Ultimate attainment and optimal-period length do not reliably differ across major native-language groups, with slightly more evidence for differences in learning curves¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Differences in ultimate attainment across Uralic, Slavic, West Germanic, Romance, and Chinese language groups were small and generally not reliable, with analyses favoring the null. → Hartshorne Joshua K. 2018 q2 i? There was slightly more evidence for differences in learning curves, with simultaneous English-Chinese speakers distinguishable from the rest. → Hartshorne Joshua K. 2018 (2)

Evidence¶

Hartshorne Joshua K. 2018¶

Hartshorne Joshua K., Tenenbaum Joshua B., Pinker Steven. (2018). A critical period for second language acquisition: Evidence from 2/3 million English speakers. Cognition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6559801/

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Bayes Factor model comparison (BIC approximation) of ultimate attainment across five language groups among learners with at least 30 years of experience. Differences were "small ... and generally not reliable", favoring the null.

"In fact, the differences across language groups were small (see Fig. S14) and generally not reliable. In most cases, analyses favored the null hypothesis (no difference between the target language and the other languages)"

Hartshorne Joshua K. 2018 (2)¶

Hartshorne Joshua K., Tenenbaum Joshua B., Pinker Steven. (2018). A critical period for second language acquisition: Evidence from 2/3 million English speakers. Cognition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6559801/

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Same Bayes Factor comparison applied to learning-curve shape. The authors report "slightly more evidence for differences in learning curves", with simultaneous English-Chinese speakers distinguishable from the rest.

"We found slightly more evidence for differences in learning curves. In particular, simultaneous English-Chinese speakers could be distinguished from the rest"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Ultimate attainment is similar for learners who begin by 10-12 years of age and declines continuously thereafter — related
• A learner's first language predicts L2 phoneme perception more strongly than their proficiency level does. — related
• Native and non-native learners require around 30 years to reach asymptotic performance — related
• Permutation tests show early-starting immersion and non-immersion learners are indistinguishable from the earliest learners, while later starters learn significantly more slowly — related
• Grammar-learning ability is preserved until about age 17.4 and then declines steadily, per the best-fitting ELSD model — related
• Formally instructed learners proceed further down the Accessibility Hierarchy in ultimate attainment of relativization than untutored learners (review-reported, citing Pavesi 1986) — related