Well, it might be unfair in some contexts, but the point was that since children don’t learn their first language faster than adults learn their second, we can’t really draw any conclusions from language learning about the overall speed of learning of children.
Well, it might be unfair in some contexts, but the point was that since children don’t learn their first language faster than adults learn their second, we can’t really draw any conclusions from language learning about the overall speed of learning of children.
If we knew whether older children learn their second language faster than adults, then we might draw conclusions.
We know that. (They don’t. But earlier exposure to a second language does predict that they will continue to higher levels of proficiency.)
That’s very enlightening, thanks. Then the case of Russian immigrants in Israel may indeed be due to insufficient pressure to learn and other factors.