A Self Analysis of L1 Language Attrition : EFL Teachers Beware

Damian Rivers, Japan

Over the past quarter of a century the English language has become, without doubt, the most common linguistic denominator on the planet. The strength of the English language comes in part, from the significant percentage of the global population who are native English speakers. When the masses of people from the U.S, Canada, U.K, New Zealand and Australia combine, they create a seemingly formidable English speaking population. With this in mind, it comes as somewhat of a surprise to know that non-native English speakers currently out number their native counterparts by as many as 3 to 1. The nucleus of this global non-native English speaking population currently lies in Asia. A recent U.S article (Newsweek, March 7, 2006) highlights the sheer volume of the non-native English speaking population who are based in Asia; “In Asia alone the number of English users has topped 350 million - roughly the combined populations of the United States, the UK and Canada”.

Fueling this growth is the need for English proficiency in a variety of industries and social forums. In the majority of Asian countries, English is now being taught at nursery school as well as at a plethora of English conversation schools who already cater for children as young as 6 months. The perceived need for English ability is, by all accounts, an accurate one. Asian economies that wish to expand and rival their western counterparts have come to realize that major international business and political exchanges will inevitably be conducted in English. Some domestic Asian companies have progressed further by adopting English as their official first language (e.g., Honda Motor Company, Japan). The consequences of not achieving at least a basic proficiency in English are seemingly far reaching for governments, businessmen, tourists and children alike.

As a result of this surge in demand for English proficiency not only in Asia, but also globally, the number of native English speaking teachers opting to teach abroad has increased dramatically. One particular country that has witnessed an influx of foreigner teachers in recent years is Japan. Huge multi-million dollar chain schools recruit hoards of native speakers both domestically and internationally. The JET Program, which has been sending teachers to Japan since 1987 is a significant source of English language instructors, the program is sponsored by the Japanese government at the highest level and is regarded by many to offer the best deal for prospective teachers. In 2006, the JET Program alone sent 5,853 native English speaking teachers to work in Japan.

I (a British native speaker of English) have been living in Japan for almost 7 years during which time I, like many others have experienced the broad spectrum of teaching options available to native English speakers, the JET program, the ‘eikaiwa’ or private English conversation industry, nursery schools, public schools as well as company English education.

Coming from a university background in social psychology and interpersonal communication I was pretty well prepared for the various psychosocial changes that I could expect to encounter during my time in Japan. With blue eyes, blonde hair, and standing at 190cm it is hard to be inconspicuous amongst a population of 128 million people where only 1.5% are foreign born. Stark contrasts in physical appearance alone between the Japanese and myself made it clear that I would need both strength and resilience in order to function successfully. One aspect of living in Japan that I was not prepared for was the change to my own linguistic ability. The decrease in native language ability is a problem that has been well documented and is referred to as L1 Language Attrition, in my case, occurring in an L2 environment (Japan).

Upon my arrival in Japan I had just completed a demanding academic program at a British University. At this point in my life, I believed that my level of written communication was solid, and my debates/arguments cohesive and articulate. I also believed that my verbal communication was of a generally respectable standard, I consistently tried to increase my vocabulary and improve my spelling (which had always been my weakness). I had a positive self-image and confidence to deal with most of the social situations that I was placed within. This confidence was, in part, what led me to venture to Japan. I sought out immersion in a new society that would present a different set of challenges to those posed by my life in the U.K. I wanted to see how another culture lived and functioned first hand; the best way to experience this and to be able to pay off mounting student debts was through the acclaimed JET Program. I never once imagined that my own native language abilities would suffer as they did. In-fact the thought alone seems rather amusing, especially considering the fact that I was embarking to Japan as an English teacher (a title which is misleading in itself).

Now almost 7 years later, I can reflect on that period of time when my daily communication in my native language consisted of no more than about 500 lexicon. This was due to the fact that my interaction with other native English speakers and highly proficient non-native speakers was minimal, for a great deal of my time (99%) I communicated with only low English level Japanese people, mostly children. In order to assimilate into my new role I had to change my verbal style of communication and expression, what slipped by me was the effect that these changes were having on my ability to converse with other native speakers of English. At this point you are probably assuming that I spoke great Japanese… I didn’t, far from it. Unfortunately, the decrease in my English ability was by no means connected to an increase in my Japanese ability. I increasing saw myself falling toward a state of linguistic limbo.

Naturally, anyone who lives in a cultural environment as seemingly homogenous as Japan for 7 years will experience a host of cognitive changes, from culture shock, the process of assimilation, to feelings of isolation and frustration. The experience is very much a test of character and a challenge to ones own identity. I first began to realize the linguistic changes during my third year in Japan, at this time I would communicate with fellow native speakers for an average of 2 hours per week. It felt good to talk at a natural speed, using natural vocabulary without being concerned if my listener could understand what I was saying. At times I would find myself talking much faster than usual simply to enjoy the pleasure of communicating without the kind of barriers which shackled my English language expression within my regular daily life. After the third year my interaction with other native speakers decreased dramatically (due to a change of employment and location). By this time, on the rare occasion that I would encounter a fellow native speaker I found it hard to express my opinions. I felt like I was answering the question in my head but the required words and sentence structures would not materialize. I discovered that such feelings could eat away at your self-esteem like a Piranha.

Other noticeable problems arose when I was faced with teaching high-level students, students who were near fluent in both English and Japanese. Their range of expression and sentence compilation techniques usually left me feeling a little envious and rather shy, of course I knew what I wanted to say, but it just didn’t materialize. On a more positive note, I felt that my grammatical skills had increased due to the fact that I had been forced to analyze the English language from a variety of new angles and perspectives, although as many Japanese students have found, grammatical knowledge is no indication of communicative competence. Perhaps the worst aspect for me was spelling, this is an area in which I temporarily lost all self-confidence, one such example was an incident which occurred when an intermediate level student asked me how to spell the word “vague”, I honestly had to think and check the dictionary…. twice… shocking!!!

Why, if I am a teacher of the English language did this happen? A lot of the research (I will avoid quoting research as this is not the goal of the article) suggests that identity and language are closely interlinked. The more a person associates their identity and their language as being one, the better the retention of that language will be. Over the course of 7 years my identity has changed in very subtle ways. I am still 100% English, but I do not feel like I exhibit typical English behaviors in a variety of social situations. I also feel like my thought processes have evolved in response to the norms which I am faced with in my daily Japanese life. I have never defined my Englishness through my linguistic style or ability, the whole British accent, American accent debate has never been of interest to me. Research would suggest that this is one reason why my English ability has decreased, accepting a new cultural and social identity means that the language of that culture will also be assimilated, even unconsciously. There were many occasions when I talked to my family in the U.K where I naturally code-switched between Japanese and English, even though I knew my family’s grasp of Japanese was non-existent. This illustrates the extent of my adaptation into a Japanese psychosocial and linguistic mindset.

My brother often commented on my newfound verbal inability with comments such as, “Why are you speaking so slowly” and “Why are you making such short sentences”, the answer to these comments require an in-depth analysis of social influences on identity and language (best saved for another time). From my own experience I can offer the following basic tips to native English speakers who choose to follow an EFL experience in a foreign country.

1) Aim to use your native language as often as possible with other native speakers. If this is not possible try reading a book or studying to help maintain your level of communicability and knowledge. Understanding the processes that we go through allows a better negotiation of them

2) Accept the second language and don’t see it as an enemy, embracing the second language will help you develop your all round communication skills within the L2 environment as well as adding to your self-esteem.

3) Consider the consequences of L1 Language Attrition and how they could affect you upon your return to your country of origin in terms of employment and relationship forming.

I though, am still here in Japan and have no regrets. I took full responsibility for my language decline and have since approached these issues with a new found self-belief and determination to understand the cognitive and linguistic processes that one goes through when experiencing an environment that is previously unfamiliar. Since this period of awareness dawned on me (3/4 years ago) I have also been able to take the required corrective measures and preventative action to ensure that this problem never surfaces again. Even though there are many unknown encounters awaiting the traveling English teacher I would undoubtedly advise anyone who is seeking a challenge to embark on the adventure of teaching overseas especially in a place as wonderful as Japan. Only through the, awareness, knowledge and understanding of other cultures and customs can we truly appreciate and value our own state of being.

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