Abstract
In 2013, Malaysia ranked first in the English Proficiency Index (EPI)[6]. However, a shocking discovery revealed that only 27.8% teachers met the minimum standards of the Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) [7],[8]. This was reflected on the students’ performance revealing a distinct failure in English language subjects in every major examination in Malaysia (UPSR= 25%, PMR= 23%, and SPM= 22%). 50% failed English 1119 and the performance of MUET revealed that 52% candidates getting only band 1 and band 2[7]. Language attrition is a phenomenon where one’s proficiency in a language deteriorates due to several factors. One of the most prominent factors is the disuse of the language itself. The phenomenon can be seen as a threat to teachers or instructors of a language as the quality of their instructions can be deemed questionable should they experience the phenomenon. The research aims to investigate factors that hinder teachers’ use of English in their workplace and daily lives. The study employing the qualitative method took place in the municipal of Machang, Kelantan, Malaysia. The decision to conduct the study in the municipal of Machang, Kelantan, was due to the uniqueness of the state itself for its prevalent EV[121],[13],[14]. The principal results revealed that the factors hindering the use of English language among informants were vastly related but not limited to EVT[25]. There were also factors related to policy. The study tapped into a new dimension linking language attrition, language maintenance, teaching and learning, sociolinguistics, and policy, where the results were inter-related to one another.
Highlights
Language attrition is a phenomenon where there is a reduction of proficiency in a language due to less or no contact with the community using the language as well as the language itself[1]
The data is faced with a shocking discovery when it was revealed that from 61,000 teachers in Malaysia, only 27.8% met the minimum standards of the Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) as they were tested[7],[8]. 5.1% were at the basic level and 4.94% were below the basic level
Yağmur and Ehala[27] mentioned that the level of Ethnolinguistic Vitality (EV) determines the vulnerability of a language belonging to a group to attrition
Summary
Language attrition is a phenomenon where there is a reduction of proficiency in a language due to less or no contact with the community using the language as well as the language itself[1]. The contact with the community using the language as well as the usage of the language highly influence the proficiency of the particular language. Meguro et al.[4] investigated 4 senior Japanese immigrants in Brazil with Alzheimer In this work, they examined language proficiency of bilingual adults in both languages. Among all the countries in Asia, Malaysia ranked first with the index of 58.99 in the English Proficiency Index (EPI) as displayed in the Education First website, www.ef.com. This was closely followed by Singapore (58.92) at second place with the difference of only 0.07. Teachers with band B2 and below for secondary school and band B1 and below for primary school have to undergo this programme with the goal of all English language teachers in Malaysia to achieve band C1[9]
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