Language Ego

     Guiora’s concept of the language ego can help explain the critical period phenomenon. Guiora believes that much of adults’ difficulty with second language learning is due to the fact that their ego or identity is so strongly attached to their first language. This is because the ego is formed by interactions with others and those interactions are mostly done through the first language. This process of formation happens during childhood and is completed by puberty. Coincidentally, this is the same time as the critical period for language acquisition. Furthermore, the process is complete when the ego becomes stable and fixed at roughly the same time as the end of the critical period. Guiora believes the flexible ego of children can accommodate a second language more easily but adults cannot easily adapt to expressing themselves through the new language since their ego is already fixed and unchangeable. As a result of their lack of adaptability, adults never feel that they are truly expressing their identity when speaking a second language learned after puberty. This is complicated even more by the general nature of the ego itself. The ego for the most part is at war with the outside world and seeks protection against anything that might hurt it. For children this is not a problem since their egos are not fully formed, but for adults, this causes inhibition that interferes with language learning. Learning a second language involves great risk to the ego since the learner must directly experience the language in order to acquire it. This direct experience involves taking risks. The learner must be willing to risk the embarrassment of making mistakes and suffering the results of miscommunication. Adults who are insecure will avoid such painful experiences. Children however, generally have no inhibitions and are not metalinguistically aware enough to be conscious of language forms. As a result, children are successful language learners, and most adults are unsuccessful.