The term for the process of progressively losing a language, often the L1, due to dominance of another language is what?

The term for the process of progressively losing a language, often the L1, due to dominance of another language is what?

• A. Subtractive bilingualism
• B. Suprasegmentals
• C. Restructuring
• D. Standard variety

Answer: (B)

Subtractive bilingualism describes a situation where acquiring a second language leads to the gradual loss of the first language as the dominant language takes over in schooling, media, and daily use. Over time, proficiency in the L1 declines and can eventually be lost, a process also captured by language attrition or language shift. Suprasegmentals, by contrast, refer to prosodic features like intonation and rhythm and do not describe language loss. The term that best fits this scenario is subtractive bilingualism.

Subtractive bilingualism describes a situation where acquiring a second language leads to the gradual loss of the first language as the dominant language takes over in schooling, media, and daily use. Over time, proficiency in the L1 declines and can eventually be lost, a process also captured by language attrition or language shift. Suprasegmentals, by contrast, refer to prosodic features like intonation and rhythm and do not describe language loss. The term that best fits this scenario is subtractive bilingualism.