Language reversion versus general cognitive decline
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Merel Keijzer
Abstract
As part of a longitudinal study on L1 attrition in immigrants, Kees de Bot and Michael Clyne (1989) unexpectedly found that older subjects were increasingly more likely to return to their first language, while at the same time losing parts of their L2. De Bot and Clyne subsequently formulated the twin hypotheses of L1 reversion coupled with L2 attrition in elderly immigrants. This paper re-evaluates the twin hypotheses against recent findings from cognitive aging research and proposes an alternative to the original linguistic assumption (the L1 comes back and the L2 declines linearly) from a cognitive perspective (due to reduced cognitive control and working memory found in all elderly subjects older immigrants show more interferences in either language).
Abstract
As part of a longitudinal study on L1 attrition in immigrants, Kees de Bot and Michael Clyne (1989) unexpectedly found that older subjects were increasingly more likely to return to their first language, while at the same time losing parts of their L2. De Bot and Clyne subsequently formulated the twin hypotheses of L1 reversion coupled with L2 attrition in elderly immigrants. This paper re-evaluates the twin hypotheses against recent findings from cognitive aging research and proposes an alternative to the original linguistic assumption (the L1 comes back and the L2 declines linearly) from a cognitive perspective (due to reduced cognitive control and working memory found in all elderly subjects older immigrants show more interferences in either language).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgement vii
- Introduction: From structure to chaos 1
-
Part I. Multilingualism
- Psycholinguistic perspectives on language processing in bilinguals 15
- Triggered code-switching 37
- Working memory capacity, inhibitory control, and proficiency in a second language 59
- Explanations of associations between L1 and L2 literacy skills 85
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Part II. Language attrition
- The acquisition, attrition, and relearning of mission vocabulary 115
- Second language attrition 135
- Contact x time 155
- The shifting structure of emotion semantics across immigrant generations 177
-
Part III. Language and aging
- Bilingualism, code-switching and aging 201
- Language reversion versus general cognitive decline 221
-
Part IV. DST
- A dynamic model of expert-novice co-adaptation during language learning and acquisition 235
- The dynamics of multilingualism 267
- Epilogue: Twenty years of modeling bilingualism 289
- Address for correspondence 303
- Index 305
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgement vii
- Introduction: From structure to chaos 1
-
Part I. Multilingualism
- Psycholinguistic perspectives on language processing in bilinguals 15
- Triggered code-switching 37
- Working memory capacity, inhibitory control, and proficiency in a second language 59
- Explanations of associations between L1 and L2 literacy skills 85
-
Part II. Language attrition
- The acquisition, attrition, and relearning of mission vocabulary 115
- Second language attrition 135
- Contact x time 155
- The shifting structure of emotion semantics across immigrant generations 177
-
Part III. Language and aging
- Bilingualism, code-switching and aging 201
- Language reversion versus general cognitive decline 221
-
Part IV. DST
- A dynamic model of expert-novice co-adaptation during language learning and acquisition 235
- The dynamics of multilingualism 267
- Epilogue: Twenty years of modeling bilingualism 289
- Address for correspondence 303
- Index 305
