First-Language Attrition in Bengali-English–Speaking Individuals

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hia Datta
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
South Asian Immigrants ◽  
European Languages ◽  
L1 Attrition ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
L1 Use

Multilingual immigrants who live in an environment that does not support their first language (L1) can experience changes in their L1. Such changes, over long periods of time, can lead to attrition in L1. Existing studies examining L1 attrition have been focused on European languages and immigrants between the European and American continents. A group of researchers at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) sought to understand L1 attrition in South Asian immigrants with L1s that are very different in structure from English. In this study, we examined the relationship between language-use and language-immersion patterns that affect first and second language (L2) performance in Bengali-English speaking multilinguals. Language performance was measured by two lexical tasks—a picture-word task and verbal fluency measures—in both Bengali and English. Results indicated that decreased L1 use and low self-reported ratings of L1 predicted L1 attrition in these Bengali-English speaking individuals. Results also indicated that the earlier individuals are immersed in an L2 environment, the more likely it is that their first language will be affected by attrition. Thus, frequent use of L1 is important in order to maintain it, especially for immigrants who wish to pass their L1 on to future generations.

The attrition of Turkish as a third language

2017 ◽  
Vol 168 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-304
Author(s):  
Yasemin Yildiz ◽  
Hande Koyuncuoglu
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Attrition ◽  
Third Language ◽  
European Languages ◽  
L1 Attrition ◽  
Target Languages

Abstract This longitudinal study investigates an English-French-Turkish-speaking seven-years-old female child’s repertoire combining two Indo-European languages, English and French, and Turkish, which is an Altaic language. Language attrition has mostly focused on first language (L1) attrition, and to a lesser extent on second language (L2) attrition. Third language (L3) attrition, however, has been mostly overlooked, and more attention has gone to adult language attrition after migration or after institutional language learning. Most research has in addition focused on only a subset of target languages (TL). This paper therefore addresses the attrition of child L3 (Turkish) attrition ‘after remigration’. The findings show selective regression with structurally assigned morphology and confirm the findings of previous studies showing that the younger the informant, the more attrition is likely to occur.

scholarly journals Does Teaching Your Native Language Abroad Increase L1 Attrition of Speech? The Case of Spaniards in the United Kingdom

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Robert Mayr ◽  
David Sánchez ◽  
Ineke Mennen
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Relative Effect ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
L1 Attrition ◽  
Native Speech ◽  
Language Activation ◽  
L1 Use

The present study examines the perceived L1 accent of two groups of native Spaniards in the United Kingdom, Spanish teachers, and non-teachers, alongside monolingual controls in Spain. While the bilingual groups were carefully matched on a range of background variables, the teachers used Spanish significantly more at work where they constantly need to co-activate it alongside English. This allowed us to test the relative effect of reduced L1 use and dual language activation in first language attrition directly. To obtain global accentedness ratings, monolingual native Spanish listeners living in Spain participated in an online perception experiment in which they rated short speech samples extracted from a picture-based narrative produced by each speaker in terms of their perceived nativeness, and indicated which features they associated with non-nativeness. The results revealed significantly greater foreign-accent ratings for teachers than non-teachers and monolinguals, but no difference between the latter two. Non-native speech was associated with a range of segmental and suprasegmental features. These results suggest that language teachers who teach their L1 in an L2-speaking environment may be particularly prone to L1 attrition since they need to co-activate both their languages in professional settings and are regularly exposed to non-native speech from L2 learners.

scholarly journals Understanding Language Attrition through Orthography

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Beatriz Bermúdez-Margaretto ◽  
Federico Gallo ◽  
Mikhail Pokhoday ◽  
Yury Shtyrov ◽  
Hamutal Kreiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
First Language ◽  
Orthographic Knowledge ◽  
Orthographic Processing ◽  
Language Attrition ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
L1 Attrition ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
First Language Attrition ◽  
Neurophysiological Mechanisms

The decay in the proficiency of the native language (L1), known as first language attrition, is one of the least understood phenomena associated with the acquisition of a second language (L2). Indeed, the exact cause for the deterioration in L1 performance, be that either the interference from L2 acquisition or the less frequent use of L1, still remains elusive. In this opinion paper, we focus on one largely understudied aspect of L1 attrition—namely, the erosion of the L1 orthographic knowledge under the influence of L2 orthography. In particular, we propose to study differences in orthographic processing between mono- and bilingual populations as an approach, which, in turn, will allow to address both cognitive and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying L1 attrition. We discuss relevant experimental paradigms, variable manipulations and appropriate research methods that may help disentangle the largely debated question of L2 interference vs. L1 disuse, clarifying the nature of the L1 orthographic attrition.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Development of an Early Literacy App in Dhuwaya

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Gillian Wigglesworth ◽  
Melanie Wilkinson ◽  
Yalmay Yunupingu ◽  
Robyn Beecham ◽  
Jake Stockley
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
First Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Intercultural Development ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Bilingual School ◽  
The Impact

Phonological awareness is a skill which is crucial in learning to read. In this paper, we report on the challenges encountered while developing a digital application (app) for teaching phonological awareness and early literacy skills in Dhuwaya. Dhuwaya is a Yolŋu language variety spoken in Yirrkala and surrounding areas in East Arnhem Land. Dhuwaya is the first language of the children who attend a bilingual school in which Dhuwaya and English are the languages of instruction. Dhuwaya and English have different phonemic inventories and different alphabets. The Dhuwaya alphabet is based on Roman alphabet symbols and has 31 graphemes (compared to 26 in English). The app was designed to teach children how to segment and blend syllables and phonemes and to identify common words as well as suffixes used in the language. However, the development was not straightforward, and the impact of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges could not have been predicted. Amongst these was the inherent variation in the language, including glottal stops, the pronunciation of stops, the focus on syllables as a decoding strategy for literacy development and challenges of finding one-syllable words such as those initially used with English-speaking children. Another challenge was identifying culturally appropriate images which the children could relate to and which were not copyrighted. In this paper, we discuss these plus a range of other issues that emerged, identifying how these problems were addressed and resolved by the interdisciplinary and intercultural team.

Grammatical Gender in the German Multiethnolect

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-29
Author(s):  
Peter Auer ◽  
Vanessa Siegel
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Grammatical Gender ◽  
Grammatical Category ◽  
Immigrant Background ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Bare Nouns ◽  
Gender System ◽  
Germanic Languages

While major restructurings and simplifications have been reported for gender systems of other Germanic languages in multiethnolectal speech, this article demonstrates that the three-way gender distinction of German is relatively stable among young speakers from an immigrant background. We investigate gender in a German multiethnolect based on a corpus of approximately 17 hours of spontaneous speech produced by 28 young speakers in Stuttgart (mainly from Turkish and Balkan background). German is not their second language, but (one of) their first language(s), which they have fully acquired from childhood. We show that the gender system does not show signs of reduction in the direction of a two-gender system, nor of wholesale loss. We also argue that the position of gender in the grammar is weakened by independent innovations, such as the frequent use of bare nouns in grammatical contexts where German requires a determiner. Another phenomenon that weakens the position of gender is the simplification of adjective-noun agreement and the emergence of a generalized gender-neutral suffix for prenominal adjectives (that is, schwa). The disappearance of gender and case marking in the adjective means that the grammatical category of gender is lost in Adj + N phrases (without a determiner).

Experiences of Karen refugees with traditional and western medicine in the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-399
Author(s):  
Natalie R. Wodniak
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Traditional Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Karen Refugees ◽  
Us Cities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to further understand the medical experiences of Karen refugees who have been resettled to the USA. It examines the use of traditional medicine throughout the transition from Burma to the USA, as well as refugees’ experiences in the American healthcare system. This study aims to identify shortcomings in refugees’ access to preferred methods of healthcare. Design/methodology/approach Interviews were conducted with 39 Karen refugees in 3 US cities with large populations of refugees from Burma – Fort Wayne, Indiana; Amarillo, Texas; and Buffalo, New York. Participants were asked questions about their healthcare experiences in Burma and the USA, their use of traditional medicine in both countries and their satisfaction with medical care in the USA. Findings Nearly all interviewees reported using traditional medicine in Burma, but only six felt able to continue to use traditional methods in the USA. Most participants had positive experiences with healthcare in America, but 15 expressed dissatisfaction with obtaining health insurance and confusion over its coverage. Findings also indicate that refugees do not feel that traditional practices are accepted in the USA. Research limitations/implications Due to the language barrier, a phone interpreter was used for non-English-speaking participants, which may have affected proper understanding or clarity of answers. Practical implications This study brings to attention the need to improve refugee healthcare by encouraging traditional practices and assisting refugees with obtaining health insurance. Originality/value This paper identifies the importance of analyzing the accessibility of various forms of healthcare, including traditional medicine, to refugees in the USA.

Understanding Comprehension Levels of Emergency Notifications by Limited English Proficient US Residents: Case Study of Korean-Americans in New York City

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-859
Author(s):  
Alice R. Jung ◽  
Kiril D. Hristovski ◽  
Jon W. Ulrich ◽  
Albert F. Brown
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Diverse Environment ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Task Oriented

Abstract The overall goal of this study was to examine any validity of emerging concerns about the effectiveness and usefulness of a single language public messaging system in a linguistically diverse environment by evaluating the level of understanding of Notify NYC messages among Korean LEP residents of New York City. Three task oriented objectives were completed to address the goal of this study: (1) using past Notify NYC messages, a survey to test comprehension levels among Korean LEP residents was created; (2) the survey was administered among two population samples, Korean LEP and native English speaking (NES); and (3) statistical analysis was employed to correlate the data, conduct testing of three hypotheses, and develop appropriate conclusions. The results demonstrate that primary challenges with effective use of a single-language system in providing emergency communication to LEP residents stem from the language barriers that exist for this population category in the US. The positive pattern correlation and high coefficient of determination imply that improving the clarity of the emergency messages could enhance the overall message comprehension among the LEP US residents.

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