What is the ‘Critical Period’ or ‘Critical Period Hypothesis’?
Shihabur Rahaman
ContributorWhat is the Critical Period or Critical Period Hypothesis NU The Critical Period Hypothesis CPH is an important idea in linguistics and psycholinguistics It says that there is a limited window in human development for language learning In this time language can be learned most naturally and effectively After the period ends learning a language becomes much harder nbsp Natural Ability in Childhood According to CPH children have a special ability to learn language in the early years From birth until puberty around years the brain is highly flexible or plastic During this stage children can easily pick up their mother tongue They can also learn several languages without much effort Their pronunciation grammar and fluency often become native-like Evidence from Cases Research shows that children who miss language input before puberty rarely achieve full fluency later Cases of feral children strongly prove this Adults can still learn a second
language after puberty However they usually face problems with grammar or pronunciation Children who start earlier do not face such problems This supports the idea that the brain loses some natural capacity after the critical period Biological Basis The CPH is connected with brain development Language functions are fixed mainly in the left hemisphere of the brain This process is called lateralization As the brain matures it becomes less adaptable This explains why young learners acquire languages more quickly and naturally than older learners In short the Critical Period Hypothesis shows the strong link between biology and language learning It proves that early exposure is essential for full native-like mastery Adults can still learn languages successfully But they may not reach the effortless fluency of learners within the critical period