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Currently, it is very common to find parents looking for English schools for their children at a very young age. They usually comment on the importance of studying a foreign language (FL) in childhood, so that their children can acquire the target-language faster and achieve a native-like performance. However, we could question if this is really the case, that is, if the earlier a child starts learning a second language, the better speaker he\/she will become.<\/p>\n
The idea that children are better second\/foreign language learners than adults comes from the Critical Period Hypothesis<\/i>, which proposes that the earlier a learner is exposed to the target-language, more chances of acquiring a native-like competence he\/she will have.<\/p>\n
There is a great discussion on the influence of age in foreign language acquisition. The assumption is that achieving native-like performance after the so-called critical period is possible, but rare. Nevertheless, it is not possible to assume that it is impossible for older learners to be highly proficient in a FL. Research shows that nativelikeness can, in fact, be attained in late L2 learners, and that input<\/i>, amount of use<\/i> and social<\/i> function <\/i>of the target-language also play an important role in FL acquisition, in addition to the learner\u2019s age. In other words, attending a FL school at a very young age does not guarantee successful FL production, as the type of tasks, the kind of input and the time of exposure to the target-language are also determinant factors for attaining FL proficiency.<\/p>\n
Thus, the assumption that \u201cthe earlier is the better\u201d cannot be taken as absolute, since there are many variables that may influence FL acquisition. However, it is a fact that it is easier for children and teenagers to learn things in general, both for cognitive reasons, as associative memory and incremental learning elements of language learning are compromised by age (Birdsong 2006, p.34), and for the fact that the earlier the acquisition begins, the more input the learner will receive. As there is no consensus on the effects of the critical period, it is adequate to conclude that it is better to start learning the target-language early because children are \u2018open\u2019 to learning new information, as long as learning is seen as a continuous process.<\/p>\n
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References<\/b><\/p>\n
BIALYSTOK, E. & HAKUTA, K. Confounded Age: Linguistic and Cognitive Factors in Age Differences for Second Language Acquisition. <\/b>In: BIRDSONG, D. (ed.). Second Language Acquisition and the Critical Period Hypothesis. <\/b>Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999. p. 161-183.<\/p>\n
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BIRDSONG, David. Age and Second Language Acquisition and Processing: A Selective Overview. Language Learning<\/b>, 56, 9-49, 2006.<\/b><\/p>\n
BROWN, Douglas H. Teaching by principles:\u00a0<\/b>an interactive approach to language pedagogy.\u00a0\u00a0New Jersey\u00a0:\u00a0Prentice-Hall,\u00a01994.\u00a0\u00a0467 p<\/p>\n
FROMKIN, V., RODMAN, R. & HYAMS, N. An introduction to language<\/b>. 7th<\/sup> ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003. 620p.<\/p>\n GASS, Suzan M. & SELINKER, Larry.\u00a0 Second Language Acquisition: <\/b>An Introductory Course. <\/b>Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2008. 357p.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sobre a autora<\/strong><\/p>\n Carina Fragozo tem experi\u00eancia no ensino de l\u00edngua inglesa h\u00e1 quase 10 anos e atualmente cursa doutorado em Lingu\u00edstica na USP. \u00c9 autora do\u00a0blog English in Brazil<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Currently, it is very common to find parents looking for English schools for their children at a very young age. They usually comment on the importance of studying a foreign language (FL) in childhood, so that their children can acquire the target-language faster and achieve a native-like performance. However, we could question if this is…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/ingles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2013\/10\/20090208103238edu_01-350x227.jpg\")