The initial assumption of the present paper is that a set of factors determining the maintenance of L1 competence or its loss at the cost of L2 prevails in cases where bilingual speakers immigrate to another country. Hence, the overall objective is to scrutinize those determinants and assess their significance and weight. Three hundred cases with Polish as a first language (L1) and English, German, French, Italian, Hungarian, Russian, etc. (L2) as well as Polish a second language (L2) and Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, English, Italian, Hungarian, Georgian, etc. (L1) have been investigated in order to better understand the linguistic changes in bilingual speakers in the process of relocation to another country. The following issues have been under examination: (1) L2 (whether statistical determinants in language constellations prevail, which languages are more vulnerable to supersede or substitute mother tongues of bilingual speakers); (2) the social prestige of L2 in the local environment (i.e. border regions, languages of neighbouring countries) and on a global scale (the importance of English as a lingua franca); (3) attitudes of bilinguals’ parents, relatives, peers; (4) formal learning of L1 (despite education in L2); (5) development of reading and writing skills in L1 (despite education in L2); (6) intensity of contacts and its quality with L1 users; (7) integrative motivation in bilinguals; (8) age at immigration and first contact with L2. Therefore, with this paper we hope to be able to address the issues related to cross-linguistic influence (e.g. transfer and attrition), i.e. the different ways in which one language can affect another within an individual speaker as well as how two languages can affect each other in a bilingual speaker.
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Cvikic, L., Novak Milic, J., Aladrovic-Slovacek, K., 2016, The Role of Formal Language Instruction in the Maintenance of Heritage Language: The Case of Croatian Language in: S. Grucza, M. Olpinska-Szkielko, P. Romanowski (Eds.), Advances in Understanding Multilingualism: A Global Perspective, 43-58.
