Losing the ability to understand and use a language is known as language attrition. It is an incredibly common process, affecting most language learners at some point in their life, and can be really frustrating.
Today, I’m going to define and explain language attrition and then will give you all some advice on how to avoid it happening to your English ability!
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Vocabulary
- Attrition (noun): The gradual reduction or weakening of something, in this context, the loss of language ability over time.
- Language attrition can be frustrating for learners who have invested years in mastering a language.
- Second Language (noun): A language that a person learns in addition to their native language.
- Many people experience difficulty maintaining their second language.
- Proficiency (noun): A high level of skill or ability in a particular subject or activity.
- Achieving proficiency in a new language requires consistent practice and exposure.
- Retention (noun): The ability to keep or remember knowledge, information, or skills.
- Regular practice is key to the retention of language skills.
- Decline (noun): A gradual decrease or loss of strength, quality, or importance.
- The decline in her English skills became evident after she stopped using the language daily.
- Code-switching (noun): The practice of alternating between two or more languages within a conversation or sentence.
- When she couldn’t remember an English word, she resorted to code-switching.
Introduction
The purpose behind Thinking in English is to provide interesting and hopefully useful content for non-native English speakers to listen to, enjoy, and use for English study.
Some of you will actively study these episodes, while others will use these episodes to help maintain your current English level. In any case, most of my listeners hope to acquire more of the English language by listening.
Language acquisition is a really important topic to discuss. I’ve recorded so many episodes in the past giving tips and advice on how to find the right methods to acquire and learn English efficiently and deeply.
Today, however, I want to talk about an equally important topic: language attrition. Language attrition is something I, and many of you, fear. It is losing the ability to speak a language.
By talking about language attrition and understanding why we lose the ability to speak languages we once could speak well or fluently, we can take measures to prevent this happening.
I have spent years studying Japanese, and all of you have spent years learning English. We don’t want to lose these abilities that we have invested so much time and effort into acquiring. I hope this episode will be useful to all of you concerned about language attrition.
What is Language Attrition?
Language attrition is the gradual loss of proficiency and ability in a language that you once knew well. Attrition can affect both one’s native language (known as first language attrition or L1 attrition) and any additional languages learned later in life (known as second language attrition or L2 attrition).
Attrition is not an immediate process but occurs slowly over time as language skills fade due to lack of use or exposure.
First language attrition is when you lose your proficiency in your native language. Usually this occurs with people who have moved to a new country or environment where their first language is rarely spoken.
Over time, they may find it difficult to recall certain words, express themselves fluently, or use more complex grammar.
First language attrition is most common among immigrants and bilingual children. Imagine if you moved from your home country to the UK at a young age, started an English-speaking family, formed English speaking relationships, and rarely used your native language anymore. After years and years of primarily using English, your ability in your native language will have declined!
For Thinking in English listeners, second language attrition is probably a more pressing issue. Second language attrition refers to the decline in proficiency of a language that was acquired after your native language.
For all of you listening, this would be a decline in your English proficiency. For me, this would be a decline in my Japanese proficiency.
Second language attrition is incredibly common in language learners. In fact, I would guess that most language learners will eventually lose some of their ability to speak the language they were once learning.
In my case, I have fully lost the ability to speak 3 languages completely. I was never fluent and never close to proficiency, but at school I studied French for 5 years, German for 2 years, and at university I took a Spanish class for 18 months. Today, I can honestly say I have 0 knowledge of any of these languages.
I also used to be able to speak basic conversational Chinese, and while I still can use some basic Chinese my language level is far lower than it used to be.
Once I stopped practicing and studying these languages, I gradually forgot everything I had learned.
An important point is that the more advanced you are in a language, the more resistant to language attrition you will be. For example, I stopped studying Spanish while I was still very much a low-level beginner. A year later, I had forgot everything.
However, after studying Japanese for 3 or 4 years I took a year off studying during COVID, but I still remembered a lot after that year (my level had declined but I was still conversational).
Second language attrition is far more common than first language attrition. Many people learn a second language for a purpose (maybe for work) and then stop using that language once that purpose is fulfilled.
Your native language is also usually connected to deeper emotional experiences, making it more resistant to complete loss.
First and second language attrition also occur in different situations. First language attrition usually occurs when someone is immersed in an environment that uses a different language, while second language attrition tends to happen when learners leave an environment where the second language was actively practiced or required.
What Does “Language Attrition” Look Like?
I’ve already defined language attrition as the gradual loss of proficiency in a language, but what does this actually look like? How does language attrition manifest?
When a person starts to lose proficiency in a language, the changes can manifest in several ways, impacting vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. These changes can vary from subtle to more noticeable over time.
Lexical Attrition (Vocabulary Loss)
One of the most common and noticeable signs of language attrition is forgetting words. This is especially true for less frequently used vocabulary, advanced terms, or specific niche words.
In addition to forgetting certain words, people experiencing attrition might start using simpler language. Instead of using varied or complex vocabulary, they may resort to basic, everyday words or expressions.
For example, instead of saying “exhilarated,” they might say “excited,” or instead of “contemplate,” they might say “think about.”
In some situations, people may also resort to code-switching. This means that when faced with a word they can’t remember, bilingual or multilingual individuals might substitute it with a word from another language they’re more comfortable with. Code-switching is a sign that the forgotten language is becoming less dominant.
Phonological Attrition (Pronunciation Changes)
Pronunciation is often one of the first parts of language to deteriorate when language attrition begins. You may start pronouncing words with the accent or sounds of your dominant language.
I have experienced this in Chinese. While I can still remember quite a bit of the Chinese I learned when I was a student in Taiwan, I have almost completely forgotten the correct pronunciation. Pronunciation is especially important in Chinese, so this is a real problem!
As pronunciation skills weaken, speech might become less fluent. Perhaps you pause more frequently, hesitate, or struggle to produce certain sounds.
Changes can also occur in how someone uses intonation, stress, and rhythm. For example, they might no longer be able to use the natural pitch patterns or stress certain syllables correctly.
Grammatical Attrition (Loss of Grammatical Structures)
One of the clearest signs of language attrition is a decline in grammatical accuracy. People may begin to rely on simpler sentence structures, avoid using complex grammatical forms, or make errors that they wouldn’t have made in the past.
For example, they might use only simple present tense instead of using forms like the present perfect or past continuous.
Over time, the rules for word order might become fuzzy, leading to sentences that sound awkward or ungrammatical.
Bilingual individuals might start applying grammatical rules from their dominant language to the language they’re forgetting. For example, they might use incorrect prepositions, verb conjugations, or plural forms because they’re influenced by the rules of another language they use more frequently.
How and Why Does Language Attrition Occur?
Now we know what language attrition is and what it looks like, I think we should discuss why and how language attrition occurs. Understanding how and why this happens can help learners become more aware of the risks and take action to prevent or slow down the process.
The most significant reason for language attrition is a lack of exposure and regular use. When we stop practicing or using a language, our ability to recall vocabulary, grammar rules, and pronunciation weakens over time. This is because languages, like any other skill, need consistent practice to stay sharp.
Many people learn a second language for travel, study, or work but might stop using it once their circumstances change. If, like me, you learned French in school but never use it in your daily life, it’s likely you’ll start to forget parts of the language.
Language attrition often occurs when one language becomes dominant in a person’s life, pushing the less frequently used language into the background. When I moved to Taiwan, I started to mix Chinese words into my Japanese when speaking to my friends. I was focusing all my effort on Chinese, and it was causing my Japanese to become confused.
Age plays a significant role in language attrition. Younger learners, especially children, are more prone to losing a language quickly if they stop using it. This is why you often hear of children who were fluent in a certain language when they were 6 or 7, but after moving away from that environment they forget really quickly.
On the other hand, older adults who have reached a high level of fluency in a language are generally more resistant to attrition.
The more advanced and deeply rooted your knowledge of a language, the less likely you are to forget it entirely. Beginners or intermediate learners are more vulnerable to attrition because they haven’t had enough time to reinforce their skills.
Environmental changes are also a big factor. Moving to a new environment where a language is not spoken can accelerate attrition. For example, if you once lived in Poland and used Polish daily but then move to a country where only English is spoken, your Polish proficiency may start to decline.
And if you don’t have opportunities to practice speaking, listening, reading, or writing in a language, attrition will be more likely.
Preventing Language Attrition for English Learners
This episode may have been a little discouraging for some of you. I’ve spent that past 10 minutes talking about losing the ability to speak English. Now you know all about language attrition, I think we should discuss how to prevent it from occurring.
The most basic thing you can do to prevent language attrition is reach a high level of proficiency in English. Don’t settle for lower intermediate fluency. The better your English ability, the deeper you understand the language, and the more you will remember.
An effective way to prevent language attrition is to make English a regular part of your life. Even if you don’t have opportunities to speak with native speakers, you can still engage with the language by watching English movies, listening to podcasts, reading books, or following English-language news.
You should also try to actively use English, as the ability to speak can deteriorate quickly. You could join my conversation club for weekly practice or download a free language exchange application.
There are many online forums, groups, and communities where you can interact with others in English. If possible, attend local language exchange events or online meetups where you can practice English with others.
Perhaps you could incorporate English into your hobbies and interests. For example, if you enjoy cooking, follow English-language recipes; if you like gaming, play games in English.
Giving yourself a purpose to continue using English is really important. Without a purpose, you will lose motivation and eventually stop using the language. Once you stop using English, you will lose your ability!
While these tips are useful for people wanting to keep their general English ability, for those of you with a more niche or advanced vocabulary you may need a more specific approach. For example, if you are a doctor trying to keep your ability to use medical English, you need to do more than just switch your phone to English mode.
Instead of sticking to familiar or comfortable reading materials, challenge yourself with complex, authentic texts such as academic articles, classic literature, or newspapers like “The Guardian” or “The New York Times.”
Engage with content that requires critical thinking, such as TED Talks, documentaries, or political debates. Ideally, use content that is related to your niche knowledge.
Find podcasts, blogs, or YouTube channels that cover topics you’re passionate about. There are hundreds of different options online now – whether you are doctor or a lawyer or an academic, there will be someone online talking about your subject of interest in English.
Final Thought
Language attrition can be a frustrating experience, especially for those of us who have invested significant time and effort into mastering a language. However, by understanding how and why it occurs, recognizing the signs, and implementing effective strategies to prevent it, you can maintain and even enhance your language skills.
I hope this episode has been a useful introduction to this topic, and you’ll be able to prevent your English ability from declining in the future!
What do you think?
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