Week 2: Age

AGE

The topic for this week was “Age and Second Language Acquisition (SLA).” We discussed various issues relating to the critical period in SLA. We also addressed the following concerns in our discussion: Is there really an age limit in second language learning? Is it absolutely impossible for adolescents or adults to acquire a second language (L2)? Is the earlier a person learns a L2, the better? Age may affect which areas in L2 learning? (ex. morphosyntax, phonology, learning rate…etc)

Critical Period in SLA is still a debatable topic in the field of second language studies. There are many researchers on each side of the debate (as mentioned in the last section of chapter 2), some supports and praises the critical period in SLA while the others disagree with the raised issue.

Some studies argued that SLA would be relatively efficient and successful only if it occurs before the age of puberty. After the onset of puberty it becomes impossible to acquire a native-like proficiency in the L2. Thus, many scholars argued that the incapability in pronunciation and grammar among the older learners may be subjected to neuro-biological constraints. Many findings demonstrated that children have an innate capacity for language learning and possess greater potentials to achieve ultimate attainment in SLA. Evidences for the critical period of an individual often showed that younger learners outperform older learners in the eventual language learning outcome. Also, adults are more likely to fail in the learning of pronunciation and grammar in L2 while children have more advantage in ultimate attainment in both. These scholars concluded that the main reason for the loss of the ability to acquire a L2 is due to the decline of the mental equipment required for language learning.

On the contrary, some studies have shown that critical period do not exist among the adult second language learners. There are abundant evidences referring to late beginners who were able to attain native-like proficiency in one or several areas in second languages. The most striking example on the critical period for SLA was done by Ioup, Boustagui, El Tigi, and Moselle (1994). The study was to investigate an English learner of Arabic, Julie, an exceptionally successful second language user who started to learn Arabic at the age of 21. The studies on successful adult learners’ ultimate attainment have contradicted the traditional critical period theory in SLA. The case study of Julie demonstrated that age does not have relation to ultimate L2 attainment and it is possible to acquire a second language after puberty.

Many empirical researches have stated that most of the adults or adolescents acquire the L2 at a faster rate and outperform the children initially, but children usually surpass the older learners eventually and become superior in terms of ultimate attainment. Yet, this theory somehow may be true for some people but does not apply to all adult learners. There are a numerous number of findings that showed that older individuals are able to learn L2s after the critical period. However, for those learners who learn another language after puberty may acquire the language eventually, but at a different rate.

There are also other factors (social environment, motivation, and talent) that may lead to the success or failure in SLA besides the age of a language learner.

As for social factor, younger learners tend to have more time to devote to language learning as opposed to older learners. They often obtain greater opportunities to hear and use the target language at school or in play settings. They are more likely to use the L2 in the environments without having strong pressure to speak fluently and accurately. On the contrary, older learners rarely have access to the same quantity and quality of language inputs as that of the children. They often require using much more complex language in various settings. Therefore, it seems to be easier and more efficient for younger learners to acquire a L2. However, a younger person exposed to a L2 does not mean that the person would definitely attain a native-like proficiency level in the target language. It is also related to the learning context, whether if it is an ESL or EFL setting.

I think that the eventual success in language learning is also closely related to the way in which an individual approaches second language learning, the motivation to learn, as well as individual differences in aptitude for language learning. Less motivated L2 learners would not become advanced L2 speakers no matter how young they were when they began learning the language. I believed that age is not the only cause of the success or failure in SLA and that there are also other significant elements, as mentioned previously, that may affect the outcome of language learning. It may seem that younger learners possess more advantages in acquiring a second language, but the highly motivated adult learners can also acquire a native-like proficiency in the target language.

In conclusion, it is evident that there are some neural benefits that assist greater language learning abilities among young learners, yet, it should not be interpreted to mean that there is a critical period for SLA. There are abundant evidences showed that many adults can achieve high levels of L2 competence. However, since the Critical Period Hypothesis is still an ongoing debate, it is difficult to draw a conclusion on the existence or absence of the critical period in SLA.