Language Attrition

Introduction
Learning and using language is the unique quality and speciality of
human beings among all other living things.Human beings start
acquiring language right from their birth.As children, they try to
acquire the very easily uttered sounds ad articulated in lips, teeth
and mouth cavity.Later on, when they become grown up, they
acquire and learn difficult sounds, words and strings of words.
This is how they acquire their first language which is also known as
mother tongue or native language. Sometimes, people live in a
bilingual society or go a foreign country where they can use their
L1.In this way, they tend to lose their first language. This
phenomenon is known as language attrition. Language attrition is
the process of losing a native or language. The reason of this
process is living in isolation from speakers of the first language and
the acquisition and use of a second language which infers with the
correct production and comprehension of the first.
The present paper will present an overview of the state of the art in language attrition
research, attempting to provide an integrate picture of the attrition process in the light of
Dynamic System Theory. Recent findings suggest that a fully developed L1 system is a
powerful attractor state, as defined by Dynamic System Theory. Once this state has been
attained, L2 influence or activation problems may cause small temporary shifts to the
overall system, but it will generally settle back to its original state. Such a view could
explain the dramatic difference observed between the L1 knowledge of pre- and post-
puberty migrants. While speakers who have attained school age, but not puberty, will
generally be able to use most grammatical features of their L1 in a target-like way, this
knowledge may not yet have ‘settle’ into the mature attractor state, and therefore remain
vulnerable to attrition. An important aspect of language learning that lend to be ignored in
dominant language acquisition theory for a long time is language attrition or loss. During
the last few decades,however this kind of influence of L2 on L1 has not only been touched
upon in several publications on second language acquisition (SLA) and bilingualism (Seliger
and Vago ,1991,De Bot 1996)but it has been acknowledged as playing a crucial role in the
interplay between two languages in contact, as described by Kellerman and Sherwood
Smith (1986) in their definition of cross-linguistic influence . In the meantime it has
become clear that the influence between two languages is a much more diversified issue
than what was discussed under the label of the contrastive analysis hypothesis when the
discussion of transfer primary focused on the negative influence of the L1 on the L2. In
contrast to second language learning, cross-linguistic influence in multilingual acquisition is
a much more multifaceted phenomenon, as shown in recent research on third language
acquisition and bilingualism.
 Purpose of the study
Everyone wants to go to other country or society and some people go for jobs to
other countries. But, the are problems for those people because they acquired
the L2 and forget their first language. Out of other problems semantic effect in L1
is one of them. The study is specially related to our society, where the people go
other countries and their children, learn or acquire L2 and forget L1. In this way,
the researchers will investigate those problems in semantic effect in L1 of those
people who go foreign countries and their children born there.

Significance of the Study

This study is very important in our province and even in our society because we all
are go to other countries. We all are prone to mistakes when we start speaking
their L1. So this study will highlight all those situations where the L1 speakers
have problems in speaking their L1 in a continuous way or use.
Research Questions

1. What are the factors of those problems in semantic effect in L1 for those
people who live in the foreign countries?

2. What measures should be taken to overcome those problems?

Research Objectives

1. To find out the factors of those problems in semantic effect in L1.

2. To describe the measures for overcoming the problems.

Literature Review
Language is the only way through which we can conveying our inner thoughts, emotions, and feelings to the
rest of the world. But language attrition is the process of losing a native, or first, language. Language attrition is
cause by the near-nativeness in adult second language (L2) acquisition and it has been demonstrated that
certain syntactic constraints which are categorical for ‘true’ native speakers are optional for near-natives
(Beck,1998;Robertson and Sorace ,1999;Sorace 2000).

Language attrition has been caused by migrants communities, usually characterized by diminished use of the
L1 separation from the L1 community ,low degree of articulation, and a low level of L2 attainment at least in
the first generation(Hakansson,1995;Lambert and Freed, 1982;Montrul, 2002; Silva-Corvalan ,1991 ;Weltens,de
Bot, and van Els, 1986).

Age at the onset of attrition is generally recognized as one of the most significant factors in determining an
Individuals vulnerability to language attrition. This can be easily observed in L1 attrition context: For migrants
who leave their L1 environment after puberty the L1 remains stable, whereas Individuals who migrate before
puberty can suffer significant L1 attrition, both in rate and extent of language attrition. Pallier’s(2007) study, for
example, reported on young Korean adoptees (age 3-10) in France ,who lost their L1 completely after being
removed from the L1-speaking environment during childhood. Other studies also investigated that the link
between age and attrition have also demonstrated that the younger the child, the faster the rate of attrition, as
compared to the adults.
• To cut the long story short, this study is conducted for the purpose of pointing out different
problems the people who make in their L1. This study specifically focuses on the semantic effect
people who make in their L1.

Research Methodology

Research Design
For this study experimental designed will be used. So this designed better to present the study. The
researchers will get both quantitative and qualitative data through this design.

Population and Sampling procedures

Population of the study will be those people who live in the foreign countries, and come back to
their country and make mistakes in their L1, representative sample 10 people will be selected.

Research instrument
Audio recorder will be used as a research instrument for the present study. The researchers
recorded some sentences from those people who makes mistakes in their L1 and specially in its
meaning.
Data Collection Procedure
Data will be gathered from recording some sentences given to the people.
The recording will be of those people who live in the foreign countries and
come back to their own country. The focus will be on the problems those
people who make in the semantic (meaning).First they will be supposed to
read these sentences and make the meaning in their L1. At the same time,
the researchers will record their speaking.
References
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ANDERSEN, R.W.(1982).Determining the linguistic attributes of language
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