Aptitude and experience as predictors of grammatical proficiency in adult Greek-English bilinguals.

ABSTRACT: It has been shown that individuals exhibit great variability in second language (L2) ultimate attainment. Some speakers reach native-like proficiency, others only achieve a rudimentary command and many lie in the middle. Individual differences research has partly attributed different degrees of L2 attainment to (language) aptitude. Initially considered irrelevant for first language (L1) acquisition, aptitude was viewed as a compensatory ability for adults' disadvantage in L2 learning. In this line of thought, adults and children are viewed as fundamentally different and rely on different language learning mechanisms. However, aptitude might not be so irrelevant for the L1. Together with input the two factors are found to account for individual differences not only in L2 but also L1

SUBMITTER: Prela L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9808080 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature