children who can hear but who cannot speak can learn language, understanding
even complex sentences.
Lenneberg observed that this ability to develop normal behaviors and
knowledge does not continue indefinitely. He argued that the language acquisition
device works successfully only when it is stimulated at the right time – a time
which is called the “critical period”. This notion that there is a specific and limited
time period for language acquisition is referred to as the critical period hypothesis
(CPH).
There are two versions of the CPH. The strong version is that children must
acquire their first language by puberty (полов. зрелость) or they will never be able
to learn it. The weak version is that language learning will be wore difficult and
incomplete after puberty. The researchers conclude that their study supports the
hypothesis that there is a critical period for first language acquisition.
3.
A third theoretical position focuses on the role of the linguistic environment
in interaction with the child’s innate capacities in language development.
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