Second language and critical period

The study by Johnson and Newport (1989) had suggested that people who learn a second language is better when they learn it before the critical age 7. As an international student, my comment to their study is “tell me about it”. I strongly agree that it is better to start learning a second language as early as possible. Take myself as an example. I came to United States when I was 19 years old. Although I have been studying English since I was 11, I still cannot speak English as fluently as native speaker do. On the other hand, my friends who came here before the age of 17 could always speak more fluently than I do. As Johnson and Newport suggested, maturational state might be one of the factors to learn a second language proficiently. However, I suggest that external environment and self- motivation might affect the level of proficiency of a second language in the study by Johnson and Newport(1989).

Clearly, it is undeniable that people who learn a second language in young age have better foundation, such as pronunciation, accent, and grammar, than others who learn a second language later in life. Yet, it is necessary to consider the social lives of participants in the study by Johnson and Newport (1989), because the social network of a participant might influence his or her proficiency of a second language in later life. For example, one of my American friends learned both Japanese and Chinese very well because not only he went to study abroad in Japan and China but also due to the fact that most of his friends from college are Japanese and Chinese. It is the effort he made to be surrounded in an environment that he can practice foreign languages as much as possible that made him achieved a high level of fluency in foreign language. Similarly, regardless of age differences, the participants in the study by John and Newport(1989) would have better performance in studying English as second language if their friends are mostly native-speakers. So, our social networks would have strong influence on the proficiency of acquiring a second language even though we already passed the critical period.

Nevertheless, the participants who started learning English as a second language in young age in the study by Johnson and Newport (1989) might have more friends who are native-speaker than the participants who started after age 17. First of all, the participants who came to the United States before age 7 could blend into the culture and society in the United States better than their parents because they do not have strong influence from their own cultures as their parents do. On the other hand, the adults might feel more comfortable to hang out with people who share with the same cultural background. Thus, adults might have more friends with same culture and language background even if they have stayed in the United States for several years already. As a result, it is easier for the participants who came to the U.S in their early-life than the participants who came after age 17 to be friends with native-speakers.

Furthermore, the goal of learning a second language might be different between children and adults. For the participants who came to the U.S after age 17, their main goal may be to obtain college degrees or to make a living. Thus, their priorities lie on learning sufficient English to cope with the language requirement of works and school. Unlike adults, children do not have time or work pressure. Therefore, the participants, who came to the U.S in young age, could focus on making friends with native-speakers and learning a second language without pressure.

In conclusion, age is one of determining factors for achieving fluency in a second language. In addition, it is almost impossible to have native level of pronunciation learning a language after puberty. However, effort and willingness to completely submerge in a culture and speak only the learning language can make a tremendous difference in fluency level regardless of age. Therefore, future study should investigate proficiency among people not only by age difference but also by external environment and self-motivation.