Newsgroups: sci.lang
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From: gperkins@netcom.com (Glen C. Perkins)
Subject: Re: Average vocabulary size?
Message-ID: <gperkinsDGLz0u.IHt@netcom.com>
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References: <ACA1B0869668162038@entergrp.demon.co.uk> <45l4aj$9u3@news.asiaonline.net> <ACA7CE52966830AD2@entergrp.demon.co.uk> <1995Oct16.101531.28424@onionsnatcorp.ox.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 19:48:24 GMT
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gmb@natcorp.ox.ac.uk (Glynis Baguley) writes:

>In article <ACA7CE52966830AD2@entergrp.demon.co.uk> slavins@entergrp.demon.co.uk (Simon Slavin) writes:
>> 

>> I wondered if one could forget words in one's 1st language.
>> I don't remember forgetting an English word.  (Whatever that means.)

>Yes, one can. I should think anyone might forget a word they rarely
>used, even if they continue to use their first language all the time.
>People can lose some of their first language if they're not using it:
>it's called first language attrition.

Of course you can! Want proof? Grab an English dictionary. Flip through
the pages and find 50 words you don't recognize. Read their definitions.
Make a list of the words (minus the definitions) and put the list away
for a month. Then take out the list. If there is even one word on
that list whose definition you can't remember, then you've proven
that it is possible to forget a word in your first language. QED

__Glen Perkins__
Native Guide Software (Computer Enhancement of Vocabulary Memory)
http://www.NativeGuide.com

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