Re: Do children learn language more easily?

Am Sat, 02 Dec 2006 11:57:23 -0500 schrieb Nathan Sanders:


Note my use of "first", not "native". The ability to learn a native
language continues for a few more years (it is certainly gone by about
age 10). The ability to start your *first* language does not last
past about age 5.


Does the last sentence hold because there is some specific ability
needed for acquiring a first language that gets lost by the age of
five, or is it just that by that age you will already have acquired a
language (if you are able to acquire language at all), so whatever
language you acquire now will be at least the second?

Joachim
.

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