It seems to me there may be a simple explanation for this...if we assume that Chomsky is correct and that humans are born hard-wired with a "language acquisition device", than children under age 3 who are at the stage of acquiring language in a monolingual environment will be exposed to only one "set" of "permitted" or "meaningful" sound combinations for the given L1. At a young age, the brain begins learning to distinguish which sound combinations are permitted in a given language and/or are associated with meaning, and thus are language, and which ones are simply sound salad. 
   
  Their brains don't learn other sound combination "sets" associated with other languages are permissible, simply because they are not exposed to them...either in situations where the sound combination sets occur, or in situations where they occur in meaningful interaction with an interlocutor. 
   
  Their brains - or rather the language acquisition device in their brain - simply doesn't know these other sets of sound combinations exist. 
   
  The examples given for this thread suggest that young children who ARE exposed to other "sets" of permissible sound combinations retain them later on in life. From the examples from this discussion, it seems that there is little harm in letting youngsters know that there ARE other languages out there in the world, even at the stage when they are acquiring their L1.
   
  Wayne Hall
  Global Language School
  Gumi, Korea
   
   
  
Steve Kaufmann <steve at thelinguist.com> wrote:
  For what it is worth I do not believe that
"if a child is not exposed to a sound in the first three years of life, then the ability for the brain to recognize that sound later (when learning a second language) is limited, or even precluded." 
I simply know too many exceptions to that rule, including myself. It is not true for all. It may be true for some.

I believe that the brain is a Darwinian space. If a child is exposed to more than one language, this will develop an ability to process the sounds and structure of that language to some extent. If that is not continued this ability will decline. But reviving that ability will be easier, I believe, than starting from scratch. In either case, the motivation of the learner, the willingness to project oneself into the position of a speaker of another language, the position of a member of another cultural community,this attitude will be the most important factor. If a child can enjoy stories of another culture, and can enjoy the music and structure of another language, this will prepare the child for serious study later.


       
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