Research On CPH Of SLA And Its Implications For Foreign Language Learning Of Children

"The younger, the better." This belief is widely-held by many people to learn a foreign language. It is supported by the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) put forward by some famous linguists in the field of Second Language Acquisition. They believe that younger learners with biological predominance and plastic minds can learn a second language more easily than older learners before puberty. During this period, learners can acquire a second language easily and naturally, and after puberty, it is difficult for them to acquire a second language successfully. However, linguists and English educators and researchers have been debating on the Critical Period Hypothesis. The controversy focuses on whether early learners have absolute advantages in second language learning over late learners and when is the best age onset to learn a second language. They put forward their own views and try to prove their views in various experiments.Though there is no agreement of this argument, there are more and more children learn foreign language (mainly refers to English) in an early age nowadays. Many children start learning English at the stage of elementary schools in China. Children even start learning English when they are still at kindergartens in some cities. And so-called Bilingual Kindergartens have been springing up. English training schools offer English course for children all over the country. There is an obvious tendency that people learn a foreign language at a very young age in China.The author made a survey to find out the current situation in English learning in kindergartens and elementary schools. Through serious analysis and deep research of the survey, the results indicate that there are some problems in teachers, textbooks, the arrangement curriculum, the aim of learning, the syllabus and uncontinuity between elementary schools and secondary schools. The English learning in kindergartens and elementary schools isn't entirely successful. Thus the author query the idea of "the younger, the better" and it's theory background of the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) in Second Language Acquisition. Through interpreting the definition of acquisition, learning, foreign language learning, second language acquisition and bilingual, it is pointed out that Chinese students'English learning is absolutely different from second language acquisition and the Critical Period Hypothesis is still a "hypothesis". The theory of CPH can't be regarded as the academic foundation for early English learning in China.An empirical study has been made among 100 non-English major subjects in this thesis. They were divided into three groups according to their different age onset of English learning. The subjects'original scores of College Entrance Examination and College English Test (Band 4) were taken as raw data for statistics and analysis. Their scores of two requirement courses—College English II and III were also used for further study. The results shows that early English learners don't have an absolute advantage over late English learners. Instead, late learners did a better job in all the tests. In terms of the achievements in the two requirement courses, early English learners showed no significant superiority in reading, vocabulary and writing, only little superiority in listening and speaking. Age is only one of the factors, which is not related to the language proficiency very much as people have expected. People at different ages have their own strength and weakness. The advantages for the adults to learn a foreign language are the mature brains, the social experience, adult learners'intelligence, memory and motivations. In contrast, children learners can acquire native-like pronunciation and are good at listening as well in the long run.In conclusion, the author try to prove that "the younger is not the better" in learning a foreign language. The Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) is still an unconfirmed hypothesis. It can't be regarded as theoretical basis of early English learning. The children learners don't have absolute advantages over adult learners. Therefore, the function of age should not be emphasized excessively. We do not encourage the kindergartens offer English courses. It appears that to learn a foreign language too early may result in negative cognitive effects in native language learning. Pronunciation and listening are the important aspects in foreign language learning of children. It is hoped that the implications given by the author can bring some enlightenment to foreign language learning as well as the English educators in China.