When might bilingualchildrenexperience language loss?
Bilingual children might experience language loss in various situations, such as:
1. Lack of exposure: If a bilingual child is not consistently exposed to one of the languages they speak, they may gradually lose proficiency in that language. For example, if a child moves to a new country where the language is different from their native language and they stop using their native language regularly, they might experience language loss.
2. Dominance of one language: If a bilingual child primarily uses one language in their everyday life, such as speaking it at home, with friends, or at school, while rarely using the other language, they might gradually lose proficiency in the less-used language. This usually occurs when a child's environment prioritizes one language over the other.
3. Limited practice or use: If a bilingual child has limited opportunities to practice and use one of the languages they speak, such as if they move to an area where there are fewer speakers of that language or if they choose to use only one language consistently, they may experience language loss.
4. Language shift: In some cases, bilingual children may voluntarily choose to shift to using only one language due to social pressure or to better fit into a specific social or cultural context. This deliberate shift can result in language loss over time.
5. Age and education: Bilingual children who go through extensive education in a single language or who move to a new country at an older age may also experience language loss, as they focus more on the dominant language of their education or the new country, gradually reducing their proficiency in the other language.