First Language Attrition

Monika Schmid

doi:10.1093/obo/9780199772810-0266

Abstract

The term “language attrition” refers to any process by which a language which an individual commands may be restructured, modified, or otherwise affected by another language in such a way that it less closely resembles the idealized version known and used by monolingual speakers than it did before this crosslinguistic influence started. The phenomena seen under such circumstances are often similar to those experienced in the acquisition of a second or other language (L2), where pre-existing language knowledge or habits interfere with the establishment and use of newly acquired knowledge, comprising features such as a reduction in complexity, accuracy, and/or fluency. They differ from such phenomena in that, in language attrition, the traffic occurs in the “reverse” direction, from the new to the established language. While language attrition has been investigated most often in the context of changes and modifications experienced in the native language (L1) by speakers who have acquired a second language after puberty and who have shifted their language use patterns until this new language is the one they use most often in their daily lives (i.e., among adult migrants), other kinds of situations—such as the attrition of a second language due to non-use or due to the acquisition of further languages (L3 acquisition), or changes to the L1 that occur in instructed second language learners at low levels of proficiency and early stages of development—also fall under the umbrella of language attrition. As such, the term “attrition” has sometimes been considered misleading, suggesting structural or representational alterations away from the “monolingual standard,” while research has shown that the differences observed between monolinguals and attriters in all of these contexts usually occur at the level of processing/use and do not affect underlying knowledge. The term “attrition” here is used without prejudice to the nature of crosslinguistic influence, but where not otherwise indicated, it will refer to traffic from L2 or Lx to L1.

Highlights

Speakers who live in an L2 environment for an extended period of time often experience change in the way in which they use their L1, a process referred to as L1 attrition
Comparisons of speakers who have been exposed to the target language from birth with others for whom it was not the first language (L2ers) will usually find that the L1ers perform 'better', and that there is a wider range of scores represented among the L2ers
Factors that can contribute to this distribution include the age at which the L2ers started to learn the language in question, the manner of acquisition, the amount of time devoted to language learning and input received, and individual characteristics such as language learning aptitude, attitude and motivation

Summary

Introduction

Speakers who live in an L2 environment for an extended period of time often experience change in the way in which they use their L1, a process referred to as L1 attrition.

Results

Conclusion