Language Attrition

​By Lana

The beauty of multilingualism, or communicating in multiple languages, is that it demonstrates the bond between vast demographics. Languages are a reflection of our thought process and communication skills, which ultimately shapes our identity. With the privilege of understanding more than one language, many people may find it difficult to confidently speak their first or native language due to it not frequently being used. This idea of linguistic insecurity is usually experienced by second-generation immigrants, whose commonly spoken language is not necessarily the language from their family’s native/motherland.

Language attrition is fairly common, and can occur in numerous demographics such as children, adults, the elderly, immigrants, and those who are cognitively impared. According to ‘LanguageAttrition.org’ researched by the University of Essex, language attrition may be encountered through difficulties such as:

• Not remembering certain words in a native language, yet remembering it in another language
  
• Encountering pauses and hesitation when speaking the native language
  
• Speaking with odd sentence formation or grammatical form
  
• Feeling unconfident with one’s native language
  

More specifically, for children, language attrition occurs when a certain language is not solidified or continually practiced by 12 years old. This may cause individuals to lose the ability to speak certain words or even forget the language altogether. Yet, it is most commonly found that language attrition would impact children similarly to them speaking a second or non-native language as they grow older, which increases the likelihood of them forgetting grammatical rules and vocabulary.

Throughout my life, I have dealt with the difficulty of multilingualism when developing relationships. English, the language that I am most comfortable speaking in as of today, was not my first language as I was exposed to family and friends who did not frequently speak it. However, school led me to larger social spheres that used English, and thus I began speaking it more frequently. As I grew up believing that I comprehended English more due to its usefulness, other family members assumed that I abandoned my first language because I was embarrassed. Like many individuals who experience language attrition, I can comprehend conversations in my native language, but my brain cannot decipher the exact words to vocalize my thoughts. However, I have made an effort to immerse myself into my language. Here are some tips that I have found useful:

To relearn the basic vocabulary in a certain language, there are many language-learning devices and websites for you to learn! Duolingo is an incredibly popular website and app that has lessons, exercises, and levels that teach the primary foundations of the language that you can study. Quizlet also contains sets made by other users that contain vocabulary flashcards, automated quizzes, and matching games that you can master. It also has audio if you are an auditory learner! Certain vocabulary or pronunciation may differ based on dialect, so this needs to be made aware of.  

Learning through songs and music is also a good way to develop confidence in speaking a language. Just like nursery rhymes, memorizing songs provided on YouTube or music sites are great for developing memorization and sentence formation when preparing to speak. Also, speaking to a close family member or friend is a great privilege, where you can interact and converse with them without feeling judged or ashamed. Furthermore, Open Culture is a great online resource providing links to eBooks, podcasts, audiobooks, and numerous courses to many languages provided by universities. 

If you are seeking for more websites to go through to find a suitable learning tactic, FluentU has an article that provides descriptions of free language learning websites! Here is the link: 

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/free-language-learning-websites/ 

It is understandable if you are encountering language attrition, or feel isolated from your community or peers when you encounter conflicts regarding a language. As curious individuals, it is natural for us to continue to learn and adapt to our social spheres because we are not too late to learn/relearn. I hope that you find this article helpful!