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  3. Language Development and Age
  • Cited by 61
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
September 2009
Print publication year:
2007
Online ISBN:
9780511486487
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486487
Subjects:
Developmental Psychology, Psychology, Language and Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
Information

Book description

The anecdotal view of language acquisition is that children learn language with apparent ease, no instruction and in very little time, while adults find learning a new language to be cognitively challenging, labour intensive and time-consuming. In this book Herschensohn examines whether early childhood is a critical period for language acquisition after which individuals cannot learn a language as native speakers. She argues that a first language is largely susceptible to age constraints, showing major deficits past the age of twelve. Second-language acquisition also shows age effects, but with a range of individual differences. The competence of expert adult learners, the unequal achievements of child learners of second languages, and the lack of consistent evidence for a maturational cut-off, all cast doubt on a critical period for second-language acquisition.

Reviews

'… will most certainly function as a rich resource for scholars interested in age effects in language acquisition for many years to come.'

Source: Journal of Linguistics

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