Abstract
Critical Period Hypothesis concerns the phase of heightened sensitivity when it is possible to gain a native-like level of proficiency in a language. Despite controversies surrounding this concept, there is ample evidence for a negative correlation between the age of onset of acquisition and ultimate attainment in a foreign language. The purpose of this chapter is to review the relevant research on the concept of critical/sensitive periods for language learning with an emphasis on the inverse correlation between the age of onset and ultimate attainment in foreign language learning of both children and adults. We will also shed light on the cases of linguistically gifted people, polyglots and savants who seem not to be subject to the universal constraints of the critical period.
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