In this talk, Dr Maki Kubota will discuss the process of second language attrition (ie the change in language knowledge that occurs due to reduced language exposure) and cognitive development in Japanese-English bilingual returnee children (ie migrant children who returned to their first language environment after living some years in a second language environment).

The studies Dr Kubota will introduce examine the interplay of language attrition and cognitive development from a quantitative perspective, using mixed effect models to examine what factors modulate the degree of attrition in bilingual children. The findings show that executive control, in addition to bilingual experience (ie length of residence and exposure), affect and may even offset the effects of second language attrition. This research contributes to the field by showing that selectivity in attrition can be explained by a combination of several different factors, including domain-general abilities.

The presentation will be online and you can register for the link here. Please get in touch with Dr Eloi Puig-Mayenco if you have any issues.

About the speaker

Dr Maki Kubota is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Language and Culture at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Dr Kubota's research interests include: child bilingualism, language attrition, relationship between cognition and langauge, heritage language development, and language learning motivation and attitude.