Re: Do children learn language more easily?


Aidan Kehoe wrote:
Ar an ceathrú lá de mí na Nollaig, scríobh John Atkinson:

> > The multiple-explanation theory of critical period effects is not
> > necessarily incorrect, but it's certainly not very Occam-friendly.
>
> It appears that it's not a matter of a single switch being switched off all
> at once at age 5, or 10, or whatever. The language-learning device requires
> input of the right kind right from the start, and starts gradually
> switching off even before age 1 if it it doesn't get it.

It would be interesting in that context to see if people who are constantly
learning new languages by immersion from childhood, beyond the age of 10 or
so, are as successful in their language learning as children are.

Excuse me butting in (I've been lurking on this group since the Arabic
text discussion). Just a quick thought that has occurred to me reading
this thread: no one seems to have made any distinction between learning
grammar and learning vocabulary, and yet that seems pretty fundamental
to the argument at hand: Nathan is talking about the fact that by age
5, children have mastered the grammar, phonology etc of their language,
while Aidan is countering by talking about his superior vocabulary and
breadth of knowledge (to put it in a nutshell). As far as I can see,
they're both right in their own way.

Anyone know of any studies comparing *vocabulary* acquisition at
different ages, as opposed to general language skills? Certainly
vocabulary was always my stumbling block in learning languages. I
wonder, for example, whether the grammar skill starts to switch off
around 5, while the vocabulary skill lasts longer.

Just a layman speaking. Withhold your flames, I implore.

Danny

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