Are Children Better at Learning Languages than Adults? (PDF)

Essay from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,5, Trinity College Dublin (Centre for Language and Communication Studies), course: Language, the Individual and Society, language: English, abstract: The assumption that children are better at learning languages than adults is neither new nor resolved and provides a constant space for debate in the field of linguistic research. The role of age in language acquisition is a contested and complex topic and the question whether children are better language learners provides a broad basis for discussion and reflects general beliefs that persist concerning language learning. However, this question is too general and must be narrowed down in order to stay within the realm of a realistic focus and to develop a reasonable argument. Therefore, I will investigate this question on the basis of age effects with a particular focus on second language acquisition.

This essay discusses positions coming in for and against the assertion that children are better language learner than adults. In order to access the problematic of this question, we are going to take a look at common beliefs on age effects in second language acquisition. In the following analyses, the common "the younger, the better" belief is discussed, in combination with related SLA myths. In this context, the role of internal and external factors on SLA and in what way they impact bilingual outcome is taken into consideration. On the basis of this knowledge, particular differences in language acquisition for younger and older learners emerge, which demonstrate the complexity and range of language development. Next, we will approach various perspectives on the notion of the involvement of a biological variable that determines or influences language proficiency and whether this variable creates a biological advantage for children in language acquisition.