Page 8 - ELG2406 June Issue 490

RESEARCH NEWS .

Language acquisition

has a critical window…

…but it stays open longer than expected.

he ability of native and a further set of items reflecting
non-native English speakers differences in responses that were
to learn English grammar influenced by the participant’s
Tis stable to age 17 then non-English native language
decreases with age, according to or dialect of English, such as
a landmark study by Hartshorne, Irish or Canadian. This enabled
Tenenbaum and Pinker from MIT immediate feedback estimating
and Harvard, US. the participants first language,
There has been a long-standing including English dialect, from
debate over the ‘critical period’ their responses. This game-like
for language acquisition: does it part of the test was not used in the
exist, and if so, how and when main academic analyses but was
does it begin and end? For adult very popular with participants so
learners of English the question that the test was well-circulated
is then: can adult learners expect resulting in a final sample size of
to be as proficient as those who 669,498 native and non-native
learn a second language in English speakers aged seven to
childhood? 89 years.
A major challenge for any Thirty-eight native speaker
study hoping to answer these languages were reported as spoken
questions is getting the necessary by at least 1000 participants the
data regarding both the age top five being English, Finnish,
learners were first exposed to Turkish, German and Russian.
English and how many years they Despite the well-observed
were exposed in order to predict phenomenon of different native
test results – at whatever age they speakers tending to make different
were tested. This is messy data kinds of errors in English, there did
and having confidence in the not appear to be any significant
results requires a very big dataset, influence of native language on
one way beyond the usual studies the main study’s results below.
using a few classes of language The analyses looked at how age
students. When Hartshorne of the learner influenced the rate
and colleagues estimated just of learning, the peak attainment
how big this dataset would need for that individual, and how long it
to be, they realised they would took to reach that peak proficiency.
need several hundred thousand Overall, the ability to learn
participants. grammar remained steady through
To collect data on this scale, childhood and into adolescence
an internet quiz, in English, was until 17.4 years, but then declined.
designed, asking for information, This finding helps to answer
such as ‘native languages learned questions about how the critical
from birth’ and including a wide- period comes about since theories both native and non-native considered as potentially associated
ranging multiple-choice test of generally relate to known changes learners who were immersed in with language acquisition in
syntax: using the passive, relative occurring in childhood. For English. The degree of proficiency particular so this paper has opened
clauses, prepositions, pronouns, example, the steadiness of grammar achieved did not alter with age if up new avenues of research to
modals, tenses and many other acquisition throughout childhood the learner began being exposed determine why and how the window
targets. Pilot testing was used runs counter to arguments that to the language before age 10 to 12 closes and signals the end of peak
to choose the more informative neuronal changes known to but was lower for those beginning language learning and what can be
items from a larger pool and the occur in early childhood, such as language learning thereafter. done to keep that window open for
overall test time for the final 132 neuronal death or pruning, could Research is constantly expanding adult learners.
items was less than 10 minutes cause the window for language the timeframe for brain development
as any longer might risk losing learning to close. Similarly, the and maturation so that it is now REFERENCE
the participants’ attention but effects of hormones during puberty commonplace to talk about; for n Hartshorne, J. K., Tenenbaum,
any less and there might not be does not fit the timescale. example, ongoing development of J. B. and Pinker, S. (2018) A critical
enough data. Regarding how long it takes to the prefrontal cortex throughout late period for second language acquisition:
A highly innovative part of the reach personal best proficiency, adolescence and early adulthood. Evidence from 2/3 million English
study design was the inclusion of this was around 30 years for These changes have not been speakers. Cognition 117: 263-277.
8 June 2024