Children's Language Acquisition
Critical Period
- A span of time in one's life within which one must acquire a first language
- Full profeciency can never be required if no language is acquired during the critical period.
- The exact cut-off age is not certain but is before puberty.
Evidence of Critical Period
- Second-Language Learners - Johnson & Newport on Chinese and Korean born students.
- First-Language Learners - "Genie", "Chelsea", Deaf children born to hearing parents.
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