Age Limit of SLA and The Acquisition of English by Mandarin Speakers

Course Name
Second Language Acquisition
Students Name
Student Number
1 Introduction
The acquisition of a second language for an individual is affected by many factors. Therefore, this paper will focus on two studies: the timing and scope of maturational constraints of different children who were in the age limit of acquiring a second language (Granena & Long, 2012). Also, the acquisition of certain English grammatical morphemes by children who are native Mandarin speakers (Jia & Fuse, 2007). The results of this study will be compared to different theories regarding the acquisition of a second language and the manner in which the two studies contrast or have similarities.
2. FIRST STUDY
Synopsis
The first study was done by Granena and long was carried out to examine the manner in which the acquisition of a second language worked regarding pronunciation scores and language aptitude and the effect that the initial exposure to a second language had on them. Also, the effect of age advancement on the learning of a second language was examined. The study involved 65 individuals whereby, 12 of them were native Chinese speakers while the rest were trying to learn Spanish. It was divided into three groups of 3 to 6 years, 7 to 15 years and 16 to 29 years named as the age of onset (AO). The study was done on L2 phonology, lexis and collocation and morph syntax for respective three groups.
Results
The results of the study proved the original hypothesis that the ability of a person to acquire a second language declines as their age progresses. Among the tested groups morph syntax was the least affected by age while the phonology was the most affected. The results were plotted on a graph representing both the control group and the exact research group. As well, different correlations were found between pronunciation scores and language aptitude, and, as well as between colocation scores and language aptitude and lexis in the 16 to 29 age group.
Evaluation of the Results
The two questions asked for the study were sufficient enough to get the required results. The first question, which was about the existence of a correlation between the age of onset and the various language domains came out a success because the researchers were able to deduct that language acquisition declined with age increase. Also, the second question on whether language aptitude had a relation to their abilities when it came to language acquisition. However, this section was not fully sufficient because people have different abilities and therefore, it is difficult to come up with a control group for abilities as a variance. Therefore, the researchers should have used another variable in this case. In addition, the range at which the age groups were set is quite large, and this could have resulted in the different rates of language acquisition with the groups. Instead, they should have used equal age limits to get precise results.
Comparison of Findings with Class Readings
Research was done on the ability of certain students on learning a foreign language and the effect that the starting age on it (Munaz, 2014). The similarity of this study with the study that was done by Granena and Long is that both studies involved the age of the individuals as a contributing factor when it comes to the acquisition of a second language. As well, the age groups used shows some similarity because they include children of between 3 and six years as well as those above 11 years. Hence, this brings a correlation in the results obtained. According to both studies, an increase in age resulted in a decreased ability in the acquisition of the second language.
In addition, a study shows that the willingness of individuals to communicate in order to acquire a second language is affected by individual factors and abilities (Pawlak & Mystkowska-Wiertelak, 2015). This relates to the study done by Grinena and Long regarding the effects that an individual’s ability has on language aptitude. Therefore, it can be concluded that, apart from age, a person’s ability to learn has a great effect on the manner in which they acquire a second language.
3. SECOND STUDY
Synopsis
The study was based on the acquisition of six specific English grammatical morphemes by children who are native speakers of the Mandarin language (Jia & Fuse 2007). The study was done on ten children and adolescents who are native Mandarin speakers living in the United States. It was a five-year-long research, and the students arrived in the United States at the age of 16 and five years. The aim of the research was to identify the levels of mastery of the morphemes and the find out when the age-related variations occurred. The methodology involved the measurement of the accuracy of the morphemes through the use of spontaneous speech.
Results
The results of the study were that the mastering of the various morphemes varied from one participant to the other with differing growth trajectories. The difference in the manner in which they mastered the morphemes was greatly depended on the age at which each of the individuals arrived in the United States. The participants who arrived in the United States earlier showed a better mastering if the morphemes as compared to those who arrived later. These effects took a long period to occur and were only evident in two of the morphemes. Among such morphemes were the regular past tense and the 3rd person singular. The language environment had the greatest impact on the participant’s ability to master the morphemes when compared to age factor. The research does not give the results of the effects that age had on the other four morphemes. This included the non-tense versus the tense related morphemes, error types and irregular versus regular morphemes.
Evaluation of the Results
The results of this study were not very sufficient given the fact the main variable of the study was the age at which the children arrived in the Unites states in. Therefore, other factors such as the language environment brought a major change to the study, and this brings the questions of the reliability of the study in regard to the hypothesis. An individual’s age in regard to their ability to acquire a second language is not a constant factor because it can be affected by the people that one interacts with and their Intelligence Quotient (Yalçın & Spada, 2016). Also, the method of spontaneous speech was not a perfect way of testing the ability of the children to master the morphemes because people express their abilities in different ways. Hence, some could have done it better through writings (Slabakova, 2016).
Comparison of Findings with Class Readings
In comparison with other class readings, the anxiety that comes along with the idea of learning a second language can be a motivating factor that enables one to acquire the language easily. Also, the classroom enjoyment is among the environmental factors that contribute to the understanding of particular morphemes (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014).This is also the case in the study done by Jia and Fuse because the environment turns out to be the most affecting variable as compared to the period of exposure. This means that an individual requires an environment filled with native speakers of the intended second language. Also, the acquisition of L2 morphemes follows a certain order and therefore, one should ensure that they understand them in that order such as tenses. As a result, this would make it easy to understand the language in full (Jiang, Novokshanova, Masuda & Wang, 2011). In regard to the Jia and Fuse study, the participants understood certain morphemes at a particular time.
4. Relating the Studies To SLA
The critical period hypothesis theory deals with the effect that age has on an individual when it comes to the acquiring of a second language. According to the theory, there is a certain age during which, it is easy for an individual to acquire a second language (Ellis, 2015). After which, it then becomes difficult for the same to happen. This can be related to the study carried out by Grinena and Long whereby they found out that the ability of an individual to acquire a second language declined their age kept on progressing. This means that the minds of young individuals are very active and this makes it easy for them to acquire ...