AGE AND
ACQUISITION
ACQUISITION
AGE AND
Presented By Gabriel, Fernando, Hervis and
Gretel
ACITIVITY
Close your eyes
think about some you achived recently
say positive things to yourself at least 4
say thank you to yourself for everything
you have done until today
THE BIG QUESTION
Is it easier to learn a new language
as a child or as an adult?
CRITICAL PERIOD HYPOTHESIS
The theory proposed by Eric Lenneberg in 1967,
suggests that there is a perfect sensitive period
for learning a language and once that period
closes around puberty, it becomes more harder.
It begins in early childhood ( around 3-5) and
ends around the age of 12- 14
After the critical period ends the brain
becomes less flexible and makes learning
language more conscious effort rather than a
natural process.
BRAIN LATERALIZATION
Lateralizaion is the process where certain fuctions become
controlled by one side of the brain
LEFT HEMISPHERE
RIGHT HEMISPHERE
FUNCTIONS
INTELECTUAL
LOGICAL
ANALYTIC
FUNCTIONS
EMOTIOANAL
SOCIAL NEEDS
WHERE DO YOU THINK LANGUAGE
FUCTIONS BELONG TO?
Language fuctions appear to be concentreated in the left
hemisphere of the brain
According to Lenneberg (1967) around the age of two and
is completed around puberty. However Krashen mentioned
it was around five
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The brain is highly plastic.
Flexibility makes it easy for the brain to acquire
a new language naturally including sounds.
Lateralization completed
The brain is less plastic. the brain loses its
natural ability to restructure itself.
The result of this event is the acqusition of
native- like accent. However, after this event
does not stop adults for acquiring a perfect
native accent.
THE COGNITIVE SIDE
ADULTS
CHILDREN
Implicit learning
Explicit learning
They absorb the
language without
consciously knowing
the rules
Good at studying
grammar rules,
analysing sentences
and memorizing rules
ORDER OF ACQUISITION
Natural order of acquisition: Both children and adults
follow the same natural order to acquire grammatical
structures ( morphemes).
Acquired early
1.Ing (Progressive tense)
2. Plural- s
3. Auxiliar “BE”
4. Articles (a, thr)
factors in language learning.
Comprehension and production
Adults can repeat language more easily than children but may not
always understand it; however, their mature thinking helps them focus on
longer texts or speech
ISSUES IN 1ST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Systematicity and variability
Learning a second language usually happens in steps like learning your
first language, but progress can change because of thinking, feelings,
culture, and the situation.
Language and thought
Learning a second language is also learning new ways of thinking, and age
may influence this process, but research does not show a clear
advantage for any age.
Nature or nuture
Adults usually have difficulty getting a native-like accent,
their problems in language learning are mostly due to
cognitive or emotional factors, not lack of natural ability
universals
Children may use Universal Grammar (UG) when learning a
second language, but it’s unclear how much adults can use it
imitation
Children are good deep-structure imitators (they focus on
meaning, not surface features)
While Adults are better at imitating surface structure (Adults'
ability to focus on surface distinctions can be both distracting
Practice and frequency
Many language classes are filled with rote practice centered
on surface forms
Most cognitive psychologists agree that frequency of stimuli
and repetition time are NOT as important as meaningfulness
Although repetition and frequency are important for study,
the most important part of learning a language is the
meaningfulness of the language; contextualized and
meaningful communication is the best “practice”.
IINPUT
The language that learners hear or read is one of the most
important parts of learning a new language at any age (Gor &
Long, 2009). How well this input is given and how learners use it,
along with helpful corrections from the teacher, can strongly
affect how successful they are in learning.
Good input plus clear feedback helps learning happen faster.
DISCOURSE
Studying how young children quickly learn to talk and
understand meaning can help us improve second language
teaching. However, older children and adults are often better
at understanding deeper parts of language, like jokes,
metaphors, hidden meanings, and body language.
AGE AND ACQUISITION INSPIRED TEACHING
METHODS
Total Physical Response
James Asher observed that children listen a lot before they start
speaking, and they often move their bodies while listening
In a TPR classroom, students listen and act. The teacher gives many
commands like “Open the window” or “Pick up the book,” and students
respond by doing the actions, not by speaking.
TPR works very well for beginners, but it is less effective for advanced
learners. Today, TPR is often used as a classroom activity to make lessons
more interactive and fun, combining listening with physical movement.
AGE AND ACQUISITION INSPIRED TEACHING
METHODS
The Natural Approach
This method encouraged students to listen first and speak later, staying
relaxed in class and focusing on communication, not grammar analysis. In
the beginning, it used TPR activities and everyday topics like shopping or
health. Teachers gave “comprehensible input,” meaning language that
students could understand or that was just slightly harder than their
current level.
Some experts, like Richards & Rodgers (2001), warned that delaying
speaking for too long could be a problem. They stressed that teachers
should encourage early interaction, since learning a language is a social
process.
CONCLUSION
Age can influence how people learn a new language. Children often
learn more naturally, mostly by listening and copying, and they usually
develop good pronunciation. Adults can still learn successfully, but
they often rely more on rules and study. Methods like TPR and the
Natural Approach show that both children and adults benefit from
plenty of listening, real communication, and a relaxed environment.
While younger learners may acquire a language more easily, motivation,
practice, and interaction are important for learners of any age.
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