Is there a critical period for language learning after which we are unable to learn language? Give evidence for your opinion.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: If there is a limited window of opportunity for children to learn language, then infants and children who are deprived of environmental stimulation and early facilitation of language learning may have basic difficulty with language that lasts their whole lives. Evidence for the existence of such a critical period comes from studies of children who were severely deprived during the early years of life. The importance of the window of opportunity for language learning is illustrated by research on orphans who lived the first months of their lives in poorly equipped and poorly staffed orphanages in Romania where they suffered extreme deprivation. Those who were placed with foster families before the age of 2 had few problems with language development, while those adopted at an older age had marked language delays (Windsor et al., 2011) but not disorders likely to last throughout their lives. In a similar way, children who are born deaf but who receive cochlear implants have better language outcomes if the implantation occurs when they are younger (Nicholas & Geers, 2007). Early implantation appears to better preserve or restore the auditory system that supports language development in infants. In the area of brain research, evidence has also shifted from the idea that language can be learned only early in life to the idea that it can be learned later as well, but it is more difficult at older ages.