Second Language Attrition and The Savings Paradigm: An exploration of long-term retention of a minority language learned in an educational context.

Authors

• Eimear Geary University of Cologne

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51814/nm.132067

Keywords:

Language Attrition, The Savings Paradigm, Minority Languages, Irish Language, Learning experience, Attitudes and Motivation

Abstract

Explorations of attrition attempt to gain insight into linguistic representations in the brain and to understand what supports the consolidation of information in memory so that language knowledge is retained, even after long periods of language disuse. In this study the role of extra-linguistic factors in influencing levels of knowledge retention over a long period of incubation is investigated along with the question if support for savings can be found, i.e., is seemingly forgotten knowledge in fact still intact and, therefore, may be accessed again. Four adults from Ireland currently living in Germany who had not had contact with the Irish language in approximately 30 years were tested on their knowledge of Irish lexical items and interviewed in depth on their experiences of learning Irish. Understanding language loss has important implications for the L2/FL education domain and pedagogy. If it can be established what impacts greater retention of knowledge, teaching curricula and methodologies can be revised accordingly to make them more effective with respect to long-term knowledge retention.