An Empirical Study On The Attrition Sequence Of English Relative Clauses And The Affecting Factors In Chinese Context

Language attrition, which investigates the phenomenon that bilinguals’or multilinguals’ability to use a specific language regresses with time due to cease or reduction of use, is taken as the reverse process of language acquisition. It was not until1980, when a landmark conference was held dedicating to the topic of The Attrition of Language Skills in the University of Pennsylvania, that attrition was established as an independent field of linguistic research. The following decades witness extensive studies on language attrition from both theoretical and empirical aspects-the term "attrition" has been explicitly defined; various hypotheses on the nature of attrition and factors affecting attrition have been identified and tested; and the attrition at various linguistic levels has been explored with both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. On the contrary, attrition study in China is still in its infancy with few large-scale empirical studies carried out.Based on previous research, the present study endeavors to justify Jakobson’s Regression Hypothesis and to analyze the attrition sequence of English relative clauses in Chinese context. To be precise, there are two main research questions:(1) What is the attrition sequence of English relative clauses in Chinese context? Does it follow the prediction of Regression Hypothesis?(2) Among the identified eight factors affecting foreign language attrition, how do three of them, namely, proficiency level prior to attrition, time since onset of attrition and gender, affect the attrition of English relative clauses in Chinese context?To solve these questions, a questionnaire and a test were designed to investigate the attrition of English relative clauses with175Chinese former graduates who learned English as a foreign language. The data obtained were analyzed with SPSS18.0. The results indicate that:(1) The attrition sequence of English relative clauses of Chinese EFL learners does follow the "first acquired, last attrited; better acquired, last attrited" pattern as predicted by the Regression Hypothesis.(2) The effects of the three major factors affecting language attrition are summarized as follows:firstly, the proficiency level prior to attrition is negatively correlated with English relative clauses attrition. Learners with high proficiency level are more resistant to attrition than those with low proficiency level. Moreover, CET4is identified to be the critical level for Chinese EFL learners. Secondly, the time since onset of attrition is positively correlated with the attrition of English relative clauses. Learners with longer time since onset of attrition suffer from much greater attrition. Besides, the period that is sensitive to attrition is found to be from the second year to the seventh year since attrition sets in. Thirdly, the effect of gender difference on attrition is not significant for the attrition of relative clauses.China has the largest number of students learning English as a second language, and the structure of relative clauses is one of the most difficult ones in English grammar system. Thus, the findings of this study could offer valuable reference for the policy-making of foreign language education, the improvement of English language teaching and learning, and the prevention of foreign language attrition.