Second language attrition
Let's pretend you really love playing with your favorite toy, Mr. Bear, every day. But one day, you start playing with new toys, like a cool train set or stuffed dinosaur, and you forget about Mr. Bear. Gradually, you stop playing with Mr. Bear altogether. This is a bit like "second language attrition."
When we learn a second language, our brains work really hard to remember all the new words, sounds, and grammar rules. But if we don't keep practicing and using our second language, we can start to forget some of it - just like forgetting about Mr. Bear. This is called "attrition."
It's like building a sandcastle at the beach. If you work really hard to make a big, beautiful castle, but leave it alone for hours without adding more sand or water, it might start to crumble and fall apart. This is similar to what can happen to our second language skills if we don't keep practicing and "building" them up.
Sometimes, when we go a long time without using our second language or speaking it with other people, we might get nervous or forget some words. That's okay - it's like if you haven't played with Mr. Bear in a while, you might feel a little rusty and have to remember where you put him or how to play with him. But if we keep practicing and using our second language, we can keep it strong and avoid too much "attrition."
When we learn a second language, our brains work really hard to remember all the new words, sounds, and grammar rules. But if we don't keep practicing and using our second language, we can start to forget some of it - just like forgetting about Mr. Bear. This is called "attrition."
It's like building a sandcastle at the beach. If you work really hard to make a big, beautiful castle, but leave it alone for hours without adding more sand or water, it might start to crumble and fall apart. This is similar to what can happen to our second language skills if we don't keep practicing and "building" them up.
Sometimes, when we go a long time without using our second language or speaking it with other people, we might get nervous or forget some words. That's okay - it's like if you haven't played with Mr. Bear in a while, you might feel a little rusty and have to remember where you put him or how to play with him. But if we keep practicing and using our second language, we can keep it strong and avoid too much "attrition."