Beneath the surface: Signs of language attrition in immigrant children from Russia

This longitudinal study focuses on changes in the grammatical structures produced by Russian pre-adolescent speakers under the circumstances of language attrition in the English dominant environment. The central goals are: (1) to identify processes involved in language attrition; (2) to determine the mechanisms that underlie language attrition; and (3) to discuss the relative hierarchy of stages of language loss. A total of 2,182 CPs are analyzed for the presence of signs of language attrition which may be present overtly through 'classic' codeswitching, bare form production, generalization of certain morphemes, etc. and/or covertly in the form of convergence, bare form production, reduction, simplification, and others.; All the analyses are carried out within the frame work of the Matrix Language Frame model (Myers-Scotton 1993a, 1997), the 4-M model (e.g., Myers-Scotton & Jake 2000a, 2001), and the Abstract Level model (e.g., Myers-Scotton & Jake 1995, 1998). The analysis of the data has shown that the amount of convergence and bare form production increases in the second data set. The levels of codeswitching remain rather stable; however, the patterns of codeswitching substantially change between the first and the second recordings. The difference between 'classic' codeswitching, convergence, and bare form production is discussed in terms of the availability of the matrix language predicate-argument structure and morphological realization patterns that lead to the production of integrated forms. The diminished access to these levels of abstract lexical structure results in the production of bare forms and convergence. The findings further indicate that some types of morphemes (e.g., content and early system morphemes) are lost more easily from the language than others (late system morphemes). It is also demonstrated that the underlying abstract lexical structure of the first language is affected by the second language at various levels depending on the stage of language attrition. Finally, it is shown that all the processes of the first language attrition involve the mechanisms of codeswitching and convergence.; Overall, an integrated account of mechanisms, processes, and stages of language attrition resulting from a close contact of English and Russian languages in the English dominant environment is proposed.