You have probably heard all the positives about learning a second language such as strengthening your professional opportunities and deepening your cultural knowledge and experience. You may have heard that bilingualism even delays the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's. So, what’s the catch? Well, learning a new language might actually cause you to lose parts of your first language. Wieteke Windrich looks at what researchers know about first language loss - and why it's such a taboo subject https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0619/1519099-first-language-loss-learning-languages-native-speakers/