A Study Of Age Factor In Second Language Acquisition

Age differences in the process of foreign language learning are obvious. According to many studies, age is one of the most important apparent individual factors affecting foreign language learning. It is not only a hot issue in applied linguistics and psycholinguistics but also a focus concerning such subjects as pedagogy, psychology and physiology. Therefore, the research in this field is of great significance both in the educational policy-making and curriculum-planning of foreign language in China.There is a widely-held belief that children generally do better than adults in second language learning. This is supported by Lenneberg's Critical Period Hypothesis(1967), according to which there is a period when language acquisition takes place naturally and effortlessly, and after which it is not possible to be completely successful. Penfield and Roberts(1959) argued that the optimum age for language acquisition falls within the first ten years of life. During this period the brain retains its plasticity, but with the onset of puberty this plasticity begins to disappear.However, there is a heated debate among the linguists and researchers on the Critical Period Hypothesis. The controversy centers on whether children have absolute advantages over adults in second language learning. They present their own views and try to support their views in experiments.In the author's opinion, the Critical Period Hypothesis is too absolute and it still needs further exploration. In order to prove whether there exists an optimal age for L2 learning. The author has made an empirical study. The results show that those exposed to English at an early age don't have absolute advantages over those at late age. Based on the studies by some scholars at home and abroad and the empirical study on the part of the author, the thesis presents the followingviewpoints:1. The CPH cannot plausibly be regarded as a scientific hypothesis. Children, adolescents and adults have their respective advantages and disadvantages in L2 learning. Children don't have absolute advantages over adults. The so-called optimal age doesn't exist. Both adults and children can learn a second language well.2. The effects of age difference on L2 learning are closely connected with language input, learners' psychology, affective factors and cognitive ability.3. Younger learners are not necessarily better learners. Educational policies can not be made on such a hypothesis. Hence, according to the author, we should enhance the foreign language teaching in secondary schools, regulate English Teaching in Elementary Schools and discourage English courses in kindergartens. Policy-makers and educators must provide suitable and practical policies and effective teaching strategies to cater for learners of different ages with different features so as to improve the learning ability of L2 learners.In this thesis, the author tries to provide her viewpoints from a different perspective for future researches on age factor in second language learning, that is, the thesis does not focus on finding out what is the optimal age for second language learning but on how to make full use of different learners' advantages and avoid their disadvantages so as to make foreign language teaching and learning more effective and scientific. At the same time, it is hoped that the suggestions which are made by the author are of some use to foreign language learning and teaching as well as the policy-making for foreign language teaching in China.