Attriters and Bilinguals: What’s in a Name?

Abstract

The use of language as a universal tool for communication and interaction is the backbone of human society. General sociocultural milieu and specific contextual factors can strongly influence various aspects of linguistic experience, including language acquisition and use and the respective internal neurolinguistic processes. This is particularly relevant in the case of bilingualism, which encompasses a diverse set of linguistic experiences, greatly influenced by societal, cultural, educational, and personal factors. In this perspective piece, we focus on a specific type of linguistic experience: non-pathological first-language (L1) attrition—a phenomenon that is strongly tied to immersion in non-L1 environments. We present our view on what may be the essence of L1 attrition and suggest ways of examining it as a type of bilingual experience, in particular with relation to its neurocognitive bases.

Use of the first-acquired language modulates pupil size in the processing of island constraint violations

“…While all bilinguals are susceptible to attrition and cross-linguistic influence-two phenomena common in cases of language contact-HS are in general thought to be even more so (but for counterexamples, see Chang et al, 2011 3 ) since in the process of becoming dominant in the L2, the mental representation and processing of the L1 can weaken (e.g., Gallo et al, 2021). But the claim that HS bilinguals are as a group distinct from other bilingual types implies a significant degree of homogeneity, presumably of a cognitive nature, due to early exposure to the L2.…”

Investigating Heritage Language Processing: Meaning Composition in Chinese Classifier-Noun Phrasal Contexts

“…Although only few studies have investigated the LPC in a bilingual population, controversial findings have been reported (Martin et al, 2013;Foucart et al, 2014;Kasparian and Steinhauer, 2016;Zheng and Lemhöfer, 2019). Kasparian and Steinhauer (2016) found an enhanced late posterior positivity (labeled as P600 in Kasparian and Steinhauer's article; see Van Petten and Luka, 2012;Kuperberg and Wlotko, 2018;Leckey and Federmeier, 2020, for discussions about the relationship between LPC and P600) to lexical-semantic violations in L1 Italian attriters (note that all heritage speakers are, in a broad sense, L1 attriters, see Gallo et al, 2021, for detailed discussions), compared to adult Italian L2 learners and to Italian monolingual speakers, regardless of language proficiency. The researchers attributed that effect to increased conflict-monitoring and second thought processes specifically in attriters.…”

“…Usually, the L2 becomes the dominant majority language and the L1 weakens. In this sense, almost all heritage speakers are facing the problems of "incomplete L1 acquisition" and "L1 attrition" (Polinsky, 2006;Montrul, 2008Montrul, , 2016Schmid and Köpke, 2009;Benmamoun et al, 2013;Scontras et al, 2015;Montrul and Silva-Corvalán, 2019;Gallo et al, 2021). Incomplete L1 acquisition means that the heritage speakers did not have an opportunity to reach age-appropriate mastery of the L1.…”

“…However, it is not caused by a deficient ability to fully acquire the L1, but instead it is due to the fact that some specific properties of the heritage language remain absent from the heritage speakers' language environment, either because their parents do not use them or because the heritage speakers do not have opportunities to use them (Montrul, 2008;Montrul and Silva-Corvalán, 2019). L1 attrition means deterioration or even loss of a linguistic property after fully attained, due to intensive L2 exposure and reduced L1 use (Montrul, 2008;Schmid and Köpke, 2009;Gallo et al, 2021). Young heritage speakers' L1 knowledge is likely to reflect incomplete acquisition and language attrition "simultaneously or sequentially" (Montrul, 2008, p. 21).…”

Moving to continuous classifications of bilingualism through machine learning trained on language production

“…In a globalised and highly integrated world, the boundaries of languages have become fluid and seemingly continuous. Speakers are more likely to move across countries, transfer their homeland language to their offspring and acquire other languages, with bilingual proficiency reaching native-like language abilities well after childhood (Gallo et al, 2021;Hartshorne et al, 2018;Köpke, 2021;Roncaglia-Denissen & Kotz, 2016;Steinhauer, 2014). However, bilingualism is known to substantially vary among individuals, as it is shaped by intra-and extralinguistic factors such as amount of exposure, social status and education (Bialystok, 2016;Gullifer et al, 2018;Gullifer & Titone, 2020;Hartanto & Yang, 2016;Polinsky & Scontras, 2020;Rodina et al, 2020).…”