Language Attrition

Famala Eka Sanhadi Rahayu, [Link]

 DEFINITION
In psycholinguistics, language attrition refers to the
gradual loss or deterioration of language ability
over time, typically in individuals who have reduced
exposure to or usage of a particular language. This
phenomenon can affect first language (L1) or second
language (L2) proficiency and is influenced by various
cognitive, linguistic, and environmental factors.
TYPES OF LANGUAGE
ATTRITION
 BASED ON LANGUAGE AFFECTED
1. First Language (L1) Attrition

• Occurs when a speaker gradually loses proficiency in their native

language due to prolonged immersion in an L2 (second language)
environment.
• Common among immigrants, expatriates, and bilinguals who shift
dominance to L2.
• Can affect vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and pragmatics.
• Example: A Spanish-speaking child who moves to an English-
speaking country may start struggling with Spanish grammar after
years of speaking primarily
 BASED ON LANGUAGE AFFECTED
2. Second Language (L2) Attrition

• The loss of proficiency in a second language due to disuse.

• Common in students who stop learning a foreign language
or individuals who return to an L1-dominant environment.
• Can affect fluency, lexical access, and grammatical
accuracy.
• Example: A person who learned French in school but stops
using it may forget common words and sentence structures
over time.
 Based on the Domain of Language
Affected
1. Lexical Attrition
• Loss of vocabulary due to lack of use.
• Affects word retrieval, especially low-frequency words.
• Example: A bilingual English-German speaker forgets technical or
academic terms in German after working in an English-speaking
environment.

2. Morphosyntactic Attrition
• Decline in grammatical accuracy and sentence structure.
• Can include errors in word order, verb conjugation, and agreement.
• Example: A Spanish speaker living in the U.S. might start using simplified
verb tenses when speaking Spanish.
Based on the Domain of Language
Affected
3. Phonological Attrition
• Changes in pronunciation and accent influenced by the
dominant language.
• May lead to foreign-sounding speech or difficulties in
distinguishing certain sounds.
• Example: A Korean speaker who has lived in the U.S. for
decades may develop an Americanized accent when speaking
Korean.
Based on the Domain of Language
Affected
4. Pragmatic Attrition

• Loss of social and cultural norms in communication, such

as politeness strategies, idioms, or speech acts.
• Affects the ability to use language appropriately in different
social contexts.
• Example: A Japanese person who has lived in an English-
speaking country for many years may forget to use formal
honorifics (keigo) when speaking Japanese.
 Based on the Cause of Attrition
1. Natural Attrition
• Gradual language decline due to reduced use over time.
• Common among bilinguals or multilinguals who shift their primary
language.
• Example: A child who grows up speaking Mandarin at home but stops using
it as they integrate into an English-speaking school system.
2. Pathological Attrition
• Language loss due to neurological conditions, such as
aphasia, dementia, or brain injuries.
• May involve partial or complete loss of linguistic ability.
• Example: A stroke patient losing access to their native language
but retaining an L2.
 Based on the Reversibility
a. Temporary (Reversible) Attrition
• Language skills decline but can be recovered with re-exposure.
• Common in individuals who stop using a language for a while but
regain proficiency when needed.
• Example: A person who stops speaking French for years but quickly
regains fluency when visiting France.
b. Permanent (Irreversible) Attrition
• Language loss that is difficult or impossible to fully recover.
• More likely in older adults, individuals with severe L1 attrition,
or those with neurological damage.
• Example: An elderly bilingual speaker who has not used their L1 for
decades may struggle to regain fluency even with re-exposure.
 FACTOR CAUSES
LANGUAGE ATTRITION
 Linguistic and Cognitive Factors
a. Frequency of Use
• The less a language is used, the more likely it is to deteriorate.
• Example: A Spanish speaker who moves to an English-
speaking country and stops using Spanish daily may
experience lexical retrieval issues.
b. Age of Acquisition and Critical Period
• Languages learned after childhood are more susceptible to
attrition.
• Example: An adult learning French in college may forget it
faster than a bilingual child who grew up speaking it.
 Linguistic and Cognitive Factors
c. Working Memory and Processing Load
• Higher cognitive demands in an L2 can lead to L1 interference or
forgetting.
• Example: A bilingual doctor using medical terms in English may struggle to
recall the same terms in their L1.
d. Interference from Another Language (L1 or L2)
• One language may interfere with or replace the other over time.
• Example: A native German speaker who primarily speaks English may adopt
English syntax structures in their German speech.
e. Word Frequency and Retrieval Difficulty
• Less common words and phrases are lost first.
• Example: A bilingual individual may first forget academic vocabulary
before basic conversational words.
 Environmental and Social Factors
These factors influence language exposure, usage, and
motivation.
a. Immigration and Cultural Shift
• Moving to a country where another language is dominant can lead
to L1 attrition.
• Example: An Indonesian speaker living in Canada for 20 years
might struggle with formal Indonesian syntax when speaking.
b. Language Shift in Society
• If a community shifts to a dominant language, speakers may
lose their heritage language.
• Example: Indigenous language speakers replacing their native
tongue with a national language like English or Spanish.
 Environmental and Social Factors
c. Education and Institutional Pressure
• Formal education in L2 can weaken L1 skills.
• Example: A child attending an English-only school may forget their
home language grammar rules.
d. Lack of Reinforcement and Motivation
• A language needs active engagement to be maintained.
• Example: A person who learned Japanese in college but never uses it
will likely forget it over time.
e. Social Integration and Identity
• If an individual identifies more with an L2-speaking culture, they may
gradually lose their L1 fluency.
• Example: Second-generation immigrants in the U.S. who prefer
English over their parents' native language.
 Neurological and Psychological
Factors
These affect memory, cognitive abilities, and emotional
attachment to a language.
a. Aging and Cognitive Decline
• Older adults may experience memory loss, affecting language
retention.
• Example: An elderly bilingual forgetting low-frequency words in
their less-used language.
b. Brain Damage and Neurological Disorders
• Stroke, dementia, or brain injury can lead to pathological
language attrition.
• Example: A bilingual stroke patient may recover one language but
lose proficiency in the other.
 Neurological and Psychological
Factors
c. Emotional and Psychological Factors
• Negative experiences with a language can lead to
avoidance and forgetting.
• Example: A refugee who associates their L1 with trauma
may subconsciously suppress it.
d. Stress and Cognitive Load
• High stress can interfere with language retrieval and
maintenance.
• Example: A bilingual speaker under extreme work stress
may find it harder to switch between languages.
 Linguistic Structural Complexity
Some aspects of a language are more vulnerable to attrition
than others.
a. Loss of Morphosyntactic Features
• Complex grammar structures are often the first to decline.
• Example: An English speaker losing fluency in Russian may
struggle with case endings before forgetting basic words.
b. Phonological Changes and Accent Shift
• A speaker may adopt the phonetics of their dominant
language.
• Example: A native French speaker who speaks mostly English
may develop an English-influenced French accent.
LANGUAGE DISORDER
 DEFINITION
Language disorders are conditions that impair a
person's ability to understand, produce, or use
language appropriately. These disorders can be
developmental (present from childhood) or
acquired (resulting from brain injury or disease).
TYPES OF LANGUAGE
DISORDERS
 DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE
DISORDERS
These disorders occur in early childhood and affect language acquisition without any
known cause.

a. Specific Language Impairment (SLI) / Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

• Affects language development without cognitive, sensory, or neurological deficits.
• Children with SLI/DLD struggle with grammar, vocabulary, and sentence
structure.
• Example: A child might say, “Him go store” instead of “He goes to the store.”

b. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• Impacts social communication and language use.
• Individuals may struggle with pragmatics, metaphorical speech, and nonverbal cues.
• Example: Difficulty understanding sarcasm or maintaining conversations
 DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE
DISORDERS
c. Dyslexia
• Affects reading and phonological processing.
• Individuals struggle with decoding words, spelling, and
reading fluency.
• Example: Confusing letters like “b” and “d” or struggling to
read aloud.
d. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)
• Affects the ability to process spoken language, despite
normal hearing.
• Individuals may misinterpret similar-sounding words.
• Example: Confusing “cat” and “cap” in spoken conversations.
 Acquired Language Disorders
These disorders result from brain injury, stroke, or neurological
conditions.
a. Aphasia
• A language disorder caused by brain damage, usually due to a stroke or
head injury.
• Can affect speaking, understanding, reading, and writing.
• Types of Aphasia:
• Broca’s Aphasia – Difficulty producing speech but can understand language.
• Wernicke’s Aphasia – Fluent but nonsensical speech with comprehension
problems.
• Global Aphasia – Severe impairments in both speech production and
comprehension.
• Example: A person with Wernicke’s aphasia might say, “The sky is
telephone” when asked about the weather.
 Acquired Language Disorders
b. Dementia-Related Language Disorders
• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias cause progressive language
loss.
• Affects word retrieval, sentence formation, and coherence.
• Example: A person might forget common words or struggle to form
complete sentences.
c. Apraxia of Speech
• A motor speech disorder caused by brain damage affecting speech
coordination.
• The person knows what they want to say but struggles to articulate
words.
• Example: A person may repeatedly try to say a word but mispronounce it
each time.
 Acquired Language Disorders
d. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Can impair language processing, memory, and
communication.
• May lead to difficulty finding words, understanding
speech, or following conversations.
• Example: A car accident survivor struggling to recall
everyday words.
LANGUAGE ATTRITION
AND PSYCHOLINGUISTICS
DISORDER: THE
CONNECTION
 Neurological Disorders Related to
Language Attrition
A. Aphasia (Language Impairment Due to Brain Damage)
• Relation to Language Attrition:
• Individuals with aphasia experience sudden or
progressive language loss due to brain injury (e.g.,
stroke, head trauma, or neurodegeneration).
• Unlike language attrition caused by disuse, aphasia
damages neural pathways responsible for language
processing.
 TYPES OF APHASIA
1. Broca’s Aphasia (Non-Fluent Aphasia)
o Difficulty producing speech; comprehension is relatively
intact.
o Example: A person may say "want… coffee… now" instead
of "I want a cup of coffee now."
o Related brain region: Left frontal lobe (Broca’s area).
2. Wernicke’s Aphasia (Fluent Aphasia)
o Fluent but meaningless speech; comprehension is impaired.
o Example: A person may say "The banana is flying in the
garden" when trying to describe a simple scene.
o Related brain region: Left temporal lobe (Wernicke’s area).
 TYPES OF APHASIA
3. Anomic Aphasia
o Difficulty retrieving words (word-finding issues).
o Common in aging individuals and can resemble
lexical attrition seen in multilinguals.
4. Global Aphasia
o Severe impairment in both production and
comprehension.
o Usually due to widespread brain damage (e.g.,
stroke).
 Dementia and Language Decline
• Relation to Language Attrition:
• Dementia leads to progressive cognitive and
linguistic deterioration, similar to severe L1 attrition
but due to neurodegeneration rather than lack of
use.
• Common in aging populations, especially in
Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia.
 Types of Dementia Affecting
Language:
1. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
o Affects semantic memory (word meanings and associations).
o Patients struggle with naming objects, understanding words, and
forming coherent speech.
o Example: Forgetting common words like "chair" and calling it "that thing
you sit on.“
2. Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)
o A subtype of dementia where language loss is the first symptom.
o Unlike normal language attrition, PPA causes gradual and irreversible
decline.
o Three types:
 Non-fluent variant (difficulty producing speech)
 Semantic variant (loss of word meanings)
 Logopenic variant (word retrieval problems and slow speech).
 Types of Dementia Affecting
Language:
3. Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
o Affects social language use (pragmatics) and leads to
disinhibited, inappropriate speech.
o Patients may struggle with turn-taking, sarcasm, and
metaphors.
 Amnesia and Language Loss
Relation to Language Attrition:
 Retrograde amnesia can cause loss of language-related
memories, leading to a decline in vocabulary and fluency.
 Anterograde amnesia affects new language learning,
making it difficult to recover lost languages.
• Example: A person who suffered brain trauma may forget their
L2 completely (similar to extreme language attrition).
 Parkinson’s Disease and Speech
Disorders
Relation to Language Attrition:

 Parkinson’s patients experience reduced speech fluency and monotone voice

(hypophonia).

 Their ability to retrieve words and form complex sentences declines over time,
resembling lexical and syntactic attrition.

Speech and Language Impairments in Parkinson’s:

1. Dysarthria: Difficulty controlling speech muscles, leading to slurred or slow speech.

2. Hypophonia: Soft, weak voice production.

3. Bradyphrenia: Slowed cognitive processing, affecting spontaneous language

production.
Schizophrenia and Thought Disorder
in Language
Relation to Language Attrition:

 Patients with schizophrenia experience disorganized speech that mimics

extreme lexical attrition or syntactic deterioration.

 Unlike normal attrition, their semantic processing is impaired, leading to "word

salad" speech.

Types of Language Impairments in Schizophrenia:

1. Neologisms: Making up words (e.g., "I feel very splanged today.").

2. Tangential Speech: Talking off-topic without logical connections.

3. Clang Associations: Choosing words based on sound rather than meaning ("The cat
sat on the hat, with a bat, then it splat.").
 DISCUSSIONS
[Link] a person recover a lost language after
severe attrition? How does this compare to
language recovery in aphasia?
[Link] does bilingualism impact dementia-related
language decline?
[Link] someone has an L1 attrition due to migration,
could a neurological disorder reactivate it?
1. 2. Daniel, a bilingual toddler, often mixes Spanish and English in his speech. What does this indicate?

 A) Language confusion due to excessive exposure.

 B) A speech disorder requiring intervention.
 C) A normal phase in bilingual language development.
 D) A sign of cognitive impairment.

1. 1. Based on the Critical Period Hypothesis, what challenges might Sarah face in achieving native-like fluency in
Japanese?

 A) She will struggle mainly with vocabulary acquisition.

 B) She will have difficulty mastering pronunciation and grammar.
 C) She will learn syntax easily but struggle with semantics.
 D) She will learn the language at the same rate as a child.