The Critical Period Hypothesis in Second Language Acquisition Revisited: A Critical Analysis

As the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) has continued to be a controversial topic for the past several decades, this paper attempts to separate fact from fiction regarding the viability of CPH in the second language context. The author reviews both supportive and non-supportive literature and offers a final recommendation that the benefits of starting second language instruction early ultimately outweigh the drawbacks. In addition, the author provides some recommendations for future research.