Cambridge University Press
9780521872973 - Language Development and Age - by Julia Herschensohn
Frontmatter/Prelims

Language Development and Age

The anecdotal view of language acquisition is that children learn language with apparent ease, no instruction, and in very little time, while adults find learning a new language to be cognitively challenging, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. In this book Herschensohn examines whether early childhood is a critical period for language acquisition after which individuals cannot learn a language as native speakers. She argues that a first language is largely susceptible to age constraints, showing major deficits past the age of twelve. Second language acquisition also shows age effects, but with a range of individual differences. The competence of expert adult learners, the unequal achievements of child learners of second languages, and the lack of consistent evidence for a maturational cut-off, all cast doubt on a critical period for second language acquisition.

JULIA HERSCHENSOHN is Professor and Chair of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Washington. Her recent publications include The Second Time Around: Minimalism and L2 Acquisition (2000).

Language Development and Age

Julia Herschensohn

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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First published 2007

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ISBN 978-0-521-87297-3 hardback

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To the memory of my mother, Jean Gallivan Rogers, and my surrogate mothers, Mary Gallivan, Eleanor Gallivan Lent and Sylvia Rosenbaum Herschensohn

List of figures			page ix
List of tables			x
Preface			xi
Acknowledgments			xiii
List of abbreviations			xiv
1	Just in time: is there a critical period for language acquisition?		1
	1.0	Introduction	1
	1.1	Central themes	3
	1.2	Background research on critical periods	7
	1.3	Language and brain	12
	1.4	Theoretical frameworks	21
	1.5	Conclusion	25
2	Right on time: process and schedule of first language acquisition		27
	2.0	Introduction	27
	2.1	Phonology	29
	2.2	Lexicon	36
	2.3	Syntax	46
	2.4	Morphology	58
	2.5	Conclusion	63
3	All in good time: a window of opportunity for first language acquisition		65
	3.0	Introduction	65
	3.1	L1A in exceptional circumstances	67
	3.2	L1A in extreme deprivation	74
	3.3	Deafness	83
	3.4	Language creation	92
	3.5	Conclusion	68
4	Behind time: process and schedule of second language acquisition		100
	4.0	Introduction	100
	4.1	Phonology	102
	4.2	Lexicon	109
	4.3	Syntax	117
	4.4	Morphology	126
	4.5	Conclusion	132
5	Pressed for time: age constraints in second language acquisition		134
	5.1	Introduction	134
	5.2	Sensitive periods for L2A	136
	5.3	Child L2A in typical and exceptional circumstances	144
	5.4	Grammatical deterioration and age	155
	5.5	Endstate grammars	165
	5.6	Conclusion	170
6	Biding time: further consideration of age and acquisition		172
	6.0	Introduction	172
	6.1	A biological critical period for language acquisition?	173
	6.2	The brain and language	182
	6.3	Processing language	193
	6.4	Neuroimaging	203
	6.5	Conclusion	209
7	It’s about time: evaluation of age sensitivity in language acquisition		211
	7.1	Introduction	211
	7.2	Evidence for a critical period	212
	7.3	Age effects and the brain	217
	7.4	Child acquisition	227
	7.5	Adult L2A	233
	7.6	Conclusion	239
Bibliography			242
Index			286

Figures

1.1	Left hemisphere of brain showing areas important for language functions	page 15
2.1	English and Japanese directionality	49
2.2	Phrase structure, English	51
2.3	Phrase structure, French	52
3.1	Early vs late ASL L1A (Mayberry 1993)	89
4.1	Categorization of labial stops along a VOT continuum	103
5.1	AoA and grammar (Johnson and Newport 1989)	160
5.2	AoA and grammar (Bialystok and Hakuta 1994)	161
5.3	AoA and grammar (Birdsong and Molis 2001)	162
6.1	Left hemisphere of brain showing areas important for language functions	185
6.2	Neuron	189
6.3	Obtaining event-related brain potentials	200

Tables

2.1	Rate of acquisition and median vocabulary	page 42
2.2	Relative production of nouns, verbs and other categories (age 10–18 months)	42
2.3	Finiteness versus verb placement in German data from Andreas	57
3.1	Group means for chronological age, PPVT and Block Design (WISC-R)	72
4.1	Errors of verbal morphology, Emma and Chloe	130
5.1	Criteria for critical periodhood	136
5.2	Characteristics of fundamental difference (Bley-Vroman 1990)	138