Psycholinguists are divided on the answer, but they agree on several points. For starters, a 2-year-old’s brain has a substantial neurological advantage, with 50 percent more synapses — the connections between neurons — than an adult brain, way more than it needs. This excess, which is an insurance policy against early trauma, is also crucial to childhood language acquisition, as is the plasticity, or adaptability, of the young brain.

心理语言学家给出的答案充满分歧，但是对几种观点存在共识。首先，两岁孩子的大脑，在神经系统上有显著的优势，在神经元之间进行连接的突触，比成年人的大脑多50%，远远超出了大脑需要的数量。这种盈余的作用是提供保障，以防儿童早期遭遇创伤，不过它对儿时的语言习得也很关键。同样关键的还有年轻人大脑的可塑性，或者说适应性。

Once the “critical period” — the roughly six years of life during which the brain is wired for learning language — is over, the ability to acquire a first language is lost, as your brain frees up room for the other skills you’ll need as you mature, such as the ability to kill a wild boar, or learn math, or operate your iPad.

一旦“关键时期”结束，也就是生命中的头六年，大脑适合学习语言的时期结束，习得第一语言的能力就丧失了，大脑会腾出空间学习你成长过程中需要的其他技能，如杀野猪、学数学、用iPad。

【想要大脑永远年轻? 那就学外语吧】相关文章：

★ “全球最聪明国家与地区榜”发布 中国位列第三

★ 关于排毒茶,你应该知道的那些事

★ 年轻人由于肥胖问题,患癌率飙升

★ 为何实习机会那么不公平?

★ 颜色隐藏大学问 看红色竟能强身健体

★ 貌美如花的人变老是什么感觉?

★ 奇迹就在你周围

★ 每天慢跑几公里有什么好处?

★ 瑞士：协助自杀禁令遭拒 仍是“自杀天堂”

★ 越来越多的年轻人试图理解浪漫