Intra-Generational Attrition

Abstract

This chapter contributes to the emerging literature on heritage speaker bilingualism by weighing in on the potential role that intra-generational attrition plays in changing the path of heritage speaker bilingual development. Previous work has generally documented heritage speaker ultimate attainment differences as compared to that of monolingual speakers despite both groups having been native childhood acquirers of the same language. This chapter highlights that fact that some of the ubiquitously noted heritage speaker differences may be ascribed to how the primary linguistic input to which heritage speakers are exposed is qualitatively different or shifting from that which monolingual speakers are exposed to, and in part this is due to a process of trickled down first language attrition in the first generation immigrants.