Research Article CRITICAL EVIDENCE: A Test of the Critical-Period Hypothesis for Second-Language Acquisition

Abstract-me crirical-period hypothesisfor second-language acquisition was rested on doto from the 1990 U.S. Census using responses from 2.3 million immigrants with Spanish or Chinese language backgrounds. The analyses rested a key prediction of the hypothesis, namely, that the line regressing second-language attainment on age of immigration would be markedly different on either side ofrhe criticalage point. Predictions tested were that there would be a difference in slope, a difference in the mean while controlling for slope, or both. The results showed large linear effectsfor level ofeducation and for age of immigration, but a negligible amount of additional variance was accounted for when the parameters for diffeerence in slope and difference in means were estimated. Thus, the pattern of decline in second-language acquisitionfailed to produce the discontinuity that is an essential hallmark o f a critical period. The idea that there is a biologically based critical period for secondlanguage acquisition that prevents older learners from achieving nativeLike competence has appeal lo both theorists and social policymakers (Bailey, Brner, Symons, & Lichtman, 2001). The critical-period hypothesis was originally proposed in the neurolinguistic litemture by Penfield and Robem (1959) and vigorously followed up by Lenneberg (1967). who speculated that maturational aspects of the brain that limited recovery from brain traumas and disorders would extend to second-language acquisition. Subsequent research using behavioral evidence appeared to confirm this hypothesis (Johnson, 1992; Johnson & NewpoIf 1989; The claim that there is an age-related decline in the success with which individuals master a second language is not controversial. The diminished average achievement of older learners is supported by personal anecdote and documented by empirical evidence (Flege, YeniKomshian, & Liu, 1999; Stevens, 1999). What is controversial, though, is whether this pattern meets the conditions for concluding that a critical period constrains learning in a way predicted by the theory. A critical period minimally entails two characteristics: (a) a high level of preparedness for learning within a specified developmental period to ensure the domain is mastered by the species and @) a lack of preparedness outside this period (Bornstein, 1989; Colombo, 1982). The consequence of these conditions is that the relation between learning and age is different inside and outside the critical period. hponents of a critical-period explanation have attempted to place the description of second-language learning within these pammeters. Johnso

Spartan Daily, October 14, 1942

Volume 31, Issue 10https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/3490/thumbnail.jp

Intergenerational transmission of language capital and economic outcomes

This paper investigates the intergenerational transmission of language capital in immigrant communities from one generation to the next, and the effect of language deficiencies on the economic performance of second generation immigrants. Our analysis is based on a long panel that oversamples immigrants and that allows their children to be followed even after they have left the parental home. Our results show a significant and sizeable association between parental language fluency and that of their children, conditional on a rich set of parental and family background characteristics. We also find that language deficiencies of the children of immigrants are associated with poorer labour market outcomes for females, but not for males. There is a strong relationship between parental language fluency and labour market outcomes for females, which works through the child’s language proficiency

Intergenerational transmission of language capital and economic outcomes

This paper investigates the intergenerational transmission of language capital amongst immigrants, and the effect of language deficiencies on the economic performance of second generation immigrants. Using a long panel that oversamples immigrants, we can follow their children after they have left the parental home. Our results show a sizeable significant association between parents’ and children’s fluency, conditional on parental and family characteristics. We find that language deficiencies of the second generation are associated with poorer labour market outcomes for females only. Finally, we find a strong relationship between parental fluency and female labour market outcomes, which works through the child’s language proficiency

2012-09-06; Pamphlet; Honoring the Life of Charley H Fisher Jr

https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/lm_pamphlets/1195/thumbnail.jp

Age at Immigration and the Education Outcomes of Children

The successful acquisition of a language is often characterized in terms of critical periods. If this is the case it is likely that children who migrate face different challenges in attaining high school credentials depending upon their age at immigration. This paper examines the education outcomes of a cohort of immigrants who arrived in Canada as children. The 2006 Census is used and it is found that there is in fact a distinct change in the chances that children will hold a high-school diploma according to the age at which they arrived in the country. The chances of being a high-school dropout do not vary according to age at arrival up to about the age of nine, with children arriving after that age facing a distinct and growing increase in the chances that they will not graduate from high school. The findings suggest that public policy addressing the long run success of immigrant children needs to be mindful of the variation in risks and opportunities by age, and the role of both early childhood investment and the structure of the education system faced by young adolescents in determining them.education, immigration, children

Nicolai Hartmann and the Metaphysical Foundation of Phylogenetic Systematics

When developing phylogenetic systematics, the entomologist Willi Hennig adopted elements from Nicolai Hartmann’s ontology. In this historical essay I take on the task of documenting this adoption. I argue that in order to build a metaphysical foundation for phylogenetic systematics, Hennig adopted from Hartmann four main metaphysical theses. These are (1) that what is real is what is temporal; (2) that the criterion of individuality is to have duration; (3) that species are supra-individuals; and (4) that there are levels of reality, each of which may be subject to different kinds of law. Reliance on Hartmann’s metaphysics allowed Hennig to ground some of the main theoretical principles of phylogenetic systematics, namely that the biological categories—from the semaphoront to the highest rank—have reality and individuality despite not being universals, and that they form a hierarchy of levels, each of which may require different kinds of explanation. Hartmann’s metaphysics thereby provided a philosophical justification for Hennig’s phylogenetic systematics, both as a theory and as a method of classification

New Distributional Records of Fishes from the Lower Ouachita River System in Arkansas

Fishes collected from the lower Ouachita River system in Arkansas during 1971-1974 are reported. As a result of these collections six species were added to the Ouachita River system ichthyofauna of Arkansas including an undescribed species of Notropis, Hybopsis aestivalis (Girard), Ictiobus bubalus (Rafinesque), Fundulus chrysotus (Gunther), Lepomis symmetricus (Forbes) and Etheostoma fusiforme barratti (Holbrook). New distributional records for Ichthyomyzon gagei (Hubbs and Trautman), Notropis maculatus (Hay), N. lutrensis (Baird and Girard), Erimyzon sucetta (Lacepede), Fundulus notti (Agassiz) and Lepomis marginatus (Holbrook) within the system also are presented

Osteology of Calluella guttulata (Blyth 1855) and Associated Commentary on Evolution in the Family Microhylidae (Anura)

Microhylid osteology is a morass of unusual structures and repetitive convergent evolution. The available phylogenetic information is limited, and the osteological information barely scratches the surface of the diversity present in the group, but even this much is enough to begin to identify certain patterns and areas of interest. Microhylinae, and to a lesser extent Gastrophryninae, in particular show high degrees of convergence both in pectoral and vomerine structure compared to Cophylinae and Asterophryinae. It remains to be seen whether other variable osteological structures, such as hyobranchial apparatuses or carpal arrangement, also show this level of convergence within these groups. Further taxonomic sampling is of utmost importance, both for osteology and phylogeny, as the few osteological descriptions available do not always correspond with the species used in existing phylogenies. Higher phylogenetic resolution could clarify many situations where the occurrence or number of occurrences of convergence is currently unclear. Further sampling, too, will inevitably shed light on the functional significance of many microhylid traits. The hyobranchial apparatus, for example, is clearly a uniquely modified feature of the Microhylidae, but almost nothing is known about corresponding changes in the morphology of the attached muscles, and only a few examples of hyobranchial diversity have even been described. There are several possible avenues of study here where unique microhylid osteology might indicate a particularly unique functionality, all wide open to possible future research

Pengaruh Usia terhadap Pelajar Kursus Bahasa Tionghoa Shhs di Surabaya dalam Belajar Bahasa Tionghoa

Beberapa pakar mengatakan, saat seseorang mempelajari suatu bahasa ada yang dinamakan dengan hipotesis periode kritis. Periode ini adalah di mana seseorang memiliki tingkat sensitivitas yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan periode lain. Pada periode ini, otak dapat dengan alami mempelajari suatu bahasa. Penelitian kali ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui bagaimana pengaruh periode kritis dalam kemampuan pemerolehan bahasa dan hasil tes para siswa di kursus bahasa Tionghoa SHHS di Surabaya. Skripsi ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan memberikan tes kepada seluruh siswa dan pendekatan kualitatif dengan melakukan wawancara kepada para siswa, guru dan wali murid kursus bahasa Tionghoa SHHS di Surabaya. Dari hasil tes nilai kelas anak-anak lebih unggul dari kelas dewasa tetapi dari uji statistik, usia ternyata tidak memiliki pengaruh pada kemampuan dan hasil belajar siswa karena nilai Sig. (2-tailed) lebih besar dari 0,05. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa usia tidak memiliki pengaruh terhadap kemampuan dan hasil belajar siswa