Skip to main content

The Critical Period for Language

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

The critical period hypothesis holds that first-language acquisition must occur within a developmental window to reach full fluency.

Show

Case studies of children raised without language exposure show adults who never reach full fluency.

Watch for

The evidence comes from rare and confounded cases. The window's edges are not sharply established.

Builds on

Unlocks

  • Nothing yet depends on this.