Age and Acquisition

Age and Acquisition

1. THE CRITICAL PERIOD HYPOTHESIS

   • Neurobiological considerations
     • Biological timetables (Scovel 1988)
       • Birds
       • Mammals
       • Human being
     • Hemispheric lateralization
       • Scovel 1984
         • Emerges at birth , is evident at 5 and is completed around puberty
     • Right hemisphere participation
       • Obler 1981
         • There is a significant participation in early stages of language learning
   • Cognitive considerations
     • Piaget 1972
       • Stages of intellectual development of a child:
         • Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2)
         • Preoperational stage (ages 2 to 7)
         • Operational stage (ages 7 to 16)
   • Affective considerations
     • Children- egocentricity
     • Adults- inhibition
       • PEER PRESURE
         • Adults tend to tolerate linguistics differences more than children, so errors are easily excused.
   • Linguistics considerations
     • Bilingualism
       • Code- switching
     • Interference between L1and L2
       • Solid foundation of L1
     • Order of acquisition
       • Creative constuction process

2. Myths

   • Children repeat things
   • Language learning is imitation
   • First listening, then speaking
   • Children don't translate
   • Grammar is not necessary for children

Images and files in the map