The Effect of the Critical Period Hypothesis on the First Language and Second Language Acquisition

This research attempts to investigate and identify the effect of the critical period hypothesis in the first and second language acquisition. Age factor in the learning process of a language is hotly discussible issue today. Most of the scientists tried to identify certain ages in order to acquire the second language fully. The critical period hypothesis is based on the development of human nervous system which helps to understand and learn environmental stimuli. If, for some reason, the organism does not receive the appropriate stimulus during this "critical period" to learn a given skill or trait, it may be difficult, ultimately less successful, or even impossible, to develop certain associated functions later in life. In this paper the critical period will be investigated in the first language and second language acquisition and answers will be sought for the main research questions: How does the critical period hypothesis affect the learning process of first and second languages?