The age factor in second language acquisition
Subtitle: a critical look at the critical period hypothesis
By: edited by David Singleton and Zsolt Lengyel.
Contributors: Singleton, D. M.; Lengyel, Zsolt.
Series: Multilingual matters; Multilingual matters (Series)
Publisher: Philadelphia; Multilingual Matters
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Clevedon [England]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 160
Subjects: Second language acquisition -- Age factors -- Congresses
Description: This book takes a hard look at some of the assumptions that are customarily made concerning the role of age in second language acquisition. The evidence and arguments the contributors present run counter to the notion that an early start in second language learning is of itself either absolutely sufficient or necessary for the attainment of native-like mastery of a second language.

Another theme of the book is a doubt that there is a particular stage of maturity beyond which language learning is no longer fully possible. In short, the book presents a challenge to those who take it as given that second language learning is inevitably different in its essential nature from language acquisition in the childhood years and that second language knowledge acquired beyond the critical period is in all circumstances and in all respects doomed to fossilize at a non-native-like level.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Papers presented at a conference held within the framework of the 14th annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics which was held Feb.-Mar. 1992, Seattle, Wash.; also includes papers solicited for a conference which did not take place.