john hull wrote: > Also, language acquisition is hardwired, sort of like > the way chicks imprint their mothers. If you miss > that window then you're going to have real trouble. > That's why kids learn new languages so easily. This > window closes around puberty, if I recall correctly.
Yes and no. Second languages appear to be easier before puberty (tell me about it!), but the window for first language acquisition closes much earlier. Quoth the Straight Dope, as cited by Fabio: "...Kamala, who was about 8, survived [9 more years]. It was years before she learned to walk or speak and her vocabulary never exceeded some 50 words." -- Anton Sherwood, http://www.ogre.nu/
