Vanessa Stratton

Many languages in world

Many reasons to learn a second language

Factors that benefit language learners are important

Does age affect the ability to learn a second or foreign language?

Critical Period Hypothesis

Age at Time of Acquisition

Amount of Exposure to the Language

Critical Period Hypothesis (Tran, 2009)

Developed from studies: “window” and after very difficult for native-like proficiency.

Birdsong (1992) 15 / 20 Adult French Learners “native like”

proficiency Bongaerts (1999)

Successful English Learners > Native Speakers Scores

Native Speakers Had Best Scores Some Adult Learners Had Native Like Proficiency

Critical Period Hypothesis Varying results = No clear answer to validity Adult learners achieved native like proficiency Possibility: Easier/more likely for younger

learners Results: Does not prevent adult learners

Important to note: Results of High Scores = Exceptional and Successful Learners

Krashen, Long and Scarcella (1979)

Younger arrivals = closest to native speech levelOlder = furthest

Correlation for accent and age of arrival

No correlation for accentand years in US

Bowers and Kennison, (2011) 36 Spanish–English bilinguals L1 to L2 and L2 to L1 Quicker translation for words acquired early

on

Huang and Jun (2011) 3 groups of Mandarin-speaking immigrant with

varying AoA in US Native English speakers in control group Participants read a paragraph in English Results: Adult arrivals deviate most from

native speakers, read slower than Native and Child Arrivals

The amount of exposure was constant Early AoA showed an ability for a higher

proficiency in the second language Efficiency in translation processing

achieved by younger learners Some studies show Adult learners have

cognitive abilities over child learners. Adult learners initially learned faster in

structured learning setting

No clear evidence validating CPH Suggestion: Modified to acknowledge abilities of

adult learners The evidence shows there is a benefit to

younger second language acquirers. The advantages of younger learners appear to

be related most strongly to speed of processing, fluency, pronunciation and aural perception (Jarvis, 2009).

More research must be done to better understand the reasoning of this advantage and the extent of it.

Huang, Becky H.; Jun, Sun-Ah (2011, September). The Effect of Age on theAcquisition of Second Language Prosody. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid9f935b5a-582a-4907-8c6c-1513cfa4ecc4%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=13.

  Muñoz, Carmen (2008, September) Age-related differences in foreign language

learning. Revisiting the empirical evidence. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d078 cc17-584f-416f-b3ee-eecd7200670d%40sessionmgr15&vid=21&hid=13

  Tran, Thu Hoang (2009). The Critical Period and Second Language Acquisition.

Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED507240.pdf  Bowers, J. Michael; Kennison, Shelia M. (2011, August). The role of age of

Acquisition in bilingual word translation: Evidence from Spanish-English bilinguals. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/content/y4316t6385184241/fulltext.pdf

  Jarvis, Scott. (2009, September) Review of 'Age and the rate of foreign language

learning'. Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/action/displayFulltext

  Krashen, Stephen, D., Michael, H. Long, and Robin C. Scarcella (1979). Age, rate,

and eventual attainment in second language acquisition. TESOL Quarterly 13 (4): 573–582. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/stable/3586451