Building Language Attrition Research

This article examines the foundations of language attrition research. As such, it argues that all attrition research should essentially build on four pillars: international contacts, theoretical perspectives, methodological perspectives and social relevance. The four pillars are discussed individually in relation to past research, but also with regard to current attempts to strengthen these four modules. It is argued that only further efforts on all these four fronts can achieve a cohesive research field and can lead to insights into the actual processes underlying attrition.