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7 - The Age Question

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2019

Jürgen M. Meisel
Affiliation:
Universität Hamburg
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Summary

Bilinguals are individuals who use more than one language in daily interactions. They do not necessarily have an equally good command of their languages. Age of onset of acquisition (AOA) is probably the most important factor determining whether a native competence is acquired. All L1 children develop full competences in their languages, whereas very few if any L2 learners are able to achieve this goal. This suggests that the LAD guiding L1 is subject to age-dependent changes and is not fully accessible anymore in L2 acquisition. Such changes are reflected in the speech of early successive bilinguals. They use constructions that are also found in the speech of adult L2 learners but not in the language use of monolingual or bilingual L1 children. L1-L2 differences emerge as early as at approximately age 3;6, affecting the morphosyntax of the target language. Maturational changes of the brain are a major though not the only cause of this kind of linguistic behaviour. They open and close windows of opportunities. These constitute senstitive phases during which learners are optimally prepared for certain acquisition tasks. As of approximately age 6–7, children resemble adult L2 learners rather than simultaneous bilinguals.

Type
Chapter
Information
Bilingual Children
A Parents' Guide
, pp. 191 - 220
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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References

Curtiss, S. (1977). Genie: A psycholinguistic study of a modern-day ‘wild child’. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Meisel, J. M. (2011). First and second language acquisition: Parallels and differences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Genesee, F., Paradis, J., & Crago, M. (2010). Dual language development & disorders: A handbook on bilingualism & second language acquisition. Second edition. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.Google Scholar

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  • The Age Question
  • Jürgen M. Meisel, Universität Hamburg
  • Book: Bilingual Children
  • Online publication: 08 June 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316850329.007
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  • The Age Question
  • Jürgen M. Meisel, Universität Hamburg
  • Book: Bilingual Children
  • Online publication: 08 June 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316850329.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Age Question
  • Jürgen M. Meisel, Universität Hamburg
  • Book: Bilingual Children
  • Online publication: 08 June 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316850329.007
Available formats
×