Age and Second Language Learning

Summary In a large scale study of New Canadians, data about age on arrival and achievement in English language skills were collected. The data for the students in grades 5, 7, and 9 were converted to standard scores and combined. Graphing the data revealed a critical age. Students who arrived at age 6 to 7 or younger performed close to average, and there was no relationship between age on arrival and performance. The average scores for students who arrived at an older age progressively dropped, and correlations indicated a modest relationship between age on arrival and test scores. Thus while all recent arrivals have initial difficulties in learning the language, it appears that over time age on arrival is the critical variable. This provides indirect support for the position that there is a critical age for optimum instruction in a second language. The evidence is less clear for one of the seven language measures, the one dealing with intonation.