The Age Factor in Second Language Acquisition: A Critical Look at the Critical Period Hypothesis (Multilingual Matters) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 185359301X ISBN 13: 9781853593017

Publisher: Multilingual Matters, 1995

Synopsis

This book takes a hard look at some of the assumptions that are customarily made concerning the role of age in second language acquisition. The evidence and arguments the contributors present run counter to the notion that an early start in second language learning is of itself either absolutely sufficient or necessary for the attainment of native-like mastery of a second language. Another theme of the book is a doubt that there is a particular stage of maturity beyond which language learning is no longer fully possible. In short, the book presents a challenge to those who take it as given that second language learning is inevitably different in its essential nature from language acquisition in the childhood years and that second language knowledge acquired beyond the critical period is in all circumstances and in all respects doomed to fossilize at a non-native-like level.

About this title

About the Authors

David Singleton is Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, Professor  Emeritus, University of Pannonia, Hungary and Professor, University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland. He is the author of numerous monographs and textbooks, including Key Topics in Second Language Acquisition (2014, with Vivian Cook, Multilingual Matters) and Beyond Age Effects in Instructional L2 Learning (2017, with Simone Pfenninger, Multilingual Matters).

Zsolt Lengyel is a professor at the University of Pannonia, Veszprém, a part time professor at the University of Pécs and a visiting professor at Zagreb University, Croatia. He took his MA in Hungarian, Russian philology and Applied linguistics at Debrecen University, Hungary. He received PhD in developmental psycholinguistics. He was given Brassai Sámuel Award in 2002. His research interests include language development of Hungarian children, development of literacy before schooling, bilingual education in the kindergarten, word associations of 10-14 year old children and students of 18-24 years of age. He has written numerous articles, books on the mentioned topics. He is editor, member of editorial boards of several applied linguistics journals both in Hungary and abroad.

Edition details

• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 185359301X
• ISBN 13: 9781853593017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 168
• Editor: Singleton David, Lengyel Zsolt