Research On The Influence Of EFL Proficiency And Acquisition Modes On Language Attrition

Language attrition refers to"the loss of any language or any portion of language by an individual or speech community"(Freed,1982). In the present study, the term is defined as the loss of second language or foreign language skills in the individuals after the termination of their formal English language training program.The study intends to explore the influence of English proficiency and acquisition modes on language attrition. The subjects involved were 71 non-English major students from Jilin University. In order to achieve the desired results, three sets of instruments were used in the present study, namely, the Student Questionnaire, the Language Proficiency Test and the Speaking Test.The major findings are summarized as follows: (1) Initial proficiency is proved to influence the attrition of linguistic skills. The"Proficiency Effect Hypothesis", which suggests a reverse correlation between language proficiency and attrition, is supported by the present study; (2) the existence of"Critical Threshold"is supported in the present study, however, its accurate value and range still need to be further investigated; (3) it is proved that acquisition modes have an effect on the attrition of the subjects'English skills. Their skills acquired by means of classroom learning, explicit teaching, listening-and-reading focused teaching and strong-intensity teaching are less vulnerable to attrition than those acquired by means of outside-class learning, implicit teaching, speaking-and-writing focused teaching and weak-intensity teaching; (4) the sequence of English attrition in the subjects has been verified as"first acquired, last attrited; last acquired, first attrited", which confirmed the"Regression Hypothesis".The significance of the present study can be explained in terms of both theoretical and practical values. Theoretical values: (1) the current research provides evidence in support of the"Inverse Hypothesis"; (2) the study provides empirical evidence to further verify the"Regression Hypothesis". Practical values: (1) English as a foreign language (EFL) learners can benefit from the findings of the research. As initial proficiency is the most important factor affecting language attrition, the learners should try to reach the"Critical Threshold". By doing so, they can maintain their English knowledge as much as possible after formal English language training. In China, a considerable amount of time and money has been spent in teaching and learning English, so from an education economic perspective the study is an important contribution to the English language education; (2) EFL teachers can make use of the findings about the effects of acquisition modes on language attrition to find effective methods which are good for teaching and maintaining foreign language competence acquired in the future. In this sense the present research benefits the teaching process.