18. Jun 2025
Antonella Sorace
University of Edinburgh and Bilingualism Matters
Joining the dots: language change and intergenerational transmission in bilingual speakers
Abstract: Recent research on bilingualism with heritage languages points to three interesting directions. First, the native language (L1) of first-generation migrant speakers changes in a selective and potentially reversible way, which is not always due to cross-linguistic influence. L1 changes affect structures that require efficient integration of information across (syntactic, pragmatic and contextual) domains and (partly) depend on the interaction of linguistic knowledge and cognitive control; the result is increased selective variation. Second, we see a convergence between L1 changes and L2 acquisition: the aspects of L1 grammar that become variable are the same that remain variable even in highly proficient L2 speakers of the same language. These findings point to a potential ecology of L2 learning and L1 change: L1 change is a natural effect of language contact, in bilingual individuals and in bilingual communities, and may be functional to the attainment of L2 proficiency. Third, language change in first-generation speakers has an impact on intergenerational transmission: child bilingualism in heritage languages necessarily relies on parental/adult input affected by these changes, with both short-term and long-term consequences. Understanding the big picture requires a better understanding of the bilingual experience, and interdisciplinary research on different aspects of bilingualism that combines the insights of linguistic, cognitive and social models.