Analyzing the Effect of Age on Accent Formation and Persistence in Language Learners: Does a Critical Period Really Exist?

Analysis of the effect of age on the formation and stability of accent in language learners shows that age can play an important role in this process, so that some studies confirm the existence of a critical period for accent learning. According to this theory, people at younger ages, especially in childhood and adolescence, have a greater ability to imitate and absorb the phonetic and phonological features of the new language, which causes their accent to form more naturally and stably. In contrast, older language learners may face challenges in accepting a new accent, and this can be due to cognitive, social, and psychological factors. As a result, although factors such as motivation and learning environment also play an effective role, age is significant as a key factor in the formation and stability of accent. The present study aims to analyze the effect of age on the formation and stability of accent in language learners: Does a critical period really exist? The study used a quantitative and field approach, with a descriptive research method, which was selected by a purposive sampling method of ۵۰ language learners from Zahedan School, and a semi-structured interview was conducted to examine the experiences of understanding, identification of perceptions, and the effect of age on the formation and stability of the dialect in language learners. The descriptive-field experience and analysis (categorization of information) method was used, and the SPSS software was also used. The results obtained showed: Data analysis shows that the age of starting learning and previous language experience have a significant effect on the formation and stability of the dialect. Starting learning at a younger age helps to learn dialects better, and a positive learning environment also plays an important role. Also, motivation and psychological influences can facilitate the process of learning dialects. As a result, it seems that there is a real critical period in learning dialects.

کلیدواژه ها:

Age ، Formation ، Accent Stability ، Language Learners