ELI 82 (1) Fall 2008
Instructor: Kyae-Sung Park
Student’s Name:
1
Academic Interest Area Reading Project (AIARP) #1
My Major
Second Language Studies
My Academic Interest Area
The relationship between L2 learning and age
My topic for AIARP #1 & #2
How the age factor influences acquiring foreign language
Relevant Content Course
Second Language Studies
1. References
Singleton, D. & Ryan, L. (2004). Chapter 4: The Critical Period Hypothesis: L2related Evidence in Language Acquisition: The Age Factor (2nd Edition). pp. 61-117.
2. Further references
Age and the Acquisition of English as a Foreign Language by Maria del Pilar Garcia
Mayo and Maria Luisa Garcia
3. Vocabulary list
Lexis: all the words and phrase of a particular language (synonym) vocabulary
Morphology: the forms of wards, studied as a branch of linguistics
Syntax: the way that words and phrases are put together to form sentences in a
language
Mature: behaving in a sensible way, like and adult
Puberty: the period of person’s life during which their sexual organs develop and
they become capable of having children.
Longitudinal: concerning the development of something over a period of time
Inexorable: that cannot be stopped or changed
4. Summary
In this chapter, the writers compare five hypotheses of a maturational factor in
language acquisition as it relates to L2 acquisition and those are the followings.
First, L2 learners whose exposure to the L2 begins in childhood are globally more
efficient and successful than older learners. As the writers compare the surveys, they
conclude this hypothesis is not consistently supported by the evidences. Second, L2
learners whose exposure to the L2 begins in adolescence/ early adulthood are
globally more efficient and successful than younger learners. Again, the writers
conclude this hypothesis is not consistent. Third, L2 learners whose exposure to the
L2 begins in childhood are more efficient and successful than older learners only in
ELI 82 (1) Fall 2008
Instructor: Kyae-Sung Park
Student’s Name:
2
some respects. In many surveys indicate the younger learners acquire a native-like
accent more efficiently than older learners, however the writers conclude these
surveys seem to be more a trend rather than for an inexorable law because some
surveys show that some adult learners showed to acquire a native-like accent. Forth,
Adolescent/ adult L2 learners are initially more efficient, but in the long run the
younger a learner is when the L2 acquisition process begins, the more successful
the outcome of that process will be. Some surveys tell adult learners are better than
young learners in the short term and vice versa in the long term, but in many other
evidences, surveyors found that learners who begin in their childhood years not to do
better than learners who exposed later and the writer indicate the long term should
be noted as many years rather than months. And the Fifth, after a certain
maturational point the L2 learning process changes qualitatively. Even though in
many surveys, after certain maturational point it is required for learners to give more
effort than before this point, the writers tell it is difficult to disagree that age
differences between adults and children are of little significance as far as L2
acquisition process is concerned and that the adult uses basically the same
strategies as the child.
5. Guide and comprehension questions and answers
1) Why is the author interested in the topic?
Even though not only is the age factor truly perennial issues, but it has cropped up in
writings about the connection between age and language development, the writers
thought there certainly seems space available for a survey of the relevant research
and arguments which goes beyond the article-of chapter-length treatment they
usually receive. So, writers attempt to work on age factor in language acquisition
based on surveys which set out to explore impartially the pertinent data, proposals
and speculation in all their diversity.
2) What is the purpose of this writing?
Writers want to verify 5 different propositions about the critical period hypothesis: L2related evidence comparing surveys relevant.
3) Does the age factor matter to acquire L2 ?
According to the writers, it seems not quite a matter when to begin L2 learning,
except the pronunciation.
ELI 82 (1) Fall 2008
Instructor: Kyae-Sung Park
Student’s Name:
3
4) What can be the most important factor besides age factor?
In some surveys in this chapter show that some eager adult learners outperform
younger learners even when it comes to pronunciation matter, so I can conclude the
enthusiasm makes better work.
5) Does it really interest me?
It was very interesting in the initial part of this chapter because I could find some
surveys which show significant role of the age factor in L2 learning, but as I kept
reading this book, I realize that the writers conclude to the position of neutral so, the
writers don’t make any strong point but all evidence tells us differently. And this
writers attitude made me exhausted about what I wondered before reading how the
age factor influence to acquire L2.
6. What did I learn from this chapter?
What I learned from this chapter is that age factor is not significant to acquire foreign
language but only thing can be significant is pronunciation. Even though some
surveys show that some eager adult learners could get native-like accent, in most
cases the younger learners the better native-like accent.
7. How this reading helps me to understand and expand on the regular content
in my academic area of interest?
It was a good chance to acknowledge what I have wondered and I could get the
information the age factor couldn’t be a matter when to learn L2.
8. What reading strategy did I use in this reading?
I looked up the contents first to get how this book is organized and to get the idea
what the writers are going to tell, I started reading the introduction and conclusion
and summary of the chapter so I could guess what this chapter is going to tell.