periods and others not, but even in the area of syntax there are components. Studies into effects of age on specific aspects of SLA have shown that Grammar is highly constrained by age and according to Harley (1986) Grammar is generally acquired later possibly because it requires abstract cognition and reasoning.
francis1897 answered the question on March 8, 2023 at 11:55
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