"Come Si Dice in Italiano?": A Case Study of L1 Attrition

Abstract

This paper describes a case study of Italian Ll attrition. Several areas of the participant's Ll are examined, with a focus on lexical attrition and the consequent use of communication strategies to prevent communication breakdowns. Particular attention is given to the manner in which the redundancy reduction, markedness, and salience principles may affect production. The participant's Ll competence is tested as well to examine whether certain areas of it are at all affected by attrition. From the data collected, there are reasons to believe that attrition affects mainly production, in the form of diminished accessibilitY.