Paradigmatic Errors in First Language Attrition

An ongoing research project into the dissolution or attrition of native language structure under the influence of bilingualism analyzed certain paradigmatic changes in the first language of a Hungarian-Hebrew bilingual speaker. Data were collected over a 2-year period from an Israeli woman who was born in Hungary and immigrated to Israel at 6 years of age. Her primary language was Hebrew, although she used Hungarian on a daily basis (principally with her parents). A paradigm elicitation method was used; the subject was asked to produce regular and irregular nominal paradigms in the rich inflectional system of Hungarian. Examination of the data revealed interesting structural deviations in the subject's first language which may be termed errors. These errors were changes in the rule component of the language, specifically, rule simplification, rule loss, and rule reordering. Illustrative examples of these errors are presented. Paradigmatic coherence appears to play a significant role in the attrition of first language systems. (CB)