年龄因素对二语习得的影响_临界期假说实证 (1)
2021年龄对第二语言习得的影响与外语教学启发范文1
2021年龄对第二语言习得的影响与外语教学启发范文 在二语习得中，生理、认知、情感等几个因素影响着个体对第二语言的学习。
在众多因素中，年龄是人们常考虑到的一个生理因素。
关于年龄对二语习得的影响，普遍认为儿童时期比其它任何时期都更容易习得语言。
因为这段时期大脑的分化期还未结束，具有较强的可塑性和灵活性，所以学习者能快速而容易地吸收新的语言信息。
从社会心理学角度来看，儿童能象习得母语一样利用“语言习得机制”来学习第二语言。
与之相比，成年人对使用第二语言有一定排斥作用，他们往往不愿意练习所学的语言，结果很难达到母语的发音水平和流利程度。
二语习得者的年龄问题一直是研究者们争论的焦点： 一派认为学习第二语言越早越好，要从娃娃抓起；另一派则赞成晚点比较好。
这些反映出年龄因素的复杂性。
本论述将从以下几个方面谈谈年龄与第二语言习得。
1儿童与成人学习第二语言的差异 1.1生理因素 儿童的发音器官、肌肉还没有定型，可塑性强，模仿能力强，可以学习地道的发音：大脑尚未固定化，短时记忆能力强，长时记忆能力差，接受能力强。
智力还没有完全发育起来，有一定的归纳推理能力，但演绎推理能力差，不善于抽象思维，自我意识不强，自尊心不容易受到伤害，因此学习的主动性强。
而成年人，他们的发音器官、肌肉已经定型，模仿能力差些，不容易学到地道的发音：大脑已经定型，智力发育健全，演绎推理、抽象思维能力强；在第二语言学习中，能够充分概括和归纳，综合处理语言材料;自我意识强，自尊心容易受到伤害。
1.2心理因素 儿童在学习第二语言时处于一种无意识的学习状态，他们在学习过程中很少受到情感因素的影响，在不知不觉，毫无压力的条件下轻轻松松的接受一门新的语言。
而成年人随着社会意识和心理上的成熟，他们在运用外语时比较紧张，担心出错而闹出笑话。
这些不轻松的学习态度无形中给成年人的二语习得带来巨大压力，这也妨碍了认知过程对接触到的语言材料的处理。
也就是说在二语习得过程中，成人比儿童的学习态度更为消极。
年龄对第二语言习得的影响
年龄对第二语言习得的影响作者：桂西来源：《科教导刊》2011年第11期摘要影响第二语言习得的因素很多，年龄是其中的一个重要因素。
文章探讨了第二语言习得的年龄关键期问题、儿童与成年人第二语言习得的差异以及对于实际教学的启发。
中图分类号：H0 文献标识码：AThe Influence of Age on Second Language AcquisitionGUI Xi(Cross-cultural Cognitive and Personality Laboratory, Educational Science School,Xinjiang Normal Univesity, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054)AbstractThere are many factors which can influence the second language acquisition, a critical factor that plays a part in that is age. In this article the critical period in SLA , the difference between child and adult in SLA, and its enlightenment to teaching was discussed.Key wordssecond language acquisition；age；critical period hypothesis第二语言习得是指“在自然的或指导的情况下通过有意识学习或无意识吸收掌握母语以外的一门语言的过程”（埃利斯，1985）。
在这里所涉及到的，主要是在教学情境下的第二语言习得。
近年来，人们对第二语言的学习日益重视。
年龄对第二语言习得的影响，是二语习得领域的焦点话题之一。
也可以说，年龄是影响第二语言习得的最明显、最直接的非智力因素之一。
年龄与二语习得
论文导读：年龄是影响第二语言(兼指外语)习得效果个体差异的重要因素之一。
但也是长期以来困扰二语习得研究的一个问题。
到了1967年心理语言学家Lenneberg发展了这一观点, 提出了著名的语言学习的关键期假说(critical period hypothesis,或译作临界期假说):自然语言习得只能发生在关键期,即两岁到青春期之前。
关键词：二语习得，年龄，关键期假说1. 引言年龄是影响第二语言(兼指外语)习得效果个体差异的重要因素之一，但也是长期以来困扰二语习得研究的一个问题。
许多心理学家、应用语言学家和教育家用大量的时间从不同的角度,选择不同的对象研究年龄和第二语言习得的关系,但研究的结果并不一致。
论文检测。
尽管如此，年龄研究从未间断过，甚至成为当今二语习得领域的热点之一，原因在于二语习得年龄的研究具有重要的理论和实践意义，它不仅有助于探讨人类大脑认知之谜，更是直接关系到二语教学模式的选择和学习策略的定位。
本文试图综述二语习得年龄研究的主要发现，同时探讨这些发现对目前的外语教学有什么启发。
2. 关键期假说的研究很久以前人们就注意到，童年是学习语言,无论是习得母语还是学习外语的最佳年龄。
这种现象使得美国神经心理学家Penfield 于1959年提出“白板理论”,认为在婴儿出生时大脑皮层的某些区域具有固定的功能,但有一块皮层最后将用于语言和感觉,在早期可以运用这片空白区域进行语言学习,几种语言可以轻易地被同时习得,认为4-8岁是学习外语的最佳起始年龄。
到了1967年心理语言学家Lenneberg发展了这一观点, 提出了著名的语言学习的关键期假说(critical period hypothesis,或译作临界期假说):自然语言习得只能发生在关键期,即两岁到青春期之前。
关键期假说在二语习得领域引发了无数研究和争论，支持和反对的论据都有。
20 世纪 60年代末 70 年代初，这场激烈争论的焦点是围绕儿童学习外语是否比成人存在优势。
浅析影响二语习得的因素
浅析影响二语习得的因素作者：李微来源：《大观》2015年第06期摘要：第二语言的习得是非常复杂的过程。
语言习得的过程被许多因素所影响，其中包括了学习者的动机和态度等。
而在整个过程中，这些因素之间也相互影响，相互制约，同时产生了不少的变量。
学习者之间这些因素的差异直接影响了其学习成果的差异。
因此，研究影响二语习得的因素，有助于教师更好地了解学习者，从而激发和培养学习者的学习兴趣。
关键词：二语习得；影响因素；学习者第二语言习得（Second Language Acquisition /SLA，简称二语习得），通常指母语习得之后的任何其他语言学习。
人们从社会、心理、语言学等角度去研究它。
第二语言习得研究作为一个独立学科，大概形成于二十世纪60年代末70年代初，已有35年的历史。
它对学习者的第二语言特征及其发展变化、学习者学习第二外语时所具有的共同特征和个别差异进行描写，并分析影响二语习得的内外部因素。
一、影响二语习得的因素（一）年龄人们通常认为年纪越小的外语学习者越容易达到接近本族语者的语言水平，而且这个观点也被临界期假设（Critical Period Hypothesis）所证明。
此假设认为在人类生命中的一段时期里，语言的习得是自然发生并无需通过努力的，过了这段时期以后，语言的学习再也无法达到之前所述的效果。
这一假设建立在神经生理研究的基础上。
青春期之前的儿童期大脑左半球的语言区如因意外事故受到损害，还会从左脑转移到右脑，恢复语言功能。
到了青春期，人的大脑语言的侧向已经完成，固定在大脑的左侧，语言功能一旦丧失很难恢复。
临界期假设对外语学习做了两个预测，一是必须赶在大脑语言功能的侧向完成之前学习口语；二是过了临界期，语言学习的速度减缓，学习的成效减弱。
Penfield和Roberts（1959）甚至认为语言习得的最佳时间是0岁-10岁之间。
尽管有关理论后续的研究，尤其是学习语言的确切的最佳年龄一直被一些语言学家怀疑，年龄对外语学习的重要影响毋庸置疑。
浅析二语习得中的年龄因素
浅析二语习得中的年龄因素作者：赵坦来源：《科学与财富》2018年第22期摘要：年龄是二语习得中学习者个体差异的重要因素之一。
本文首先简要介绍了二语习得的研究现状，然后从不同角度探讨了年龄对二语习得产生的影响及原因，在此基础上指出儿童语言学习的优势，以及对成人外语学习的启发。
关键词：年龄；二语习得；启发许多因素能影响二语习得，其中年龄是重要因素之一。
然而，关于二语习得中年龄因素的研究结果并不一致，甚至产生了一些相互矛盾的结论。
无论研究者有没有一致的结论，差异在不同的年龄段中是明显存在的。
所以我们首先应该找出不同年龄段的特点，通过对比发现差异，并确定其产生的原因。
最后找出适当的解决方法使二语习得的进程更快。
一、二语习得的研究现状关于年龄与二语习得的关系，许多理论学家和应用语言学家做了大量的研究，但仍有许多争议。
尤其是关于临界期假说，20世纪60年代，Lenneberg提出了临界期假说（critical period hypothesis）。
他认为儿童在长到12岁之后，口音已定型，难以改变，学习语言必须花费更大力气，并且不可能学的像母语那样好。
[1]然而Krashen认为在时间和目的语的接触都相同的情况下成年人同样可以学好外语，而且如果学习和使用外语的时间相同，成年人比儿童进展更快，年龄大的儿童比年龄小的儿童学的更快。
[2]二、年幼的特点长期以来，外语学习起始年龄问题一直是外语研究者所讨论的热门话题之一。
其研究主要集中在语言学习中是否存在关键期问题。
虽然对“关键期假说”理论至今仍争论不休，对年龄因素如何影响语言习得至今无法达成共识。
但是大多数的研究者认为：在外语习得过程中，年龄小的比年龄大的学得好。
众多研究也表明儿童学习外语的优势主要表现在以下两个方面。
（一）儿童更容易习得接近母语的语音学习者年龄大小与第二语言发音的准确性以及口语的准确性有关。
通常在二语习得中儿童的语音比成年人的纯正、地道，更接近母语者的发音。
年龄因素对第二语言习得的影响论文
Age Factor in Second Language Aquisition1. IntroductionNowerdays, with the development of society and technology, our society has become more open. People, with different colors,who come from different countries and areas communicate with each other in various ways and methods. Language, of course, is one of the most important tools in our communication. As we all known, English is an international language in the whole world. Accordingly, in our country, English learning is very popular with not only students, but also the children, adults and even the retired old man. And according to many studies,age is one of the most important individual factors affecting foreign language learning, which is considered as a focus of applied linguistics and psycholinguistics. Almost all parents think that"Don't let their own children lose at the beginning. "In China,all the families believe that it is very important for the students to learn English in the childhood.And many parents even send their children to language schools at an early age in older to get a high score.In recent years,some scholars in China such as Gui Shichun, Wang Chuming, Dai Manchun, Dai Weidong have a heated discussion about the affection of age factors in foreign language teaching and learning. At the same time, the government have also paid more attention on English learning. Nowerdays,many reseachers have studied the factors affecting language learning, such as intelligence, aptitude, personality, motivation, attitudes, earner's preference, learner's beliefs and age of acquisition. But I just want to study the influence of age factor. Is it good enough for parents to let their children learn English at an early age? Do children have absolute advantages over adolescents and adults in second language acquisition? What are the respective advantages and disadvantages of children,adolescents and adults? With the above problems analyzed,this thesis focus on the influence of age factor on the Second Language Acquisition.2. Second Language Acquisition2.1 Definitin of Second Language Acquisition"Second language acquisition"refers to the subconscious or conscious processes by which a language other than mother tongue is learnt in a natural or a tutored or a classroom; it covers the development of phonology,lexis,grammar, pragmatics and other knowledge(Hu Zhuanglin,p.268). How children acquire their native languages and what is the relavance of this to foreign language learning has long been debated. Although evidence for the declining of second language learningability with age is controversial, a common assumption is that children learn second languages easily and fluently compared with old learners. This assumption stems from"critical period"(CP) ideas(Lennerberg,1967). It is commonly know that children with regular faculties and given normal circumstances will easily master their native languages. Unfortunately,perfect language mastery is rarely in the process of second language acquisition. One of the most obvious potential explanations for the lack of success of second language learners compared to first language learners is that the acquisition of second language begins at a later age than that of the mother tongue does. Thus, many scholars assume that age itself is a predicator of second language proficiency.A popular belief in this area is that younger learners have certain advantages over older learners in foreign language learning and many linguists and researchers share this belief. They believe that younger children learn second language more easily and quickly than older children (Ellis,2008;Larsen-Freeman,2008). However,some other researchers hold the the opposite point. They believe that younger learners do not show any advantage over older learners in second language learning, and they even can provide some evidence to prove scientifically that the opposite is true, i.e. older learners exhibit some advantages over younger learners (Snow&Hoefnagef-Hohle,1978).About the study on age factors affecting second language acquisition, Carroll(1980) provided neurological basis for critical period hypothesis from aspect of earlier exposure, whose experiment indicates that the earlier exposure to second language,more or less, is of significance to the success of second language acquisition. That is, the early exposure to second language will bring quite different quality to later language learning in both natural and conscious settings.2.2 Current Situation of Second Language AcquisitionMany studies pay much attention to the age factor in second language learning at home and abroad. The relationship between age factor and second language acquisition has become more and more hot and popular.As for second languge acquisition. Penfield and Roberts(1959:130) first introduced the Critical Period. According to Penfield and Roberts, a child's brain is more plastic compared with that of an adult. And in 1967, Lenneberd introduced the Critical Period Hypothesis to second language acquisition, which could account for children's faster and more successful attainment over adults in second language acquisition.The research of age factor in foreign language learning also attracts much attention of the scholars in China.But it seems that many of them are on the opponent side. Professor Gui Shichun(1992:54-56) questioned the popular concept of "the younger, the better". Recently, in Guangdong Province, Professor Dong Yanping(2003:39-47) proposed that it was not necessaryto start English teaching programs for young children in kindergartens and Grade 1 of primary schools. At the same time, a variety of English learning phenomena have sprung up in China:in 2001, the Education Ministry decided that pupils begin English learning from Grade Three in cities and condition-permitting rural areas; in Shanghai all the pupils have been required to learn English from Grade One since 2003; English training courses for kids mushroom all over the country and at the same time, English textbooksand tapesforkids becomebest-sellers. English languagehas turnedintoa secondlanguage inChina.3. Factors Affeting Second Language AcquisitionIn our life and experience, almost all normal children can succeed in their first language acquisition on condition that they get a normal upbring. However, it is quite different in second language learning.Actually, different characteristics of learners will lead to different results in second language learning. And everyone has his own personality. In addition to personality, other factors are also relevant to language learning. These include intelligence, motivation, aptitude, learners 'preferences and learners' belief.3.1 IntelligenceThe level of learners' intelligence have an influence or second language learning. Over the past years, through using some intelligence tests or different methods, and then using the scores measure the intelligence of the learners. Researchers suppose that intelligence may be connected with second language ability. Recently, more and more studies have proved this. However, it is not the only factor. There are many students who are very successful in second language learning without high intelligence scores.3.2 PersonalityThere are many personality characteristics have been considered to be related to second language learning such as extroversion and inhibition. Many believed that extroversion is well suited to second language learning. However, this conclusion does not always get enough support. That is to say, in many studies, many learners who haven't got high scores on measuring extroversion are still successful in the second language learning.In terms of inhibition,it discourages the progress in language learning because the learners' courage of taking risk can be reduced by the inhibition personality. In fact, personality characteristics still conclude others such as empathy, talkativeness, self-esteem, dominance and responsiveness. However, the clear relationship between learners' personality and second language learning hasn't been found out because it is complicated. As an English teacher,we prefer the active and lively students in the class since they have good performance. So this kindof students who can get more attention from the teachers often has more opportunities to practice and express.3.3 AptitudeAptitude can be considered as a kind of talent which is made up of different kinds of abilities. The followings are some examples:(1) The ability to recognize the meaning of the words in the sentences.(2) The ability to remember new words. This kind of ability is much more concerned with the learners' vocabulary ability.(3) The ability to analyze the grammar of the material. There are many grammatical rules. So the ability of analyzing the grammar can affect the learners' language learning.(4) The ability to translate. Translation is very important in language learning and using. Any students who has a good knowledge of translation can do a better job in reading, speaking and even writing.3.4 MotivationThrough the studies of second language acquisition, the learners' attitude and motivation also plays an important role in learning a second language. And the good and positive attitude and motivation will be more likely to succeed in second language learning than the opposite. Motivation can be studied in two main parts: learners' communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second language community.Therefore, if the learner wants to use the second language efficiently, they must have an abtive attitude and master opportunities to practice. Besides, the personal growth,cultural enrichment and instrumental motivation are all concluded in motivation, which are also concerned with the success of the second language learning.However, the researchers cannot find out how the motivation affects on the learners during their second language learning.3.5 Learners’ PreferenceAs for the learning material and learning methods, every learner has his own preference. Some learners say that they cannot learn something before they have seen it, while others seem to know something as long as they talked it once or twice.When learners show his preference for some materials or topics which we disagree with the learning method, we should encourage the learners to use their available ways to achieve the success rather than stop them.3.6 Learners’ BeliefAlthough not all the language learners may have their individual consciousness of thelanguage learning, all of them have their strong beliefs which influence their learning methods. Therefore, the learners' belief is also an important factor in second language learning.4. Age Factors and Second Language Aquisition4.1 The Affects of Age Factors4.1.1 The Affects of Age Factors on Rate of Second Language AcquisitionOne popular belief about second language acquisition is that the younger, the better. Recently, certain research reports claim to counter this early Critical Period Hypothesis and state that age and language acquisition is inconsistent. Not all younger performs to be superior.Opposite to the Critical Period Hypothesis, Krashen, Long and Scarcella(1979) draw a different conclusion: (1)adults are superior to children in rate of acquisition, and(2)older children learn more rapidly than younger children(Krashen, et al, 1979). This results reflect differences in rate of acquisition which are consistent with the hypothesis. Adults are generally faster than children in early stages of second language acquisition.In1967, J.Asher and S.Price compared the ability of listening comprehension of 8-10-year-old and 14-year-old childrent and college adults. The results show that adults score highest while the 8-year-old children were the lowest of all groups tested.T10-year-old and 14-year-old children were between adults are the 8-year-olds. This study suggests that the adults ard superior to the same conditions as children when they learn a second language.Ervin-Tripp(1974) studied the rate of acquisition of French by 31 English-speaking children aged from four to who learn French nine month in Switzerland(including attendance in French-speaking schools). She reached the conclusion that children performed much better.Burstall et al.(1975) and Ekstrand(1977) researched majority children who learn a foreign language in Britain and Sweden respectively. Burstall et al.make a study about a large number of school students,some of whom began learning French at the age of eight and others who began at the age eleven after three years on condition having learnt French for the same amount of time, the older learners were ahead on three out of four skills tested-listening, reading and writing.The younger learners, however, mastered speaking ability highly.Snow and Hoefnagel-hohle(1978) make a study who learn Dutch in Holland. The subjects were divided into five age groups: ten3-to-5-year-olds, eight6-to-7-year-olds, thirteen8-to-10-year-olders, nine12-to-15-year-olds, and eleven adults. The study indicated that 3-to-5-year-olds scored lowest and the 12-to-15-year-olds showed the most rapid acquisition of all the skills tested.Ekstrand(1978) makes a survey about four groups of Swedish school children, whose ages are 8, 9, 10 and 11 respectively. They had been taught English in 10-minute sessions twice a week after 18 weeks, the groups were tested for pronunciation(a taped imitation task) andcomprehension(a taped imitation task) increases almost linearly with age.Ann Fathman made a study in 1982 which examined the relationship between certain aspects of the second language acquisition process and age through an oral production test.It examined about 200 children(aged 6 to 15) from diverse language backgrounds who were learning English as a second language in public schools. The results indicated that the older children performed better in the production of correct morphological and syntactic structures while the younger children performed better in the use of correct English pronunciation.From the following studies, we can conclude that age can affect the rate of second language learning. Adolescents and adults have many advantages in second language acquisition like faster speed and strong ability to acquire syntax and morphology while children perform much better in phonology.4.1.2 The Affects of Age Factors on the Process of Second Language AcquisitionFew people make a study of the effects of age on the process of second language acquisition. By far Harley's(1986) investigation of early and late immersion programmes is the most detailed study of the effects of age on the acquisition process. Harley made a comprison between the two groups' acquisition of French verb phrase. For example, the two groups generally made similar types of errors and both groups prefer the relatively unmarked French verb forms to the marked forms. There were only a few differences reflected variations in the second language input to which the learners were exposed.Bailey et al.(1974) investigated the order in which adults acquired the same set of grammatical morphemes studied by Dulay and Burt who found an order similar to that found in the morpheme studies of children. Fathman(1975) found that the order of acquisition remained constant compared with her sample of two hundred children aged from 6 to 15 years.Cazden et al.(1975) found that child, adolescent, and adult learners went through the same stages. Thus, learners appear to process linguistic data in the same way, no matter how old they are.According to their study, the process did not remain constant for children who were in different ages as for order of acquisition. Despite of differences of age and learning environments, there seemed to be a consistency in the order. These findings also support the ideas of Dulay and Burt(1973) and Madden, Bailey, and Krashen(1974), which suggest that there appeared to be similar in terms of acquisition of structures for all second language learners.4.1.3The Affects of Age Factors on Learners’ Second Language AchievementMany researchers have compared older and younger children and concluded that older children are faster learners of syntax and morphology. Then comes the question, whether learners who begin learning can reach higher levels of second language ability than those who start asadolescents or adults. To answer this question,some scholars did some researches.Burstal et al.(1974), through comprison, found the result that those who started learning French in school at either age 8 or 11when reached age 16. There was only one test result in favor of the early learners, that is to say, only listening comprehension better.In another study, Dunkel&Pillet(1962), through the comprison of American Schook children who had begun learning French at grade 3 and students of the same age who had had only one year of French at the secondary level, found that the former did not do as well as the latter in terms of the standardized group test of formal grammar in Franch.Oller&Nagato(1974) found the same results in school system in Japan. Students learn English as a second language from grades 1-6did not do better than students who began learning English in grade 7 when they attend test in the grade 11.Harley(1986) also make a research which focused on learners' acquisition of the French verb system. She compared early and late immersion students after both had received1,000hours of instruction. Neither group had mastered the verb system, but the older students can master well. However, the early immersion group showed higher levels of attainment than the late.The results from these reflect that children's level of attainment is greater than that of adolescents/adults. As Stern has emphasized, early age school instruction does not in itself guarantee success(Stern, 1976; Stern&Weinrib, 1977; Stern, 1982).4.2 Respective Advantages and Disadvantages among Different AgesWhen children, adolescents and adults learn a second language, they have neurological(Lenneberg, 1967), cognitive(Talor, 1974: 33) and social-psychological(Brown, H.D. 1987: 51; Talor, 1974) differences. There are many factors determining the differences between children and adults in second language learning such as learning learning environment, intelligence and difficulty in comparative researches and experiments, but age factor is the most influenced one. Actually, children, adolescents and adults have their own advantages and disadvantages in second language learning. The most practical way is to study the effects that age differences bring to language learning and the advantages and disadvantages that each each language learner at different age has in learning a foreign language.4.2.1 ChidhoodChildren's brains are flexible and may have an advantage to accept new knowledge in the second language learning. Therefore, it is easy for them to acquire pronunciation in this period. And a second language can be left a deep impression on the brains in this period. So this is very useful for children's further learning. For instance, some children's toys which can speak some English and Chinese words for them, and gradually, we can find those two years child speak the same words correctly. However, during this period, the parents just want to entertain the children.But they will remember those even when they grow up. At the same time, children have poor-term and systematic memory, and usually confuse native and foreign languages or native culture and foreign culture, possessing poor ability of abstract thinking. Therefore, it is good for children to learn foreign languages in such bilingual social environment or better teaching facilities.Besides, our children don't have ability to judge what is right or what is wrong. Children generally follow others' words and actions. So it is not surprise to find that many children share the same behavior of siphoning off the fingers. Therefore, teachers and parents pay attention to children's environment because children can behave differently in different environments. So the teachers and parents should give proper guide in time when children make some mistakes. Some studies state that non-English-speaking have English lessons and instruction. But the length of the program is inconsistent with the acquisition speed. One of the most important factor is the influence of mother tongue. Therefore, it is not the best for children to learn a second language early.4.2.2 AdolescentsAdolescents have several advantages. They have a high cognitive maturity and a high ability of imitation and memory. Adolescents can also make the most of communicative strategies and understand language and culture very well, which make language input enriched. And they like joining the communication activities. Adolescents can grasp the language regulations and make full use of them in their sentences to express their deeper thoughts. Besides, they can also correct the errors in sentences. All these are obvious advantages for the adolescents in second language learning. For instance, if we ask adolescent students to do a role-play after learning a dialogue, most students can finish the task and some good students can even play it lively. While, if we ask children to do the same case, the children can hardly finish it. That is to say, only adults can achieve such advantages. And as we all known, the adolescents is a period of full of energy and imagination, thus the adolescents must have strong self-control ability and stick to their aims. Besides, they always consider themselves as adults. Therefore, they hate to be ignored and hope to win respect like adults, which is difficult for teacher to deal with. This why a successful teacher always treat some students as a adult while doing as a child.At the same time,adolescents have many courses in school. Nowadays,more adolescents learnt more than one kind of foreign language. They have to deal with many subjects. Many students even busy on the weekend.It seems that they have no time to relax. They always feel nervous. This make the students feel much burden. Thus, it is crucial for teachers and parents to give the adolescents proper guide when they grow the sense of giving up learni ng.4.2.3 AdulthoodAs we all known, adults mental is mature. They always have clear goals and strong motivation to learn a second language. When they decide to learn a language, they will devote much energy to learning.Adults can grasp the complicated grammar and reading task better than adolescents and children. Therefore, they can understand the second language deeply. All those features lead to adults' learning well. At the same time, the following three kind of adults also have an advantage over adolescents and child.(1) Some adults work under an International environment, and this atmosphere may provide them more opportunities to practice foreign languages.(2) Some adults have a long-term or short-term plan to go abroad for further education or working. This plan may make them aware of strengthening their foreign language. And in order to realize this dream, they have to pay more energy and attention to foreign language learning. Therefore, they can promote their foreign language quickly.(3) Some students still have a strong conscious of learning. Thus they will further the quality of their already language. And they'll grasp every opportunity to improve their foreign language.Adults also have some disadvantages. For example, most adults have already worked after graduation,join in the social activities and care about the family day and night. Besides, many adults' memory isn't as good as before with the growth of age. Therefore, it is difficult for adults to master foreign language well. And the adults only practice English in the spare time such as when they are at home. They even can't focus their intention on practice if they have a baby. Thus, most adults try their best to make up those disadvantages.5. ConclusionIt is clear that age is an important factor in second language acquisition. It is not nessessary for students to learn a second language early. Younger learners are not necessarily better learners. Children, adolescents and adults have their own characteristics in second language learning. Children can easily grasp the pronunciation. Adolescents can understand language and culture better.It is good for second language learning. Adults can master the complicated grammar and language regularities. Thus, teachers and parents should employ different strategies in terms of learners of different ages.Bibliography[1] 林崇德.英语教学心理学[M]. 北京教育出版社, 2001,3[2] 刘建华.中学英语创新教法[M]. 学苑出版社, 1999,10[3] 束定芬、庄智象. 现代外语教学——理论、实践与方法[J].东北师大学报, 2006 (2)[4] 王立菲. 现代外语教学论[M]. 上海教育出版社, 2002,1[5] 王蔷. 英语教学法教程[M]. 高等教育出版社, 2005,4[6] 薛中梁. 谈英语课堂教学[M]. 湖北教育出版社, 2003,3[7] Liu Yongfa, Liu Xuan'en.The Practical Body Language[M]. Hua Wen Press, 1997,2[8] Wu Zongjie.Readings for Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching[J].Zhejiang Teachers' University,1998(3)。
年龄对成人二语习得的影响
年龄对成人二语习得的影响年龄对成人二语习得的影响在全球化的时代，学习第二语言对个人的发展和职业机会越来越重要。
然而，成人学习二语与儿童学习二语存在一些显著的差异。
本文将探讨年龄对成人二语习得的影响以及成人在学习二语过程中可能面临的一些挑战。
从神经科学的角度来看，成人在学习二语时与儿童有一些结构和功能上的差异。
根据研究，成人的大脑对语言学习的神经可塑性相对较差，他们的语言习得中枢通过神经连接的方式形成模式，这使得他们在新的语言环境中更难以适应。
此外，成年人的大脑已经形成了第一语言的语音、语法以及词汇的认知框架，这种习得的方式使得他们更容易受到母语的干扰。
年龄对成人的发音和语法习得也有重要影响。
成人在发音上往往会遇到困难，因为他们的口腔肌肉已经发育成为习得第一语言的形态，这会导致他们很难适应新的发音需求。
此外，成人的语法习得更侧重于规则和抽象概念，而不是自然习得的方式。
他们需要花费更多的时间和精力去学习语法规则，并且在运用语法时可能会陷入思维翻译的困境。
然而，成人在学习二语方面也有一些优势。
他们的生活经验和知识储备使得他们在理解和运用语言时更具优势。
成人通常具备比儿童更强的元认知和学习策略，这使得他们能够更有效地规划和控制学习过程，从而加速二语习得的进程。
此外，成人能够利用自己的先前知识和经验，将第一语言的语言知识与第二语言的语言知识进行比较和联系，从而提高学习效果。
正如前文所述，成人在学习二语时面临一些挑战。
与儿童不同，成人通常有更多的学习和工作任务，时间和资源更为有限。
这可能使得他们在学习二语方面缺乏耐心和投入。
此外，成人在二语学习的过程中往往会受到心理压力和自信心的影响。
他们可能会因为担心犯错或不流利而缺乏实践的动力，这对于习得第二语言来说是一个重要的挑战。
为了克服年龄对成人二语习得的影响，成人学习者可以采取一些策略。
首先，他们应该保持积极的学习态度和自信心，尽量摆脱焦虑和压力。
其次，成人应该制定明确的学习目标和计划，并采用合适的学习策略，例如刻意练习和使用语言学习应用程序。
浅谈年龄对学习者第二语言习得最终水平的影响
浅谈年龄对学习者第二语言习得最终水平的影响摘要：本文意在通过对过往文献中关于年龄效应的发现和理论总结并探究二语习得中年龄与最终二语水平的关系。
本文将通过文献综述的研究方式首先列举分析年龄对二语习得的影响及可能造成影响的原因，再对三篇研究文献进行具体分析探究，以求找出年轻学习者及较年长学习者在二语习得方面的具体差异及形成原因。
关键词：二语习得年龄效应；临界期假说；初始习得年龄。
1.引言在很长一段时间内，在例如天资、第二语言输入、认知老化、动机及居住年限等各种关于成功的第二语言习得的研究课题中，年龄影响似乎是受很多研究者青睐的最重要的一个方面。
在第二语言学习中，人们相信，“年纪越小，学得越好”，而这已然成为了一种神话。
因而在应用语言学领域，理解、探究年龄与第二语言习得的关系就成了一个研究目标。
语言习得中，临界期 (Lenneberg, 1967) 概念的诞生表明：生物学功能，即生理因素可能对第二语言习得产生影响；临界期之后，学习第二语言的方式“从根本上发生了不可逆转的变化”(Ortega, 2008)。
这种现象也叫做“临界期假说” (Critical Period Hypothesis)，即“青春期前期开始学习第二语言的学习者的第二语水平最终或能达到母语者水平，但青春期后期开始学习第二语言的学习者地第二语水平最终低于母语水平“ (Abrahamsson and Hyltenstam, 2008)。
尽管很多研究者证实了在第二语言习得中，成人学习者和儿童学习者在学习速率和最终习得方面有不同，但是临界期是否真实存在却争议了数十年。
在本研究中，我将首先从三个方面介绍和阐述年龄效应的理论框架: 儿童和成人二语习得的速度和表现的差异；造成年龄效应的可能原因；对临界期存在的两种对立观点; 在此之后，将对三项有关年龄效应和语言的研究进行评论。
最后，我会综合这三项研究的结果，找出研究问题的答案。
2. 年龄对第二语言习得的影响2.1 早期学习者和晚期学习者在学习速度和最终成绩上存在的差异。
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年龄因素对二语习得的影响:临界期假说实证辛 柯,周淑莉(西北工业大学外语系陕西西安710072)摘 要:二语习得是应用语言学一个重要研究方面。
二语(含外语)学习好坏与学习起始年龄相关问题是目前二语习得研究的重要方面,语言学习年龄的研究具有重要的理论和实践意义。
本文利用临界期假说分析儿童二语习得年龄对研究生英语水平的重要影响,国内外有关年龄因素与二语习得状况研究,提出二语习得的研究建议。
关键词:二语习得;临界期假说;年龄中图分类号:H319.3 文献标识码:A 文章编号:1000-5544(2006)04-0080-03Abstract:T he st udy o f Second L ang uag e A cquisition(SL A)is alw ays o ne o f the most impo rtant r esearching aspects in the field o f applied ling uistics.T he co rr elatio ns o f ho w well one can acquire Seco nd L anguag e(SL)a nd the begin-ning ag e is one of the ho t issues in the SL A,for it is theo retically and practically significant.In t his paper,w e m ainly analy ze t he impor tant influence o f SLA beg inning ag e on the po st gr aduates’Eng lish lev el o n the Critical Per iod Hy-po thesis basis and try to g iv e a br ief intr oductio n to the study o f age and SLA bot h abr oad and at ho me;meanw hile, we pr opound o ur view a nd sug g estions about the effects of ag e on the SL A.Key words:Seco nd L anguag e Acquisitio n;Critical Per io d Hypot hesis;age 二语习得研究是应用语言学中的一个重要分支,研究核心问题是如何保证外语学习的成功。
Keller(1983)认为学习者的语言能力(ability)和学习动机(mo tiv ation)是影响学习成功的主要因素。
一个人的语言能力与年龄有着密切的关系,在实际生活中我们注意到儿童习得外语比成人快且容易得多。
如在美国移民中,儿童掌握英语的水平几乎达到了操本族语者的水平,而成人很难达到。
似乎年龄因素是“决定”二语习得成功与否的关键。
到底多大的年龄对儿童习得外语更为有利呢?通过对二语习得临界期(critical per io d)与儿童二语学习最佳开始年龄比较研究,在孩子适当年龄给外语学习的机会,使其二语习得年龄与其认知能力和母语基础相适应,有利于后期二语习得的更大成效。
1.临界期假说研究依据生活中我们知道年龄是母语和外语学习的重要生理因素。
二语习得年龄研究集中在探讨语言学习有无一个敏感期(sensitive period)或临界期(critical perio d,或译关键期)。
语言习得研究中称为“关键期假说”(Cr it ical Per io d Hypothesis)。
根据假说,在出生后的某段时间里,儿童可以毫不费劲地学会母语,过了这段时期,儿童很难成功地学会母语,这段时期就是母语习得的临界期。
该假说是由L enneber g (1967)提出,他把儿童习得语言的优势归因于生理因素,认为学习语言的最佳年龄在两岁至青春发育期之前这段时间,过了这个阶段,语言学习变得困难起来。
临界期假说最初是针对母语习得而提出的,但在二语习得领域却引发无数争论,支持和反对这一假设的观点同时并存。
当今语言学主流派,以Chomsky为首的生成语法学,研究目标定位于解释为什么语言那么复杂而儿童却能在短短数年内学会说话。
Cho msky认为儿童之所以有如此非凡的表现,是因为大脑中存在一个内在的语言习得机制,或称普遍语法,帮助儿童习得母语。
在语言习得生理性上,Chomsky观点与著名语言习得临界期假说是一致的。
C.Snow和M.Hoefnag el-ho hle(1978)也对临界期假说进行了较深入研究,根据临界期假说,第一语言习得必须在大脑单侧化(later alizatio n)完成之前进行,第二语言习得在青春期前会容易,且在质量上与第一语言相似。
人们认为,临界期实际上是一个有点像一个不规则的倒V 形的连续体,其起止界限并非突然及清晰的。
如下图:图1.临界期年龄阶段临界期对外语习得的影响是显而易见的。
从外国一些研究者所做的试验结果来看,12-15岁年龄组的学习外语的速度效果要胜过15岁以上年龄组(成人组),而成人组的学习速度和效果又胜过6-10岁年龄组的学习者。
这些试验主要限于语素和句法习得方面的调查,并不一定能真正说明问题。
另外,还有两种被经验所证明的现象未能得到很好的解释:一种是学习外语起始年龄越早,其语音的准确性和地道程度就可能越高;二是15岁以上的成年人随着年龄的增长,尤其是到了四五十岁以上时,其学习的速度和效率呈明显下降趋势。
学习外语起始年龄越早,其语音的精确性越高,很可能是由于人脑中司语音识别神经元较其它神经元更早“专业化”,即不同的语言技能有不同的关键期;至于年龄越大,其习得速度和程度相对呈下降趋势,则与大脑语言习得功能下降趋势及人脑一般认知功能(记忆力)的逐渐衰弱有关。
二语习得领域里,支持临界期存在最具代表性的研究是Johnson和New por t(1989)的实验。
实验受试是母语为汉语和朝鲜语的美国移民,年龄介于3至39岁,接触英语的时间为3至26年,平均为10年。
一组英语本地人做实验对照。
实验者采用276道语法判断题口头方式测试英语知识。
后来Jo hnso n (1992)又采用笔头方式实验,7岁之前移居美国的受试者,英语水平与本地人无显著差异;7岁之后移民的受试者,其英语水平随着年龄的增长而呈下降趋势。
实验者将7岁前后学习英・80・语的差异归因于生理因素。
值得注意的是,此项实验发现语言学习的衰退期始于7岁,而不是L enneberg所说的青春发育期,这说明临界期即使存在,始于何时却有争议。
临界期假设既得到支持,也遭到时间界定方面的质疑。
发生争议原因很可能是临界期假设过于简单化和概括化,把复杂的语言习得过程视为一个整体。
语言有不同的组成部分,包括语音、句法、语义等。
各部分的习得难易程度不同,方式各异,加上母语背景有别,外部语言环境不一样,一个笼统和划一的二语习得临界期难以得到证实,存在的可能性不大,但这并不排除习得语言组成部分的敏感期(如语音)有存在的可能性。
有研究表明(Wer ker&T ees,1983),10至12个月的婴儿辨音能力已开始发生变化,辨别那些不属于自己所在语言环境的语音能力已经开始衰退。
这意味着,语音习得的临界期很早就出现了,习得语言各组成部分的临界期可能不遵循相同的时间表。
另外反对临界期假设的研究者们所采集的受试样本均为二语学习的佼佼者,其第二语言水平十分接近或已达到本族语说话者的语言水平,不具普遍性。
加上研究的语言现象只限于语言中的一个小样本,代表性不够。
至今所获的证据尚不足以彻底推翻临界期假说(Ha rley&Wang,1997)。
在语言习得年龄研究中,反对临界期假设的人一般不否认儿童习得语言更易取得成功。
在语言习得的长跑过程中,儿童初学时的速度可能暂不如成人,但他们却是终点的获胜者(L ar sen-Fr eeman and L ong,1991)。
结论似乎还是:学外语终究是年龄小一些好,时间界定仍难意见统一。
2.儿童二语习得年龄优势分析语言各学科主要讨论这样三个问题:语言能力、语言习得、语言使用(理解和产生)。
以Cho msky为代表的理论语言学派以研究人类的语言能力为目标,这种语言能力是所有语言知识表征的一部分;人脑除了语言知识以外,还有一个一般的解难机制(G PS:Gener al P ro blem So lv er),该系统从解难目的上看,将语言知识包括在内;人是社会性的动物,人脑当然处在一个社会环境之中。
Hatch(1983)儿童二语习得日记式研究表明,儿童是成功的语言习得者,而成人则不一定是。
Hatch解释:儿童谈话的话题范围与成人的不同,儿童二语习得非常成功也许是因为他们需要交际的类型范围小,成人不太成功是因为交际是以成人水平要求的,他们必须在很广的话题范围内去读、写、说并理解语言,需要参加要求理解人际交际规则的交际活动,因此很难充分利用语言输入学好语音和语法等。
L itt lew oo d(1984)对儿童具有语言习得的总体优势做过这样一些解释:1)儿童一般有更多的有利学习条件,常常在更长的时间里接触语言,而且得到目的语的本族语者、其他儿童及长辈的高度注意。
2)儿童接触的语言可能简单些,这类输入易于理解和处理。
3)儿童一般不会对其他语言社团持否定态度,也不会意识到其他相关因素,因此“社会—情感屏障”低。
4)承认倾向于有意识的思考和分析学习经验,这样可能阻碍把新语言内在化的自然处理机制的功能;年龄较大的学习者过于依赖“学习”,而儿童却愿意让“习得”顺其自然。
当然,儿童在习得第二语言时的优势是一定的、相对的,尚未证明有绝对优势。
成人也有他们的二语习得优势。
语言学家L arsen和L ong对外语学习的起始年龄这一引人关注的问题,提出了自己的看法:“不论对(语言习得)关键期或敏感期最后做出何种解释,已有文献证实二语习得能力随着年龄的增长而减弱,这就表明:如果二语习得的最终目标是接近本族语水平,那么在所有可能的地方,外语课程应改从小学开始。
然而,将大龄儿童和幼儿作对比研究所获得的数据说明,最佳时间并非越早越好,而是九岁左右,当然说得这么具体可能有点不够成熟。
在加拿大,人们对儿童早期和晚期的侵入式教学进行了评估,评估结果显示,从九岁起学习外语效果更好,这样还使得孩子有时间把母语基础打扎实,而扎实的母语基础反过来又被认为有利于二语习得和整体学习成绩的提高”(L ar sen-Fr eeman and long,2000)。
据此,我们有理由认为,儿童习得(包括外语学习)的最佳年龄在两岁到九岁左右。