Abstract:

A critical period is defined as the period during which individuals are advan-tageous in acquiring the performance and behaviors they display in certain skill areas depending on their age variables. In this context, the phenomenon of critical period, which is accepted to have significant effects on the deve-lopment and learning outcomes, is at the focal point of studies on foreign lan-guage and first language acquisition evaluating the performance of individuals in using a foreign language and/or second language, within the context of acquisition of the skills they have in the target language and their level of competence. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to gather and evaluate the studies which express positive or negative changes in language skills of the individuals during the process of foreign language and first language acquisi-tion according to the critical period and the studies which argue the opposite, from a critical perspective.

Keywords: