ABSTRACT
A student for whom English is an additional language is going to be bringing a different set of foundational linguistic skills to the composition classroom, and these skills may vary tremendously based on the path the student took in acquiring English. While each particular learner is, of course, a unique individual, with idiosyncratic psychological traits, language aptitude, personality, motivational factors and social environment. The term critical period comes to linguistics from biology. With respect to language acquisition, it was first advanced by Penfield and Roberts (1959) and developed by Lenneberg (1967). The Critical Period Hypothesis states that the ability to acquire a language depends on the neuroplasticity and lateralization of the brain. The process of acquiring a second language is a long, multi-year one. It is complex, multifaceted, and influenced by numerous factors.
