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Mommy and Me In the News |
As early as 8 months old, an infant's ear
has been shown to have permanently being conditioned to perceive
certain sounds in general language usage. After this time, a
"window of opportunity" is said to have closed to adding new
sounds. Hence, research has shown that those who were not
exposed to certain sounds cannot distinguish the difference in proper
pronunciation or not.
It is also possible to learn a second language sometime after early childhood, but the older you get, the harder it is to learn to speak a new language as well as a native speaker. Many linguists believe there is a 'critical period' (lasting roughly from birth until puberty) during which a child can easily acquire any language that he or she is regularly exposed to. Under this view, the structure of the brain changes at puberty, and after that it becomes harder to learn a new language. This means that it is much easier to learn a second language during childhood than as an adult. |
