Language Attrition as a Special Case of Processing Change

Abstract

This chapter examines the ways in which language processing has been treated in both the attrition and the acquisition literature, embedding the discussion within a wider view of how knowledge representations change over time. Even where particular types of language representation are understood to be governed by principles unique to language, attrition must be seen as a manifestation of general cognitive processing principles as well. For this you need a framework that allows many different strands of research to be carried out within a single, detailed, workable, unified account. This can lead to richer and more reliable explanations of research findings. The chapter will employ such a framework to examine language attrition with regard to 1) the nature and operation of language processing mechanisms; 2) how these relate to other types of cognitive processing; 3) how processing acts as the driver of representational change.