11 – Too old to learn? The Critical Period – Heather Marsden

Masters of TESOL

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This episode, I speak to University of York’s Heather Marsden about the controversial Critical Period hypothesis. This theory suggests that there is a limited age at which we can learn a second language, after which it grows increasingly difficult. Anecdotally, we assume this to be true – kids are sponges for language while older people struggle – but what does the research say about this?

This episode is simply a bite-sized introduction to a much larger topic, so I encourage you to search around for other perspectives on this subject.

Heather Marsden @ University of York

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Noob glossary:

L1 – first/native language

L2 – second language

input – any exposure to the L2

interference – where the L1 grammar, vocab or pronunciation affects or negatively influences L2 production