Worksheet To Help Those With First Language Attrition Understand Their Feelings

First Language Attrition is defined as the gradual decline in proficiency of a person’s first language; it’s mainly caused by reduced use of that language or influences from a second language. This is mainly found in immigrants and of course as you would imagine since we live in a country of immigrants a lot of people in this country have gone through language attrition including myself. Language attrition can make people ashamed of being a part of their ethnic group due to how they don’t speak the native language, and if they have family back in their native country, language attrition can hurt their communication with that family.

Language Attrition in general is still a relatively young and under-explored field, there is a very even ratio between experimental studies and theoretical contributions. But there have been confirmations that show abandoning your first language environment before puberty makes you more likely to experience this language loss. Which is why you've probably noticed that your parents and/or older siblings haven't experienced first language attrition, but its nothing to be ashamed of. First Language Attrition can simply be seen as adaptation to the culture and presuppositions of the second language and of course as a kid you learn and take these things in much faster to adapt to this new environment you've been placed in which leads you to forget your previous environment. But again, its nothing to be ashamed of, its simply human nature.

Citations

Gallo, F., Bermudez-Margaretto, B., Shtyrov, Y., Abutalebi, J., Kreiner, H., Chitaya, T., Petrova, A., Myachykov, A. (2021). First Language Attrition: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and What It Can Be. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.686388

HOPP, H., & SCHMID, M. S. (2011). Perceived foreign accent in first language attrition and second language acquisition: The impact of age of acquisition and bilingualism. Applied Psycholinguistics, 34(02), 361–394. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0142716411000737