Is There a 'Child Advantage' In Learning Foreign Languages?
One rarely hears people over the age of 20
complain that they would be far more competent drivers if they had not
waited until their teens to get behind the wheel. Nor do adults
frequently lament that they would be much better managers if only they
had begun taking business classes at age 5. Yet when it comes to
starting a second language, there is a widespread belief that adults
will inevitably have problems and will certainly never become fluent,
while children are supposed to pick up languages with ease.
The result of this misconception has been that many adults quickly renounce even trying to learn a foreign language, or start studying enthusiastically but quickly become discouraged. Similarly, more than a few teachers of adults plod through their classes feeling there is little hope of success. Furthermore, while many American universities have limited foreign-language requirements, school districts across the country are introducing second languages earlier and earlier. A close look at research reveals, however, not only that very early foreign-language instruction may not be necessary to ensure proficiency in later years, but also that adults can and have mastered foreign languages.
Scientifically documented differences between an adult's and a child's brain have powerfully influenced people's beliefs about learning a second language. Since Wilder Penfield and Lamar Roberts first introduced the idea in 1959, many researchers have claimed that a biologically determined "critical period" for second-language acquisition ends at or around puberty. With advances in technology, the focus on which particular characteristic of brain development is responsible for successful language learning has changed. Thirty years ago, the "critical period" was said to coincide with the process of brain lateralization. The theory was that once specialized areas for various tasks, such as language learning, were formed, it would be more difficult to acquire a new language. However, when lateralization was found to be largely completed within the first years of life, attention shifted to the development of neurons in the brain: The greater the number of connections among neurons, the better one's capacity to learn. This has been followed most recently by research into how the body burns sugars, under the assumption that a greater use of glucose accompanies more efficient learning. While there do seem to be distinct patterns concerning neural connections and glucose uptake that are related to age, both of which peak during childhood, they have not been shown to coincide with proficiency...
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