Linguistic dissimilarity increases age-related decline in adult language learning

Abstract

We investigated age-related decline in adult learning of Dutch as an additional language (Ln) in speaking, writing, listening, and reading proficiency test scores for 56,024 adult immigrants with 50 L1s who came to the Netherlands for study or work. Performance for all four language skills turned out to decline monotonically after an age of arrival of about 25 years, similar to developmental trajectories observed in earlier aging research on additional language learning and in aging research on cognitive abilities. Also, linguistic dissimilarity increased age-related decline across all four language skills, but speaking in particular. We measured linguistic dissimilarity between first languages (L1s = 50) and Dutch (Ln) for morphology, vocabulary, and phonology. Our conclusion is that the L1 language background influences the effects of age-related decline in adult language learning, and that the constraints involved reflect both biological (language learning ability) and experience-based (acquired L1 proficiency) cognitive resources.

Critical period in second language acquisition: The age-attainment geometry

“…Frontiers in Physics frontiersin.org L1 in L2 attainment (see, e.g., [5,11,[87][88][89][90]), provides a dynamic account of that role and its varying contributions to the different age-related learning periods. Furthermore, ECT-L2A offers an interactive account whereby the L1, as part of the deviation energy, interacts with other types of learner-internal and learnerexternal energies.…”

Language-learning difficulties and their influence on the Turkish-speaking migrant’s integration process in Belgium

“…As mentioned earlier, it is difficult to master a new language as an adult, especially if one did not had the opportunity to learn other languages at a younger age (Craik et al, 1967;Weikum et al, 2013;Schepens et al, 2022). In this respect, Nieuwboer and van't Rood (2016) emphasise that the language courses for migrants in Europe propose participation in society, but migrants without previous basic education have vulnerabilities without any support in their social integration.…”

Investigating the relation between second language proficiency and study success using a causal inference approach

“…The response rate for this questionnaire is high (Job Schepens, p.c. ; see Schepens et al, 2022, for more information on how L1 background affects scores on the Stex DSL). We distinguish between Germanic and non-Germanic Indo-European languages and non-Indo-European languages, since Dutch is a Germanic Indo-European language.…”

“…Figure 2 represents our assumption that age, gender and first language exert a causal effect on language proficiency. There is a rich literature discussing age effects in second language acquisition, that shows that age is a key determinant for success in second language acquisition (e.g., Birdsong, 2018;Schepens et al, 2022;Singleton, 2001) Similarly, research based on Stex DSL data has shown a gender-gap, where females outperform males, that could not be explained by other factors (van der Slik, van Hout & Schepens, 2015). Furthermore, there is plenty of evidence that one's first language determines how easily you acquire a second language (Ortega, 2009;Schepens et al, 2022).…”

“…There is a rich literature discussing age effects in second language acquisition, that shows that age is a key determinant for success in second language acquisition (e.g., Birdsong, 2018;Schepens et al, 2022;Singleton, 2001) Similarly, research based on Stex DSL data has shown a gender-gap, where females outperform males, that could not be explained by other factors (van der Slik, van Hout & Schepens, 2015). Furthermore, there is plenty of evidence that one's first language determines how easily you acquire a second language (Ortega, 2009;Schepens et al, 2022). Figure 2 also shows that we assume these factors to have a causal effect on the chosen program type and study success, likely because of socio-cultural forces that make certain people pursue particular careers and educational paths (Wolff, 2013).…”