浮现理论及其对第二语言获得年龄效应的新解释

The Emergentist Theory and Its New Explanation for the Age Effect of Second Language Acquisition

近年来,来自认知行为实验、认知神经科学的研究结果对第二语言获的关键期假设提出了质疑。浮现理论对第二语言获得的年龄效应提出了新的解释,该理论认为在第二语言获得中并不存在先天决定的关键期,第二语言的获得年龄效应是由双语之间的相互作用、相互影响决定的,即第一语言的防守和第二语言同第一语言间的竞争两种机制决定着第二语言的获得的程度。

The critical period hypothesis of second language acquisition is challenged recently by lots of evidences from behavioral or cognitive neuuroscience researches. The emergentist theory sheds new light on the question about the effects of age of acquisition （AoA effects） in second language acquisition. This new theory emphasizes the interaction between two languages and introduces the two actions of competition and entrenchment to account for AoA effects in second language acquisition.