Age as a factor in various theories of Second Language Acquisition
Elena Agathokleous
Essay from the year 2019 in the subject Speech Science / Linguistics, grade: A, , language: English, abstract: A discussion of how age as a factor influences second language acquisition. On one hand, theories like Chomsky’s theory on Universal Grammar (UG) and the monitor theory support that language faculty in children is innate and consists of the possession of a language acquisition device for the processing of language which facilitates language acquisition for a critical period and it is not available to older learners thus favoring younger learners in second language acquisition. On the other hand theories like cognitive psychology and socio-cultural theories favor older learners which are more able to practice and pay attention in a process of intentional learning in which no special brain devices or structures are considered necessary.
