© 1999 by Oxford University Press
Articles |
English as a forgotten language
Lecturer and researcher in second-language writing and applied linguistics research design at the University of Granada in Spain. He previously worked as a teacher and teacher-trainer for The British Council in Brazil and Spain. His current research areas include the language-learning strategies of blind students, and the effect of perceptual categories on revision strategies. E-mail: 
gporte{at}platon.ugr.es
First-language attrition is typically manifested when the migrant's mother tongue is gradually lost during prolonged residence abroad. If attrition is found to act significantly upon the L1 of the unprepared or unaware resident native-speaker EFL teacher, the authenticity or contemporaneity of the language model presented by this teacher may be brought into question. This study surveyed the perceived effects of such attrition on 52 EFL teachers, all of whom were long-term residents in Spain. A questionnaire was designed which gathered data on aspects of residence abroad, L1/L2 contact, and the perceived manifestations of L1 attrition. Findings suggest that the resident native-speaker teacher's L1 is not a stable system, but rather a changeable one that is susceptible, not only to the pervasive influence of the L2, but also to the kind of defective L 1 input typically received in language-learning contexts. The paper discusses the implications of these findings with regard to the progressive erosion of language expertise, and the adverse effects of attrition on error judgements. Suggestions are made for corrective or preventative measures to counteract attrition through periodic monitoring, and constant contact with current L1 input.