An Investigation Into The Influence Of Non-English Majors' Language Attitude On Language Attrition

The study of language attrition as a field of academic research was first recognized at the Conference on the Attrition of Language Skills convened by Richard Lambert at the University of Pennsylvania in 1980. More than few decades have passed since a systematic research for language attrition has been started. However, compared with its popularity abroad, language attrition receives little attention in China. Till now, few domestic scholars have reported the language attrition and the influence factors of EFL learners in China. In the present study, the researcher aims to investigate the attrition of English skills and the influence of language attitude after the termination of formal English training of EFL learners in China.The present study attempts to investigate the relationship between English language attrition and college graduated students'language attitudes through qualitative and quantitative methods. The study is based on the data obtained from a language attitude questionnaire and English proficiency tests. The interview is conducted to complement the findings of questionnaire. The participants are high middle school teachers teaching non-English subjects and having passed CET-4 test. They had graduated in 2006 and 2007 from Northwest Normal University. Two research instruments, the attitude questionnaire and the CET-4 test paper, were used in the study. Data were analyzed with SPSS 13.0. The study mainly addressed the following two questions:(1) Is there any attrition of EFL learners'language skills after systematical English learning? Which aspects of language skill, listening, reading and writing, are more vulnerable to suffer attrition?(2) Whether language attitude has influence on language attrition? If so, which aspect of language skill, listening, reading and writing, are most vulnerable to be influenced by language attitude? The main findings are: 1) Regardless of their language attitude, participants undergo attrition after the termination of formal English training. Listening skill is more vulnerable to suffer attrition than writing skill, which is more vulnerable than reading skill; 2) Different attitudes groups have significant difference in their language attrition rate. The negative attitude group suffers more attrition than the positive group. Besides, the present study indicates that language attitude has no significant correlation with language proficiency on listening, reading and writing skills at test1. However, it has significant positive correlation with language attrition on listening and writing skills at test2.It is suggested that attitude of participants has positive influence on language attrition, the present study gives some implication to the language policy and English teaching and learning in China: it is more important to cultivate successful English keeper, but not only English learners; it is necessary hold a positive attitude on English for learners and make different teaching plans for different learners which related to their career development. However, language attrition is a complicated process which is influenced by several of factors, and the present study only involved one variable. The more attention should be paid on researches in this field.