Wk 6 6238 Discussion response

Though there are multiple factors that can influence native and second language acquisition, I have selected one of each to discuss, per the requirement. First, a biological factor that influences language acquisition is the age at which an individual acquires language. The mechanisms of the brain itself vary greatly with age, and though scientists generally agree that the critical time for language acquisition is early in life, there is not a perfectly defined ‘window’ of that timeline (Kuhl, 2010). The plasticity of infant brains is unmatched and the systems in place can acquire any language using auditory or visual cues (Kuhl, 2010). Kuhl (2010) suggests that the architecture of the infant brain allows for better detection of “phonetic and prosodic patters of speech” (para. 22). If the infant is introduced to more than one language, their brain ‘neural architecture’ allows for the patterns of more than one language (Kuhl, 2010). However, if they are introduced to only one language, then their brain will have a harder time as they grow older trying to allow for patterns that do not conform within the single language architecture of their brain (Kuhl, 2010). A child that is raised in a household that speaks only English will struggle as an adult to define sounds, words and sentences from another language that does not follow the same phonetic rules as the English language. However, a child raised in a bi- or multi- lingual household will have a brain that is more apt to understanding the different phonetic patterns of different languages and therefore will be more likely to have the ability to acquire a new language.