Language Loss Research Articles

Climate change and languages: the threat of climate-induced migration to the world’s vulnerable languages

Abstract The concepts of “loss” and “damage” relate to the effects of anthropogenic climate changes that affect people’s livelihoods. This short communication proposes that these concepts should be broadened to include cultural intangibles such as language. Migration caused by climate change is a known phenomenon, as are the potentially negative effects migration has on language vitality. We link these concepts together to argue that climate change can have a direct negative impact on the relative health of endangered languages. Focusing on Pacific islands and atolls, it is demonstrated that migration away from these homelands results in decline of use of the associated language. With the effects of climate change on these islands well documented, there is a distinct possibility that climate migration could cause language loss in the near future. We suggest that culturally protective public policies alongside climate policies are needed to support languages (and by extension, cultures) from “loss” and “damage”.

Her Mother’s Tongue: Bilingual Dwelling, Being In-Between, and the Intergenerational Co-creation of Language-Worlds

ABSTRACT This article takes up the idea of language as a home and dwelling, and reconsiders what this might mean in the context of diasporic bilingualism, where as a “heritage speaker” of a minority language, the “mother tongue” may be experienced as both deeply familiar yet also alien or alienating. Drawing on a range of philosophical and literary accounts (Cassin, Arendt, Anzaldúa, Vuong, among others), this article explores how the so-called “mother tongue” is experienced by heritage speakers in an English-dominant world. From navigating one’s being in-between language-worlds, to the experience of language loss and efforts of reconnection, I argue that bilingual dwelling involves many complex layers often overlooked by philosophical accounts of language that do not attend to the lived world of the migrant and racialized outsider. By turning to the example of bilingual parenting, I then examine how such an undertaking, while labor-intensive, offers opportunities to refresh and co-create language-worlds anew.

Solidarity and/in Language

The notion of solidarity can be said to be premised on shared intention and joint action, particularly when oriented towards questions of social and political justice. Yet conceptions of solidary relations remain surprisingly thin on language, and the ethics of the linguistic practices and mechanisms through which individuals formulate a sufficiently meaningful backdrop necessary for shared intention and joint action. My aim in this article, therefore, is to begin filling this gap, in the form of a general normative account that identifies the multilayered interrelations between solidarity and language, and examines their moral and practical implications. I begin with a brief overview of solidarity and language in the context of normative debates on bounded political communities. I then proceed to offer a more critical account of solidarity and linguistic difference, challenging some of the assumptions underlying its present understanding in that literature. In order to highlight and illustrate that critique, I explore its relevance to the highly political and often overlooked question of solidarity and language loss. I conclude with a brief reflection on the field of political theory and philosophy, asking what theoretical, conceptual and methodological insights may be gained from a closer attention to the language of solidarity in the theoretical and practical pursuit of justice.

A Second Look at Education in Ex-colonies: A Case for Policy (Re)thinking

This review of arguments around formal education (schooling) acknowledges the developmental externalities of schooling and suggests that school organisation, knowledge practices and language of instruction in ex-colonies require review to serve national agendas. The arguments developed in the paper provided evidence that educational outcomes are not the same, especially in ex-colonies of Africa. It argues, that schooling in ex-colonies tend to de-historicise students and uproot them from their cultural heritage as colonialism does. As such, ex-colonies face national security risks associated with cultural epistemicide, for the loss of indigeneity including loss of indigenous knowledge, language and national identity. Therefore, there is need for a situated analysis of the political economy of knowledge production in order to deconstruct whose knowledge and interest schooling serves in ex-colonies. It is important for educational policy makers and school administrators to take a second look at schooling in terms of how it accords certain privileges and legitimacy to certain forms of knowing while invalidating indigeneity - Indigenous knowledge, culture and identity in ex-colonies.

Sleep and the Social Profiles of Individuals With Rett Syndrome

BackgroundThis study investigates the distinctive social behaviors observed in individuals with Rett syndrome (RTT), characterized by the loss of spoken language, impaired eye gaze communication, gait abnormalities, and sleep issues. The research aims to identify social profiles in RTT and explore their correlation with sleep, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), and daytime sleepiness. MethodsStandard overnight sleep macrostructure and respiratory parameters were assessed. Extracting 25 social-related items and one for daytime sleepiness from the Rett Syndrome Behavioral Questionnaire, factor analysis was applied to establish latent social profiles. These profiles were then correlated with sleep parameters. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test compared social profiles based on the presence of SDB (defined by an apnea-hypopnea index greater than one per hour) and daytime sleepiness. ResultsThe study involved 12 female subjects with confirmed RTT diagnoses and MECP2 mutations, aged 8.54 ± 5.30 years. The Rett Syndrome Behavioral Questionnaire revealed a total average score of 25.83 ± 12.34, indicating varying degrees of social impairments. Comprising 25 social-related items, factor analysis yielded four social profiles: “interactive motricity,” “mood change,” “anxiety/agitation,” and “gazing.” Longer sleep onset latency correlated with increased socio-behavioral impairments, particularly in interactive motricity reduction. Conversely, higher rapid eye movement sleep was associated with fewer interactive socio-motor behaviors. No significant differences in social profiles were found concerning the presence of SDB or daytime sleepiness. ConclusionsThe findings suggest four distinct social profiles in RTT individuals, hinting at shared disrupted circuits between sensorimotor functioning and sleep-related neuronal pathways. Despite the absence of differences in SDB or daytime sleepiness, the study highlights the relationship between sleep parameters, such as sleep onset latency and rapid eye movement sleep, and socio-behavioral outcomes in RTT with MECP2 mutations.

Breaking New Ground: Applying Complex Dynamic Systems Theory to Domestic Research on Language Attrition

Breaking New Ground: Applying Complex Dynamic Systems Theory to Domestic Research on Language Attrition

Alzheimer's Disease: Models and Molecular Mechanisms Informing Disease and Treatments.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease resulting in progressive loss of memory, language and motor abilities caused by cortical and hippocampal degeneration. This review captures the landscape of understanding of AD pathology, diagnostics, and current therapies. Two major mechanisms direct AD pathology: (1) accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaque and (2) tau-derived neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). The most common variants in the Aβ pathway in APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 are largely responsible for early-onset AD (EOAD), while MAPT, APOE, TREM2 and ABCA7 have a modifying effect on late-onset AD (LOAD). More recent studies implicate chaperone proteins and Aβ degrading proteins in AD. Several tests, such as cognitive function, brain imaging, and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and blood tests, are used for AD diagnosis. Additionally, several biomarkers seem to have a unique AD specific combination of expression and could potentially be used in improved, less invasive diagnostics. In addition to genetic perturbations, environmental influences, such as altered gut microbiome signatures, affect AD. Effective AD treatments have been challenging to develop. Currently, there are several FDA approved drugs (cholinesterase inhibitors, Aß-targeting antibodies and an NMDA antagonist) that could mitigate AD rate of decline and symptoms of distress.

Aspects of Successful Multilingualism

Multilingualism is always an interesting case, particularly regarding how multilingual individuals maintain their languages. Sometimes they are successful, but sometimes due to some factors, they fail to maintain their languages which leads to language attrition. This paper compares three multilingual Indonesians from two different generations in terms of how their languages were acquired, what those languages meant to them, and what has happened to those languages. Questionnaire and semi-structured interview results reveal that while attitude towards the second language is a factor not to be underestimated, the opportunity to use a second language also plays a significant role in one’s language maintenance. In addition, government policy is a critical factor. One alarming finding is that positive progress does not always result in positivity in attitude, particularly attitudes toward the first language.

ПОЧЕМУ У НАС НЕ ПОЛУЧАЕТСЯ СОХРАНЯТЬ ЯЗЫКОВОЕ МНОГООБРАЗИЕ? (I) СОХРАНЕНИЕ ЯЗЫКОВ РОССИИ, ЯЗЫКОВАЯ ПОЛИТИКА И ЯЗЫКОВАЯ РЕВИТАЛИЗАЦИЯ

In recent years, “preservation of linguistic diversity” has been included as one of the goals of the state nationality policy. Efforts to preserve languages are undertaken both at the level of state policy “from above” and the practical activities of language activists “from below”. However, despite the official recognition of the problem of language loss and the rise of language activism, it has not yet been possible to achieve any noticeable results in solving the practical problem of preserving languages. In this article, I analyze the reasons for the ineffectiveness of these efforts and argue that obstacles exist not only at the level of practical activity, but also in applied research. Language policy practitioners implement language policy “from above,” but so far their work remains without solid scientific and conceptual grounds. In the world science at the moment there are two relevant research programs – research on language policy and research on language revitalization. In Russian science, at the theoretical level in the study of language, society and power an adequate interdisciplinary basis has not yet appeared, therefore, at the applied level, there is no high-quality scientific expertise in the field of policy for the preservation and development of Russian languages and their revitalization.

Identity markers among Koreans in Germany and the United States: Language loss and food preferences

Korean Americans and Korean Germans exhibit similarities in their upbringing and migration processes: The first generation, speaking Korean natively and solid in their identity as Koreans, attempt to raise their children with a Korean identity in a culture, where English or German is the mainstream language. Given their minority status in either country, passing on their native tongue is difficult. The second generation struggles in their ability to speak Korean, even though they are exposed to it at home and at Korean language school. Cultural concepts that are familiar to Koreans also prove difficult to translate, such as jeong or han. But consuming and talking about Korean food appears to be the gateway for second generation youth to their parents’ native country and culture, which they otherwise experience via mediated memories.
 In general, food preferences seem to mirror migrants’ identities and identity processes: While abroad, the first generation cooks Korean food to cope with feelings of homesickness and to create community and a sense of belonging in the diaspora. As a result, Korean food, much more than the Korean language, seems to be the Korean identity marker that gets passed on successfully to the next generation. The second generation, whether in Germany or the United States, is familiar with and appreciates Korean food, while they also experiment with combining Korean food elements with American or German ones. Just like the first generation, the second-generation Koreans have also experienced their fair share of food shaming due to the odiferous nature of Korean food, but it is still part of their daily lives. In fact, the second generation deliberately chooses to include Korean food and combinations thereof in their life, as it has become a source of pride. Creating Korean German or Korean American dishes mirrors the second generation’s hybridity and fluidity of their perceived identities.
 Since the command of the Korean language significantly declines among second-generation Koreans due to assimilation forces, many cannot claim fluency in their parents’ native language. Hence, cooking, eating, and talking about Korean food seems to be the remaining marker of Koreanness, other than their physical appearance.

Exploring the perception of politeness in relation to language attrition and interpersonal dynamics in an intercultural academic context

The present paper explores the intricacies of the perception of international doctoral students of politeness, linguistic choices, and language attrition, and their subsequent influence on intercultural academic relationships. The findings of this study provide an insight on the interplay between the perception of politeness and linguistic choices, a paramount determinant of successful academic communication. The data from this case study further shows that assimilation to the host country’s culture and linguistic nuances along with the length of academic breaks in the home country emerge as critical factors in second and first language attrition. The study underscores the imperative need for developing pragmatic competence and particularly ensuring its reinforcement through prolonged sustained exposure and productive language practice in both the nascent and advanced stages of second language acquisition in academic contexts where English is used as a lingua franca. As the environment of academic communication is becoming increasingly globalized, the results of this study emphasize the significance of effective communication and sustained pragmatic competencies in establishing effective academic networks, collaborations, and relationships in diverse intercultural settings.

Which extralinguistic factors affect written production skills in foreign language attrition? A longitudinal study of Greek learners having acquired French in a formal instructional setting

ABSTRACT In the vast literature on language attrition, studies on the role of extralinguistic factors in language retention, particularly concerning foreign language (FL) skills acquired in formal instructional contexts, are scarce. We address this issue by focusing on the impact of the frequency of FL use, both extramural and in the classroom, and motivation on the retention of written production skills. FL performance of Greek learners of French (N = 19) was assessed longitudinally (at the end of the instructional period and 12 months later) across two tasks: a C-test and a written narrative task. Findings generally showed a positive influence of language use and motivation on FL retention, but their impact varied across the tasks. In the C-test, results revealed a significant beneficial effect of extramural language use for communication purposes and motivation on participants’ general linguistic skills, while lexical diversity in the written narrative task was positively influenced by the learners’ personal involvement when using French as well as oral FL use in the classroom. Findings allow us to deepen insights from former studies and suggest that FL attrition research should favour longitudinal approaches in order to shed light on the complex interactions between extralinguistic factors in FL retention.

Evaluation of a longitudinal digital citizen science initiative to understand the impact of culture on Indigenous youth mental health: Findings from a quasi-experimental qualitative study.

Indigenous youth in settler nations are susceptible to poor mental health due to complex intergenerational systemic inequities. Research has shown benefits of cultural connectedness for improving mental health; however, there are few studies which have evaluated the impact of culturally relevant mental health interventions, particularly among Indigenous youth. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of a culturally-responsive, land-based, active living initiative on the mental health of Indigenous youth. This quasi-experimental qualitative study is part of Smart Indigenous Youth (SIY), a mixed-methods 5-year longitudinal digital citizen science initiative. SIY embeds culturally responsive, land-based active living programs into the curricula of high schools in rural Indigenous communities in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan. In year-1 (Winter 2019), 76 Indigenous youth citizen scientists (13-18 years) from 2 schools participated in the study. At the beginning of the term, each school initiated separate 4-month land-based active living programs specific to their culture, community, geography, and language (Cree and Saulteaux). Before and after the term, focus groups were conducted with the 2 Youth Citizen Scientist Councils, which included students from both participating schools. This study includes data from focus groups of one participating school, with 11 youth citizen scientists (5 boys, 6 girls). Focus group data were transcribed and analyzed by two independent reviewers using Nvivo to identify themes and subthemes. Both reviewers discussed their thematic analysis to reach consensus about final findings. Baseline focus group analyses (before land-based programming) revealed themes demonstrating the importance of Indigenous culture, identity, history, and language. Youth emphasized the impact of loss of language and culture, the importance of being a helper, and the necessity of intergenerational knowledge transfer. Follow-up focus group analyses (post land-based programming) indicated that cultural school programming led to students expressing positive mental health benefits, increased interest in ceremonies, increased participation in physical activity, and greater knowledge of culture, identity, and ceremonial protocol. This novel qualitative quasi-experimental study offers a window into the future of upstream interventions in partnership with Indigenous communities, where Indigenous youth can be engaged in real-time via their digital devices, while participating in culturally-sensitive, land-based school programming that promotes culture, identity, and mental health.

Efficacy of clustering and switching strategies in verbal fluency tasks in a Finnish-English language attrition population

ABSTRACT Verbal Fluency (VF) task total scores are widely used in language attrition studies, but they do not provide insight into the processes underlying optimal performance. We analyse the efficacy of clustering (subcategories within a category) and switching (shifting between these subcategories) strategies in phonemic (PVF) and semantic (SVF) tasks. First, we focus on L1 Finnish and L2 English performance among attriters (N = 38). Our analyses suggest similar processes underlying performance in both languages. These processes seem to remain unaffected by immersion time in the L2 environment (LoR) and frequency of L1 use, highlighting the importance of including L2 data alongside comparisons to L1 monolingual populations to account for a broad bilingual effect in language attrition studies. Second, we compare attriters’ and monolinguals’ (N = 50) performance in L1. Our findings suggest that attriters rely on clustering in PVF more systematically than monolinguals, and they struggle to initiate a search for a new subcategory or return to a previous category (switching) after depleting a cluster in PVF and SVF tasks. Thus, our analysis demonstrates a difference in processing strategies between the groups that could potentially contribute to similar total scores in PVF and lower total scores in the attriter group in SVF.

Examination of the Post-Graduation Turkish Proficiency Levels of Secondary Education Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language: The Case of Iraq

This study aimed to evaluate the post-graduation language status of secondary school students learning Turkish as a foreign language in Iraq and to determine the factors affecting the progress or deterioration in their language levels, if any. For this purpose, the desired language status of these people; they were evaluated according to gender, age groups and professions. Factors affecting the progress and decline in language levels were determined and listed according to the degree of impact. The research was conducted with the quantitative research method and the design of the study is a case study. Information was collected by semi-structured survey method, and descriptive scanning and relational scanning models were preferred among general scanning models in the study. The sample of the study consists of graduates who learned Turkish as a foreign language in schools in the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq between 1997 and 2022. A total of 414 people, 196 women and 218 men, participated in the research. The current language status of the participants and the factors that caused the improvement and deterioration of their Turkish language skills were determined according to the determined variables and the obtained values are; it was tried to be analyzed with the help of figures, tables and graphs. As a result, it has been observed that students who learned Turkish as a foreign language in Iraq reached a successful language level after graduation and improved their language skills at a significant rate after graduation. There are almost no studies on the language status of students who have completed their foreign language education, graduated and started business life. This makes this study very important and it will be one of the first important studies and resources in this field. More research needs to be done on the language status of students after graduation. Keywords: Foreign language Turkish, language after graduation, foreign language levels, language attrition, language development.

AI: A Catalyst for Language Preservation in the Digital Era

Languages, a cornerstone of human culture, embody the essence of a community’s history, values, and identity. However, amidst the vast tapestry of linguistic diversity, numerous languages face the precipice of extinction, threatening the very fabric of cultural heritage. In this digital age, the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a beacon of hope in the race against language loss. AI technologies present unprecedented opportunities to document, revive, and preserve endangered languages, igniting a renewed vigour in safeguarding these invaluable linguistic treasures.

Evaluating social media platforms as predictors for vocabulary attrition

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of various predictors on foreign language vocabulary attrition. Uniquely, it introduces social media platforms as a new predictor to vocabulary attrition. The study examined a population of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Saudi English major learners from two different universities in Saudi Arabia over three distinct periods, spanning both during and after the cessation of formal education. The participants were initially taught using traditional teaching methods in a reading course. Upon completing their formal education, they were included in WhatsApp and Telegram groups, where they were engaged in bimonthly language activities, with special focus on vocabulary, for eighteen months to enhance their exposure to the vocabulary they had studied during their undergraduate studies as English language majors. The findings revealed that participants reported six opportunities to use English vocabulary (in online games, while browsing the internet, in WhatsApp and Telegram groups, in watching movies, in private courses, and in college courses) with varying levels of interaction. The levels declined at a relatively slow rate, especially after graduation. Notably, the use of social media platforms demonstrated a more effective retention of productive vocabulary, underscoring these platforms as potent predictors of language attrition.

Literature Review on Language Attrition Causes: Word Frequency, and Identity and Belongings

Literature Review on Language Attrition Causes: Word Frequency, and Identity and Belongings

NEUROPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF MICHELIA CHAMPACA AGAINST ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IN RAT MODEL

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of memory, thinking skills, language and other cognitive functions. The main objective of this work is to investigate neuroprotective activity of Michelia champaca against Alzheimer’s disease.MethodNeuroprotective activity was carried out by colchicine induced Alzheimer’s disease on Sprague‐Dawley rats. Test group animals administrated with Ethanol extract Michelia champaca at dose of 200, 400, and 600mg/kg for 28 days. The Behavioural parameters were assessed using the Morris water maze test, Spontaneous locomotor activity using Open field Apparatus and Plus maze were performed at Days 0, 7, 14 and 28 on intracerebroventricular administration of colchicine for assessing the cognitive and gross behavioural activities in all groups. Biochemical parameter such as lipid peroxidation, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, total thiols and acetylcholinesterase were assessed and histopathology of brain tissue was assessed on the final day of the experiment.ResultEthanol extract of Michelia champaca shows a dose dependent neuroprotective activity by significant decrease in time latency of Morris water maze (p<0.001), Plus maze (p<0.001) increase in the Spontaneous locomotor activity (p<0.001) in EMC treated group compared to colchicine induced control group. Biochemical parameters showed significant decreases in lipid peroxidation (p<0.001) and increased in superoxide dismutase (p<0.001) catalase (p<0.001) glutathione (p<0.001) total thiols (p<0.001) and acetylcholinesterase level (p<0.001) in the EAM treated groups as compared with colchicine induced control group.ConclusionIn conclusion, the present study suggests that administration of ethanol extract of Michelia champaca (EMC) possesses neuroprotective activity against colchicine induced cognitive impairment and associated oxidative stress.

Colonial governmentality and Bangladeshis in the anthropocene: Loss of language, land, knowledge, and identity of the Chakma in the ecology of the Chittagong Hill tracts in Bangladesh

“Can they do whatever they please. . . Turn settlements into barren land. Dense forests into deserts. Mornings into evenings. Turn fertile into barren. Why shall I not resist!. …. I become my whole self. . . Why shall I not resist”!. This is a section from a poem - ‘Joli No Udhim Kittei’ a Chakma poem written in Bengali script as ‘Rukhe Darabo Na Keno?’ (‘Why shall I not resist!’) by the author \Kabita Chakma in 1992, translated into English. It epitomizes the ongoing violation of human rights that Chakmas (members of one of the Indigenous communities in Bangladesh) experience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) where the highest number of Indigenous people in Bangladesh live. In this paper, the first author, a member of the Chakma community and a Lecturer at an Australian university is in conversation with the second author, a Professor at a university in a Bangladeshi university. With reference to Phillipson’s linguicism, and Foucault's notion of governmentality in the era of the Anthropocene, in their conversation, they reflect on the Anthropocene – the forced migration, displacement of Indigenous communities in Bangladesh from their traditional land, extinction of Indigenous languages, disengagement with Indigenous and local languages, and consequently, and the destruction of biodiversity of Chittagong Hill Tracts.