Critical Period and Language Acquisition Essay

Part of the ground why Genie’s instance fascinated psychologists and linguists so profoundly was that it presented a alone chance to analyze a heatedly contested argument about linguistic communication development. Nativists believe that the capacity for linguistic communication is unconditioned. while empiricists suggest that it is environmental variables that play a cardinal function. Basically. it boils down to the antique nature versus raising argument. Make genetic sciences or environment play a greater function in the development of linguistic communication? Nativist Noam Chomsky suggested that the acquisition of linguistic communication could non be to the full explained by larning entirely. Alternatively. he proposed that kids are born with a linguistic communication acquisition device ( LAD ) . an unconditioned ability to understand the rules of linguistic communication. Once exposed to linguistic communication. the LAD allows kids to larn the linguistic communication at a singular gait. Linguist Eric Lenneberg suggests that like many other human behaviours. the ability to get linguistic communication is capable to what are known as critical periods.

A critical period is a limited span of clip during which an being is sensitive to external stimulations and capable of geting certain accomplishments. Harmonizing to Lenneberg. the critical period for linguistic communication acquisition lasts until around age 12. After the oncoming of pubescence. he argued. the organisation of the encephalon becomes set and no longer able to larn and use linguistic communication in a to the full functional mode. Genie’s instance presented research workers with a alone chance. If given an enriched acquisition environment. could she get the better of her deprived childhood and learn linguistic communication even though she had missed the critical period? If she could. it would propose that the critical period hypothesis of linguistic communication development was incorrect. If she could non. it would bespeak that Lenneberg’s theory was right.

Genie’s Language Progress

Despite hiting at the degree of a one-year-old upon her initial appraisal. Genie rapidly began adding new words to her vocabulary. She started by larning individual words and finally began seting two words together much the manner immature kids do. Curtiss began to experience that Genie would be to the full capable of geting linguistic communication. After a twelvemonth of intervention. she even started seting three words together on occasion. In kids traveling through normal linguistic communication development. this phase is followed by what is known as a linguistic communication detonation. Children quickly get new words and get down seting
them together in fresh ways. Unfortunately. this ne’er happened for Genie. Her linguistic communication abilities remained stuck at this phase and she appeared unable to use grammatical regulations and usage linguistic communication in a meaningful manner. At this point. her advancement leveled away and her acquisition of new linguistic communication halted.

While Genie was able to larn some linguistic communication after pubescence. her inability to utilize grammar ( which Chomsky suggests is what separates human linguistic communication from carnal communicating ) offers grounds for the critical period hypothesis. Of class. Genie’s instance is non so simple. Not merely did she lose the critical period for larning linguistic communication. she was besides horrifically abused. She was malnourished and deprived of cognitive stimulation for most of her childhood. Research workers were besides ne’er able to to the full find if Genie suffered from preexistent cognitive shortages. As an baby. a pediatrician had identified her as holding some type of mental hold. So research workers were left to inquire whether Genie had suffered from cognitive shortages caused by her old ages of maltreatment or if she had been born with some grade of mental deceleration.