Merel Keijzer

The regression hypothesis as a framework for first language attrition

In an attempt to explain first language attrition in emigrant populations, this paper investigates the explanatory power of a framework that has – until now – received little attention: the regression hypothesis (Jakobson, 1941). This hypothesis predicts that the order of attrition is the reverse of the order of acquisition. The regression hypothesis was tested in relation to the loss of morphology and syntax in Dutch immigrants in Anglophone Canada. Evidence in favor of regression was found, but mainly in the morphological domain. Syntax, on the other hand, was mostly characterized by L2 influences from English. As it is problematic to treat regression as a theory in its own right, these findings are then explained in the light of both generative and usage-based approaches, as well as the more recent Dynamic Systems Theory.

Working memory capacity, inhibitory control and the role of l2 proficiency in aging l1 dutch speakers of near-native l2 english.

This paper examines the intricate relationship between working memory (WM) capacity and inhibitory control as a function of both L2 proficiency and age. In both its design and research questions, this study closely follows Gass & Lee’s work, where both L1 and L2 Reading Span Tasks (as measures of WM capacity) and L1 and L2 Stroop interference tasks (to measure inhibitory control) were administered. In this study, the test battery is augmented by both an L1 and L2 C-test of overall language proficiency. Participants were 63 L1 Dutch speakers of L2 English, who had been immersed in an L2 environment for a considerable amount of time. Their data were set off against those of 54 monolingual Dutch speakers and 56 monolingual English speakers. At the time of testing, all the bilingual participants had a near-native command of English and their L1 and L2 WM scores were not found to be significantly different. However, discrepancies did occur in Stroop test scores of inhibition, where the bilinguals performed better in their L2 English than L1 Dutch. These main effects often contradicted the results found in Gass & Lee’s study, who examined less proficient L2 learners. An aging effect was furthermore found: older subjects consistently performed more poorly on WM and inhibition tasks than their younger peers. These results can shed light on how individual factors like WM capacity and inhibitory control interact in successful late bilinguals and how these dynamics shift with advanced age.

First language attrition: A cross-linguistic investigation of Jakobson's regression hypothesis

In this study, one of the earliest theoretical frameworks put forward for the study of language attrition, namely the regression hypothesis, will be empirically tested in relation to nonpathological first language attrition. The regression hypothesis, in short, predicts that the process according to which a language is forgotten will be the reversal of the process by which it has been learned. Despite dating back to Ribot (1881) and Freud (1891), the theory was first formulated in linguistic terms by Roman Jakobson (1941). The regression hypothesis has often been invoked in relation to research on aphasia. At present, there is general consensus that it does not provide a conclusive framework for aphasia (Berko-Gleason, 1982, p. 17; Caramazza & Zurif, 1978, p. 146). However, the very fact that language is acquired in stages by children has been taken to suggest that language competence is layered, and that nonpathological language loss will work its way from the topmost layer to the bottom (cf. Andersen, 1982, p. 97; Berko-Gleason, 1982, p. 14; Seliger, 1991, p. 227). Conclusively, it is fair to state that the regression hypothesis has been a matter of much debate in research on both pathological and nonpathological language loss. However, whereas the hypothesis has been tested rather extensively within pathological language loss, it seems counterintuitive that so little research has been undertaken to test the regression hypothesis in relation to nonpathological language attrition. Indeed, only three studies reported in four subsequent publications within nonpathological first language attrition have attempted to do this: Håkansson, 1995; Jordens, de Bot, & Trapman, 1989; Jordens, de Bot, van Os, & Schumans, 1986; Schmid, 2002. However, these studies are all radically restricted by the nature of the data they observe. Whereas Jordens et al. base their study on experimental data in one specific grammatical field (case marking) only Håkansson bases her study on written material from early bilinguals. Schmid, finally, only looks at free discourse in her study. These differences make the results of the three studies hard to compare and renders the quantification of the different variables involved in these studies impossible. In short, the commonly found rejection of the regression hypothesis in relation to nonpathological language attrition is unwarranted. The present data-driven Ph.D. project therefore aims to test the regression hypothesis in relation to nonpathological language attrition in an empirical, controlled study.

The language barrier in migrant aging

ABSTRACT Studies on aging and migration often note a ‘language barrier’ for older migrants when communicating in a (medical) second language (L2) context. Yet how a limited L2 proficiency impacts the aging process of migrant adults has, so far, not been systematically investigated. This question is important given that having a limited L2 proficiency may pose immediate drawbacks on ones ability to maintain independence. Through a combination of qualitative interviews and quantitative language and cognitive measures, this study investigates if and under which circumstances a ‘language barrier’ may be detrimental for the aging process of a group of older female Turkish migrants in the Netherlands. Findings suggest that a limited L2 proficiency reciprocally fuels feelings of L2 insecurity, which impacts the formation of social relationships in the L2, feelings of belonging and lower wellbeing levels. A firm embedding in an L1 network positively impacts wellbeing levels, yet results in a heavy dependence on others in L2 situations. We conclude that limited L2 skills may steer the aging process in a detrimental direction for those older migrants who lack a social support network in the L1 and cannot communicate effectively in the L2.

Intensity of Multilingual Language Use Predicts Cognitive Performance in Some Multilingual Older Adults

Cognitive advantages for bilinguals have inconsistently been observed in different populations, with different operationalisations of bilingualism, cognitive performance, and the process by which language control transfers to cognitive control. This calls for studies investigating which aspects of multilingualism drive a cognitive advantage, in which populations and under which conditions. This study reports on two cognitive tasks coupled with an extensive background questionnaire on health, wellbeing, personality, language knowledge and language use, administered to 387 older adults in the northern Netherlands, a small but highly multilingual area. Using linear mixed effects regression modeling, we find that when different languages are used frequently in different contexts, enhanced attentional control is observed. Subsequently, a PLS regression model targeting also other influential factors yielded a two-component solution whereby only more sensitive measures of language proficiency and language usage in different social contexts were predictive of cognitive performance above and beyond the contribution of age, gender, income and education. We discuss these findings in light of previous studies that try to uncover more about the nature of bilingualism and the cognitive processes that may drive an advantage. With an unusually large sample size our study advocates for a move away from dichotomous, knowledge-based operationalisations of multilingualism and offers new insights for future studies at the individual level.

Changes in neural activation patterns and brain anatomy as a function of non-pathological first language attrition

In recent years the Critical Period Hypothesis of language acquisition has come under close scrutiny. The premise that native-like language proficiency can only be attained if the language is learned early in life seems difficult to maintain, as neuroimaging data have revealed a greater plasticity of the human brain to master new languages than has previously been assumed. The field of non-pathological first language (L1) attrition has not contributed much to this debate. Adding attrition perspectives, however, can inform the field of language learning and the critical period in general: learning a language early in life should leave long-lasting traces in the neural circuit. But investigations of this nature would also directly benefit the field of L1 attrition itself. Attrition theories have largely built on behavioral paradigms, and two pivotal questions remain unanswered but could be addressed using neuroimaging techniques: 1) Is the cause of L1 attrition mainly L1 non-use or rather the introduction and mastery of a second language (L2)? 2) is L1 attrition an irreversible, permanent phenomenon or does it merely reflect a temporary inaccessibility of the L1 system? This paper aims to review the scantly available evidence for functional and/or anatomical brain changes as a function of non-pathological L1 attrition, specifically focusing on the two outstanding questions above. Building on previous insights, this paper theorizes about L1 attrition-induced neurological changes that have not been addressed in previous work and formulates goals and avenues for future studies.