Language Acquisition: The Age Factor (Multilingual Matters 47)

694 Pages·1989·1.77 MB·English

by  D. M. Singleton

Language Acquisition : The Age Factor
title:
Multilingual Matters (Series) ; 47
author: Singleton, D. M.
publisher: Multilingual Matters
isbn10 | asin: 1853590193
print isbn13: 9781853590191
ebook isbn13: 9780585156118
language: English
Language acquisition--Age factors,
subject Language and languages--Study and
teaching.
publication date: 1989
lcc: P118.S4618 1989eb
ddc: 418/.001
Language acquisition--Age factors,
subject: Language and languages--Study and
teaching.
Page i
MULTILINGUAL MATTERS 47
Series Editor: Derrick Sharp
Language Acquisition: The Age Factor
David Singleton
MULTILINGUAL MATTERS LTD
Clevedon Philadelphia
Page ii
For my parents
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Singleton, D. M. (David Michael)
Language acquisition: the age factor/David Singleton
p. cm. (Multilingual matters; 47)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Language acquisition Age factors. 2. Language
and languages Study and teaching. I. Title.
II. Series: Multilingual matters (Series); 47
P118.S4618 1989
418' .001dc19 88-18662
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Singleton, D. M. (David M)
Language acquisition: the age factor
(Multilingual matters; 47)
1. Man. Language skills. Acquisition.
Role of age
I. Title
498' . 007
ISBN 1-85359-020-7
ISBN 1-85359-019-3 Pbk
Multilingual Matters Ltd
Bank House, 8a Hill Road & 242 Cherry Street
Clevedon, Avon BS21 7HH Philadelphia, PA
19106-1906
England U.S.A.
Copyright © 1989 David Singleton
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any
form or by any means without permission in writing from the
publisher.
Cover design by Jussi Nurmi
Typeset by Editorial Enterprises, Torquay, Devon
Printed and bound in Great Britain by WBC Print, Bristol
Page iii
Contents
Foreword v
Acknowledgements vii
1
Introduction 1
2
Evidence of Speech Milestones 8
Introductory 8
The very early stages 9
Later stages 14
Speech processing milestones 22
Evidence from abnormal language development and
language disorders 26
Summary 36
3
The Critical Period Hypothesis: First Language-Related
Evidence 38
Introductory 38
The onset of the critical period 39
The end of the critical period 45
First language development after puberty 54
A decline into the vale of years? 59
Summary 78
4
The Critical Period Hypothesis: Second Language
Evidence 80
Introductory 80
The 'younger = better' position 81
The 'older = better' position 94
The 'younger = better at acquiring accent/BICS'
position 107
The 'younger = better in the long run' position 116
Page iv
Age and the second language learning process 122
Summary 137
5
Theoretical Perspectives 139
Introductory 139
The ageing of the senses 140
Age and competition between languages 144
Neurolinguistics and the critical period 154
Cognitive developmental views 177
Affect and motivation 189
Age and input 207
The 'de-coupling' hypothesis 221
Summary 227
6
The Educational Dimension 234
Introductory 234
Second languages in the early school years 234
Second languages for the 'young-old' 248
Summary 262
7
Concluding Remarks 265
Bibliography 268
Index 312
Page v
Foreword
This book started life as CLCS Occasional Paper No. 3, published in
1981 with the title The Age Factor in Second Language Acquisition.
My original aim in embarking on the present work was simply to
update the earlier one. However, so far did the revision process, once
begun, go, that the product it has yielded is in most respects new. It is
much longer than its predecessor, rather differently structured, and
considerably broader in scope. With reference to this last point,
although there continues to be an emphasis in the book on second
language aspects of the age question, the sections dealing with first
language aspects have been greatly expanded. Hence the omission of
the word 'second' from the present title.
The purpose of the book is to provide an overview of research and
thinking on age-related dimensions of language acquisition which will
be of service to anyone likely to need such a resourcenotably students
of linguistics/applied linguistics undertaking projects in this area;
researchers in adjacent areas seeking to contextualise their research
questions; and educationalists focused on language/languages in the
curriculum. I would not wish to claim that what I have produced is in
any absolute sense an introduction. Readers coming to the book with
no prior exposure to linguistics or language acquisition research will
find the going hard. However even readers in this category shouldwith
a little perseverancefind most of the text accessible in all essential
respects.
My thanks are due to a whole range of institutions and individuals
without whose support and assistance the book would never have
appeared:
to my own university for granting me the opportunity, in the form of a
leave of absence, to begin serious work on the book in 1986;
to the University of Southampton for providing me with a base and
honouring me with a Visiting Fellowship during the leave of absence in
question;