Language usage affects proficiency in Italian-Spanish bilinguals irrespective of age of second language acquisition

The role of age of acquisition (AoA) in reaching native-like proficiency in second language is controversial. The existence ofa critical period and the effect of AoA have been questioned by studies testing lexical and/or morphosyntactic skills, and byfunctional brain exploration. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of AoA and language practice on proficiency in abilingual pragmatic task and its relationship with cognitive skills. The study involved a group of Italian–Spanish bilinguals,classified according to their AoA and language use. All participants performed a pragmatic bilingual test and a battery ofcognitive tests. A multivariate analysis showed significant effects of language use and cognitive skills and a non-significanteffect of AoA. These results indicate that continued language practice is a major factor influencing high bilingual proficiency,irrespective of AoA, suggesting that proficiency may be weakened when bilingual experience becomes occasional or ceases