Language Attrition in Returning Nigerian Migrants: Evidence from Yoruba Speakers Returning from the United Kingdom

Language attrition, the loss or restructuring of previously acquired language features in an individual as a result of reduced use and contact, is a well-established research domain, yet L1 attrition in Nigerian returnee migrants from English-dominant destination countries has received limited empirical attention despite the significant scale of Nigeria-UK migration. This study examines L1 attrition in Yoruba among Nigerian migrants who have returned to Oyo and Lagos states after five or more years of residence in the United Kingdom, comparing their Yoruba production to matched non-migrant controls. Forty returnee participants who had resided in the UK for between five and twenty years were recruited alongside forty non-migrant Yoruba speakers matched for age, education, and urban residence. Both groups completed a battery of Yoruba language tasks including tonal minimal pair production, morphological derivation elicitation, verbal extension system production, and narrative retelling. Group comparison analysis reveals significant returnee disadvantage on tonal accuracy and verbal extension system productivity, two structural areas known to be vulnerable to reduced use in bilinguals. Lexical retrieval, measured through picture naming and verbal fluency tasks, shows a more moderate attrition pattern. Regression analysis within the returnee group shows that years of UK residence and frequency of Yoruba home use during migration are the strongest predictors of attrition severity. The study discusses theoretical implications for L1 attrition research and practical implications for cultural reintegration support for Nigerian returnees. Keywords: language attrition, Yoruba, returnee migrants, UK diaspora, L1 restructuring.