Critical Period Effects in Second Language Learning

1. By: Hussain Al-ghawi & Mohammed Altamimi
Critical Period Effects in Second
Language Learning: The Influence of
Maturational State on the Acquisition
of English as a Second Language

2. • A good deal of research on the critical period
hypothesis involves quantitative, experimental
research.In this article by Johnson and Newport,
just such an approach is taken specifically to
study critical period effects in second language
learning.
Introduction

3. • A period in a lifetime during which a specific stage of
development usually occurs. If it fails to do so, it cannot r
eadily
occur afterwards.
What is Critical Period

4. • That language could be acquired only within a
critical period, extending from early infancy
until puberty. In its basic form, the critical period
hypothesis need only have consequences for
first language acquisition.
Lenneberg (1967) hypothesized

5. • Lenneberg’s hypothesis concerned only first language
acquisition; he left open question of whether this critical
period extended to second language acquisition, which
would occur after a first
language was already in place.
Evidence for a Critical Period Effect in First
Language Acquisition

6. • 1. He reviewed available behavioral evidence suggesting
that normal language learning occurred primarily or
exclusively within childhood.
• 2. He proposed a mechanism which might be
responsible for a maturational change in
learning abilities.
Lenneberg’s argument

7. • They were separated subject by their age of exposure into three
groups
• Group 1: native learners, who were
exposed to ASL from birth by their
deaf parents.
• Group 2: early learners, who were
first exposed to ASL between the age of 4 and 6
• Group 3: late learners, who were first exposed to
ASL at age 12 or later.
Newport & Supalla (1987)

8. • 1. The results show a continues linear decline in ability, instead
of a sudden drop- off puberty as Lenneberg’s hypothesis implies.
• 2. It should be noted that, while the post pubescent learners did
not reach as a high a level of proficiency as the native or early
learners.
This study provide

9. • Researcher were using two different ways to state the critical period
hypothesis, one whish does not include second language acquisition
in its effect and one that does.
• Version one:
The exercise hypothesis. Early in life, humans have a superior
capacity for acquiring language. If the capacity is not exercised during
this time it will disappear or decline with maturation.
• Version two:
The maturational state hypothesis: humans have a superior capacity
for acquiring language. This capacity disappears or decline with
maturation.
Second Language Acquisition

10. • Although that very different in character, the
two versions make the same predictions with regard to
first language acquisition. They differ, however, in
their predictions for second language acquisition.
Notice :

11. • Is there an age-related limitation on the learning
of second language?
• A number of studies have investigated this
question since the time of Lenneberg’s book,
focusing particularly on the acquisition
of phonology and grammar.
Research on age effect on second language
acquisition

12. • Two studies have been done before
• First study:
subjects’ syntactic ability was assessed by trained judges who
assigned syntactic ratings to written transcripts of subjects’
speech from tape recorded interviews.
• Second study:
• subjects’ were measured on their ability to repeat spoken
English sentence which had been masked with white noise
Less available evidence on child-adult differences in
the ultimate attainment of grammar

13. • Subjects were 46 native Chinese or Korean speakers who
learned English as a second language. They were chosen as
the native language because of their typological dissimilarity
to English.
• Age form 3 to 39.
• All subjects were exposed to English by native speakers in the
US.
• All subjects had to have at least five years of exposure to
English and had to have lived in the US for unbroken stay of
at least three years prior to the time of test.
Method

14. • Early arrivals:
Early arrivals
&
Late Arrivals
• Late arrivals:

15. • The main differences between the two groups is
that the late arrivals have a larger range of
years in the US.
The difference between
the two group.

16. • The subjects were tested on their knowledge of English
syntax and morphology by being asked to judge the
grammatically of spoken English sentence of varying
types.
• The test sentences were recorded on tape by native
American female. Each sentences was read twice, with
1-2 second pause separating the repetitions.
procedure

17. • The test was composed of 276 sentences. Of these, 140 were
ungrammatical. The other 136 formed the grammatical
counterparts of these sentences.
• They used 12 rules types tested in grammaticality judgment
task of English.
Materials

18. N Rules N Rules
1 Past Tense 7 Particle Movement
2 Plural 8 Sub-categorization
3 Third person 9 Auxiliaries
4 Present Progressive 10 Yes/ No questions
5 Determiners 11 Wh – questions
6 Pronominalization 12 Word order
12 rules types in Grammaticality
judgment task.

19. • Morphology: a. The farmer bought two pigs at the market
b. The farmer bought two pig at the market
• Determiner: a. Tom is reading a book in the bathtub
b. Tom is reading book in the bathtub
• Pronominalization: a. Susan is making some cookies for us
b. Susan is making some cookies for we
• Particle movement: a. The man climbed up the ladder carefully
b. The man climbed the ladder up carefully
For example

20. • Subcategorization: a. The man allows his son to watch T.V.
• b. The man allows his son watch T.V.
• Auxiliaries: a. The baby bird has fallen from the oak tree
• b. The baby bird has fall from the oak tree
• Yes/no question: a. Has the king been served his dinner?
• b. Has been the king served his dinner?
• Wh-questions: a. When will Sam fix his car
• b. When Sam will fix his car
Examples

21. • Word order: a. The women paints.
• b. Paints the woman.
Examples

22. result: Age of Acquisition

23. • The results show a clear and strong
relationship between age of
arrival in the US and performance.
Subjects who began acquiring
English in the US at an earlier
age obtained higher scores on the test
than those that
began later.
Results

24. • If the explanation for late learners poorer performance relates to
maturation, performance should not continue to decline over
age, for presumably there are not many important maturational
differences between.
• For example, the brain of a 17 – years old and the brain of a 27 –
years old. Instead, there should be a consistent decline in
performance over age for the those exposed to the language
after puberty. This is precisely what was found.
The effects of age of acquisition before vs
after puberty

25. • Johnson, J., & Newport, E. (1988). Critical Period Effects In
Second Language Learning: The Influence Of
Maturational State On The Acquisition Of English As A
Second Language*1.Cognitive Psychology, 21(1), 60-99.
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/critical+period.
Reference