Living Multilingualism
When Languages Change but Are Not Lost
What happens to a first language after decades of living abroad and using several languages? A new doctoral study challenges the common assumption that multilingual immigrants gradually lose their mother tongue.
The research examined first-language and French development among 75 Portuguese- and English-speaking immigrants aged 55 to 75 in French-speaking Switzerland. Participants completed language tasks and shared detailed accounts of their language use, attitudes, and everyday experiences.
The results showed no broad loss of first-language ability. Both groups performed within the expected range when compared with speakers who had remained largely monolingual. Although the English-speaking group achieved higher average scores, this difference was mainly associated with higher levels of formal education and professional employment, as well as the different social standing of English and Portuguese in Switzerland.
Yet test scores told only part of the story. Many participants, especially Portuguese speakers, reported needing more effort to retrieve words, feeling disconnected from newer vocabulary, and worrying about how others judged their speech. Their languages remained strong, but accessing them sometimes became harder over time.
These findings suggest that language attrition, meaning changes in a first language after sustained use of other languages, should not automatically be viewed as loss or decline. Instead, it can reflect the natural adaptation of a multilingual system across a lifetime. The study shows why researchers should combine language testing with people’s own experiences and consider education, employment, community support, and the social status of languages when assessing multilingual development.