Complexities and Interactions of Age Effects in L2 Learning: Broadening the Research Agenda

Abstract

This special issue gathers together a collection of studies that broadens the research agenda and debates in the area of age studies in second language (L2) learning (see Munoz and Singleton 2011). The contributions point to the current breadth and wealth of approaches to age effects, from those that predominantly rely on a maturational constraint explanation to those that propose a multi-factor explanation focusing their attention on the interaction of age with a multiplicity of factors. In different ways, the contributions challenge Lenneberg's (1967) traditional view of a critical period ending around puberty. Some move the cut-off points of the proposal, while others investigate whether predetermined limits can be removed; some underline the moderating role of the learning context and the learner's orientation and engagement with the language. The seven articles in this issue delve into a variety of age dimensions -age of acquisition (AoA) as the start of significant exposure to an L2, or as the start of instruction of a foreign language (FL), chronological age and aging effects. They discuss a wide range of data- behavioural and brain-based data collected from immersion and instructed contexts. The issue includes two types of contributions. The first three articles give the reader reviews of studies in specific areas: age and dominance (by Birdsong), age and proficiency in event-related potential (ERP) research (by Steinhauer), and exceptional attainment in L2 phonology (by Moyer). The remaining four articles provide new empirical data: on late learners in a naturalistic context (by Kinsella and Singleton), on age and input in the long-term attainment of instructed FL learners (by Munoz), on age and aptitude in child learners (by Granena), and on non-nativeness in child learners (by Nishikawa). The target languages in these studies are also diverse including French, English, Spanish, and Japanese. The following paragraphs provide an overview of ...