Dan Pang
Renqiu City No.8 Middle School, Renqiu City, Hebei Province, 062550, China.
*Corresponding author: Dan Pang
Abstract
Nowadays English learning as an important course or popular behavior has been a normal phenomenon, especially in some first-tier cities. The pronunciation acquisition, however, is a crucial part in this learning procedure. It is well-known that there are many elements that can influence the pronunciation learning result and learning efficiency. Among these elements, age is a great controversy one which is reflected on whether it can affect learners' learning effect when they learn a second language. There are many theories about this element. And of all the theories, the Critical Period Hypothesis, which emphasized there is a special period when people can learn language even pronunciation fast and accurate, is the most controversial. In this regard, the article will elaborate some corresponding views about the Critical Period Hypothesis and explore whether age can influence the learning ability and the learning result of second language pronunciation learning through an experiment. In this process, both quantitative and qualitative studies will be undertaken. Quasi-experimental research is used to set the situation of comparison. Questionaries and interviews are applied to get some useful information. And the conclusion whether age can react on pronunciation learning will be received at the end of the paper.
References
Asher, J. J. & Garcia, R. (1969). The optimal age to leam a second language [J]. The Moden Language Jourmal, 53:334-341.
Beebe, Leslie M (1988). Issues in Second Language Acquisition: Multiple Perspectives [M]. New York: Newbury House Publishers.
Birdsong, D. (1999). Second language acquisition and the critical period hypothesis [M]. London: Routledge.
Bongaerts, T., B. Planken, E. Schils (1995). Can late learners attain a native accent in a foreign language? A test of the critical period hypothesis. In D. Singleton, & Z. Lengyel (eds.), The age factor in second language acquisition (pp. 30-50). Clevedon: Multi-lingual Matters Ltd.
Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition [M]. Oxford University Press.
Harley, B. (1977). The Critical Hypothese: Where are We Now [M]. Lawrence: Lawrence Erlbaum Association.
Johnson, J. & Newport, E. (1989). Critical period effects in second language learning: The influence of maturational state on the acquisition of ESL [J]. Cognitive Psychology, 21 (1): 60-99.
Krashen, S. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning [M]. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
M•Long. (1990). Maturational constraints on language development [J]. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, (12): 251-285.
Scovel, T. (2004). Learning New Languages: A Guide to Second Language Acquisition [M]. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
How to cite this paper
The Research on Critical Period Hypothesis in Pronunciation Learning in Second Language Acquisition
How to cite this paper: Dan Pang. (2022). The Research on Critical Period Hypothesis in Pronunciation Learning in Second Language Acquisition. The Educational Review, USA, 6(11), 745-750.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2022.11.014