Retention of Irish skills: A longitudinal study of a school-acquired second language

Murtagh, Lelia; Slik, Frans van der

doi:10.1177/13670069040080030701

Cited by 19 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…9). Research on FL attrition often deals with languages which have been acquired to different levels of proficiency (research carried out by Murtagh & Van der Slik, 2004;Reetz-Kurashige, 1999). It is often very difficult (or impossible) to determine ultimate attainment (i.e.…”

Section: Methodological Issues and Constraints In Fl Attritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foreign language attrition

Schmid

Mehotcheva²

2012

DuJAL

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The present contribution discusses recent developments and future directions in the attrition of instructed foreign languages, arguing for a distinction between this type of attrition and attrition involving second languages acquired implicitly in an immersion setting. An overview of the history of research in the field and the most prominent findings is provided, followed by a discussion of theoretical models and methodologically problematic issues. We conclude by outlining some future directions for the field. IntroductionIt is usually taken for granted that a foreign language will be forgotten once it is no longer used or studied, regardless of whether it is a school/university acquired language or a language learned abroad. Empirical findings, however, have so far failed to validate this assumption of the inevitability of language attrition. Some studies suggest individual variation in the susceptibility to foreign language attrition, although it is not yet clear what factors cause or contribute to linguistic resilience.While interest in the phenomenon of language attrition can be traced back to as far as the 16 th century (See Berko-Gleason, 1982), it was not until the 1980s that the decrease of linguistic skills in healthy individuals over time began attracting the attention of modern linguistics. In the early years, different terms were used to refer to the same phenomenon, amongst which language attrition, language loss and language regression. However, with the development of the field it became evident that this variation caused confusion. Consequently, language loss was suggested as a cover/general term for any type of decline in linguistic skills, both at individual or group level, encompassing both language shift, an intergenerational and societal phenomenon usually associated with diglossia situations, and language attrition, an intragenerational and individual phenomenon (de Bot & Weltens, 1995:151; de Bot, 1996:579; Hansen, 2001:61). With some minor exceptions, language regression is now mainly used to denote decay in the linguistic ability of previously normally developing infants, a symptom usually associated with medical conditions such as autism or degenerative disorders of the brain (Hyltenstam & Viberg, 1994) Within the field of language attrition, a further distinction is made between L1 attrition or the attrition of a native language associated with immigrants, as in the studies of de Bot and Clyne (1994), Gürel (2004), Hulsen (2000, Dostert (2007), Opitz (2004), Seliger and Vago (1991), Schmid (2002), Schmid, Köpke, Keijzer and Weilemar (2004), Yağmur, de Bot and Kurzillus (1999), and L2/foreign language (FL) attrition, the attrition of languages acquired later in life.Traditionally, no distinction is made between L2 and FL attrition, but we shall argue that there are substantial differences between languages that are learned by instruction through explicit processes, where the learner focusses on the input, on rules etc., and naturalistically acquired L2s (for the ...

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Section: Methodological Issues and Constraints In Fl Attritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foreign language attrition

Schmid

Mehotcheva²

2012

DuJAL

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“…Moreover, one study found no changes at all in performance, across proficiency levels, after either 2 or 4 years of limited exposure [22]. Finally, in some cases a gain in performance has been observed: after 1.5 years of limited exposure in one study, particularly for L2 learners with immersion as well as classroom training [24], and in another study after 2 years, though only for some abilities, such as listening and reading comprehension [18]. It remains unclear what might explain such gains, which have been attributed to motivation and to L2 experience during the period of ostensibly limited exposure [24], or to factors related to general maturation, cognitive development, or continued academic training [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Fourth, in all six previous studies subjects had at least some L2 exposure during the period of ostensibly limited exposure, and only two studies seem to have attempted to control for this factor [17], [18]. In fact, in at least one study in which gains were observed, the authors attributed these changes to L2 exposure during this period [24]. Thus it remains unclear to what extent any observed changes are due to the time lag or to continuing exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Second Language Processing Shows Increased Native-Like Neural Responses after Months of No Exposure

et al. 2012

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Although learning a second language (L2) as an adult is notoriously difficult, research has shown that adults can indeed attain native language-like brain processing and high proficiency levels. However, it is important to then retain what has been attained, even in the absence of continued exposure to the L2—particularly since periods of minimal or no L2 exposure are common. This event-related potential (ERP) study of an artificial language tested performance and neural processing following a substantial period of no exposure. Adults learned to speak and comprehend the artificial language to high proficiency with either explicit, classroom-like, or implicit, immersion-like training, and then underwent several months of no exposure to the language. Surprisingly, proficiency did not decrease during this delay. Instead, it remained unchanged, and there was an increase in native-like neural processing of syntax, as evidenced by several ERP changes—including earlier, more reliable, and more left-lateralized anterior negativities, and more robust P600s, in response to word-order violations. Moreover, both the explicitly and implicitly trained groups showed increased native-like ERP patterns over the delay, indicating that such changes can hold independently of L2 training type. The results demonstrate that substantial periods with no L2 exposure are not necessarily detrimental. Rather, benefits may ensue from such periods of time even when there is no L2 exposure. Interestingly, both before and after the delay the implicitly trained group showed more native-like processing than the explicitly trained group, indicating that type of training also affects the attainment of native-like processing in the brain. Overall, the findings may be largely explained by a combination of forgetting and consolidation in declarative and procedural memory, on which L2 grammar learning appears to depend. The study has a range of implications, and suggests a research program with potentially important consequences for second language acquisition and related fields.

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“…Rigorous investigations describing the nature of FL attrition have failed to demonstrate whether forgetting FL linguistics aspects is permanent but might in fact improve or recover after a period of no or limited use (Alharthi, 2012, Hedgcock, 1991Murtagh & der Slik, 2004Weltens & Grendel, 1993Weltens, 1989;Xu, 2010). While there seems to be a consensus that deterioration in skills or linguistic aspects is likely to occur as exposure to the FL ends, there is no widely accepted theory that accounts for the various manifestation of attrition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

I Thought I Forgot about it: A Case Study in Attrition of English Grammar and Reading Comprehension

Alharthi¹,

Al-Hassan²

2016

IJL

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The purpose of the present study was to investigate foreign language attrition in Saudi Arabia. It focused on the attrition of English grammar and reading comprehension of university students whose formal learning of English had ceased between one and four years prior to the study. The participants were non-English major Saudi undergraduate female students at a Saudi university who had completed an English course in order to fulfill college requirements. The study adopted the kind of design commonly used in language attrition studies, i.e. a combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches. Various measurements of L2 attrition were conducted, including tests, questionnaires, and can-do scales. The findings suggest that (1) attrition due to ack of use of English did occur, (2) attrition sets in quickly and then levels off after four years of non-use, (3) reading comprehension is more vulnerable to attrition than grammar, and (4) no significant differences between participants were found due to the length of time English had not been used.

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Retention of Irish skills: A longitudinal study of a school-acquired second language

Cited by 19 publications

References 11 publications

Foreign language attrition

Foreign language attrition

Second Language Processing Shows Increased Native-Like Neural Responses after Months of No Exposure

I Thought I Forgot about it: A Case Study in Attrition of English Grammar and Reading Comprehension

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