The reason that a child who has only heard English since birth loses the ability to distinguish sounds in the Arabic language, is because
A) they have not generated neurons associated with the Arabic language in the language centers of the brain.
B) the synapses associated with the sounds in the Arabic language were not used and therefore pruned away.
C) neurons associated with certain languages are tied to genetic components based on heritage, and therefore, not present in their brain.
D) they have not developed the capacity to learn other languages, and will not until adolescence.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is due to the phenomenon of synaptic pruning, where unused synapses are eliminated from the brain. If the child is not exposed to a certain language early on, the neural connections associated with that language will not form and will be pruned away. Therefore, the child loses the ability to distinguish sounds in the Arabic language. The other options are not supported by research.

The Reason That a Child Who Has Only Heard English