The Interface Hypothesis as a Framework for Studying L1 Attrition

Abstract

This chapter focuses on first generation individual attrition from the point of view of the Interface Hypothesis (IH), which proposes that structures at the interface between syntax and other cognitive domains, such as pragmatics, are more likely to undergo attrition than structures that do not involve such an interface, and discusses recent research that provides evidence of the selectivity and reversibility of individual first language (L1) attrition. This research provides supporting evidence for the IH as it reveals that attrition affects structures at the syntax-pragmatics interface but not structures requiring the satisfaction of semantic conditions. This chapter also reviews research that supports Sorace's (2011Sorace's ( , 2016 proposal that individual L1 attrition affects only the ability to process interface structures but not knowledge representations, as it reveals that attrition only affects online sensitivity with structures at the syntax-pragmatics interface rather than causing a permanent change in speakers' L1 knowledge representations.

Shrinking Your Deictic System: How Far Can You Go?

“…It is thus possible that the observed results are attributable to a bilingual system of mapping perceptual space onto the native language (Spanish), primarily reflected in language use, and as a result of daily practice of a second language. Indeed, recent studies on attrition in Spanish speakers exposed to English document that attrition effects may be partly reversible when speakers are re-immersed in the original L1 community ( Chamorro et al, 2016 ; Chamorro and Sorace, 2019 ). These findings indicate that bilingual grammars are dynamic systems which reflect sensitivity to frequency of use.…”

Variation in first-generation L1 deictic systems: Language attrition and bilingualism effects

“…While some changes in the L1 of first-generation speakers can be attributed to influence of the second language, there is also evidence that L2 cross-linguistic influence cannot fully explain the pattern of performance of language attriters. Thus, overuse of overt pronouns in first-generation speakers of pro-drop languages has also been documented in the second language of bilingual speakers of two languages with the same type of pronominal system (Chamorro & Sorace, 2019, for an overview). In a similar way, bilinguals may extend and overgeneralize the use of demonstratives as pro-forms (Ellert, 2013;Juvonen, 1996).…”

“…Thus, Schmid et al (2013) characterize attrition as a complex, nonlinear development driven by several external and internal factors. In addition, the question arises whether attrition leads to changes of a representational nature or is rather the overt manifestation of bilingual language use under processing or resource allocation/interface constraints (Chamorro & Sorace, 2019;Sorace, 2011;Wilson et al, 2009). From the point of view of the neural networks supporting language, invoking processing constraints is consistent with the idea of activation thresholds as crucial predictors of language attrition as claimed by the Activation Threshold Hypothesis (ATH) (Köpke, 2007;Paradis, 2007).…”

L1 attrition in a wider perspective

“…However, H&D seem to consider an old version of the interface model, based on a binary split between ‘narrow syntax’ and ‘interfaces’. In the light of current research (see Chamorro and Sorace, 2019; Sorace, 2011, 2016), it seems more appropriate to assume a continuum of conditions on syntactic realization, ranging from more ‘internal’ to more ‘external’ and involving different types of cognitive processes: there is no syntax that is unaffected by conditions of any kind. At this stage, there is still much that we do not know about the relative sensitivity of different conditions to changes in the environment.…”