Abstract: Few second language researchers now question the suggestion that learners whose exposure to the second language starts early in life, as long as such exposure is sufficient, for the most part attain an eventual higher degree of proficiency compared to those whose exposure starts during or after adolescence. However, the question, that continues to be the point of departure for scholars in this field, and which is the focus of the current review, is whether the effects of age in second language acquisition comprise a manifestation of a preprogrammed critical period explicitly related to language or whether they are indicative of other, more general, factors that influence second language learning. Anchored on a critical review of authoritative and relevant literature, the present study addresses the question of the possibility of an optimal period for language acquisition by, first, exploring the theory of a critical period and some significant evidence in relation to age differentials in second language acquisition. Finally the researcher explores some possible explanations for the age effects, which do not necessarily rely on the notion of a critical period for second language development. Following an examination of the evidence, the researcher concludes that age must be viewed as involving various issues, among them length of exposure, as well as motivational and cognitive factors.
Keywords: Second language acquisition, Age of acquisition, Critical period hypothesis, Ultimate native-like attainment.
Title: Optimal Age for Second Language Acquisition
Author: Reham Al-Dabbous
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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