An Empirical Study On The Attrition Of English Auxiliary In Chinese Context

Language attrition is the inverse process of language acquisition, which means that language ability regresses with the passage of time due to the cease or reduction of use. After decades of researches language attrition abroad has made a big step forward, putting forward many theories and frameworks which have played an important role in preventing language attrition/maintaining language ability and guiding foreign language teaching. Since the conference on The Attrition of Language Skills held at the University of Pennsylvania in1980, language attrition study was first formally recognized as a brand new field of academic research. Based on the language attrited, language attrition can be classified into first language attrition and second language attrition. Compared with its popularity abroad, language attrition study at home is relatively dwarfed.Based upon literature review of previous researches, this study chooses college graduates as its subjects to investigate attrition sequence of English auxiliaries and ultimately to justify Jakobson’s Regression Hypothesis. Specifically speaking, three research questions have been investigated:1) what are the features of English auxiliary attrition?2) Will Regression Hypothesis justify the attrition sequence of English auxiliaries learned in Chinese context?3) What are the major factors that can impose an influence on English auxiliary attrition?The subjects of this study are147college graduates who have learnt English as a second language. The following findings have been found:Auxiliary attrition sequence by Chinese college graduates follows the "First acquired, last attrited; last acquired, first attrited" pattern, which justifies the Regression Hypothesis. What’s more, several factors are proven to have an impact upon auxiliary attrition:(1) proficiency level prior to attrition. Learners with low proficiency level are more vulnerable to attrition than those with high proficiency level;(2) exposure to target language. The more exposure to target language; the less attrition will be triggered.(3) sex. Female learners tend to have a slight higher attrition rate than male learners.(4) length of time since onset of attrition. Learners with different length of time since onset of attrition show different degrees of attrition.(5) age of acquisition. Learners show different rates of attrition due to different age of acquisition.