Preserved Implicit Knowledge of a Forgotten Childhood Language

Jeffrey S. Bowers · Sven L. Mattys · Suzanne Helen Gage

80 citations0/0 files storedPsychological Science

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Phonetics and Phonology Research Language Development and Disorders Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

Abstract

Previous research suggests that a language learned during early childhood is completely forgotten when contact to that language is severed. In contrast with these findings, we report leftover traces of early language exposure in individuals in their adult years, despite a complete absence of explicit memory for the language. Specifically, native English individuals under age 40 selectively relearned subtle Hindi or Zulu sound contrasts that they once knew. However, individuals over 40 failed to show any relearning, and young control participants with no previous exposure to Hindi or Zulu showed no learning. This research highlights the lasting impact of early language experience in shaping speech perception, and the value of exposing children to foreign languages even if such exposure does not continue into adulthood.

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References

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2012Dynamic systems, maturational constraints and L1 phonetic attrition 2019Language change and linguistic inquiry in a world of multicompetence: Sustained phonetic drift and its implications for behavioral linguistic research 2017Early phonology revealed by international adoptees' birth language retention 2018The Nature of Exposure and Input in Early Bilingualism 2021

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