Intergenerational lexical attrition of the Sama dialect

Abstract

This study investigate the intergenerational loss of vocabulary in Sama by its speakers. it looks into the average lexical attrition that occurred in the first, second, and third-generation and the reasons for the word loss of the Sama speakers. Descriptive statistics were performed to determine any statistical distinctions that may be ascribed to attrition (word loss) in the mean results of the topics. Interview guide questions were used to collect qualitative data to answer the reasons for lexical attrition. The study reveals that there is an increasing percentage of lexical attrition of Sama dialect per generation. Also, the attrition percentage is highest in the third generation compared to first and second, but the data are not statistically significant. This research also found the speaker's explanation of lexical attrition that is categorized into three: personal, familial, and social. The increasing percentage word loss may contribute to the swift death of the Sama mother language; Kalagan, and of the dialect itself. This study benefits the language enthusiasts and researchers, IGACOS LGU, and the Sama IP community. The insignificant result of lexical attrition could be a suggestion for the local government to take initiatives to revitalize or at least document the dying Sama language.