The proposal that there is a limited period during which language acquisition can occur is the

• A. Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH)
• B. Developmental Features
• C. Declaritive Knowledge
• D. Corpus

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that language learning happens within a limited time window. The Critical Period Hypothesis posits a biologically determined period—often described as ending around puberty—during which language acquisition occurs most naturally and efficiently. After this window, achieving native-like proficiency becomes much more challenging, though not impossible, due to changes in brain plasticity and cognitive development. This helps explain why children typically acquire language with ease and native-sounding pronunciation, while adults often require more explicit instruction and may not reach the same level of fluency.

Other terms don’t capture this specific timing aspect. Developmental Features is too broad a concept, Declarative Knowledge refers to knowing facts rather than how language is learned over time, and Corpus is simply a collection of language data used for study, not a theory about when language can be learned.