The association between vocabulary size and language dominance of bilingual Malay-English undergraduates
Bilingual learners' inadequate English vocabulary size is one of the most frequently stated problems in applied linguistics. Using mostly qualitative case studies, earlier findings reported several factors (e.g. negative attitude, lack of exposure, poor proficiency, and age of acquisition) as...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2018
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/15887/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/15887/1/21672-91328-1-PB.pdf |
| Summary: | Bilingual learners' inadequate English vocabulary size is one of the most frequently stated problems in applied
linguistics. Using mostly qualitative case studies, earlier findings reported several factors (e.g. negative attitude,
lack of exposure, poor proficiency, and age of acquisition) as related to bilingual learners’ insufficient English
vocabulary size. Therefore, the present study undertakes an in-depth quantitative study to measure language
dominance, which encompasses language history, use, proficiency, and attitude towards Malay, the first
language (L1), and English, the second languages of 96 Malay-English bilingual undergraduates. It also
examines the relationship between vocabulary size and overall dominance scores. The 20,000 Vocabulary Size
Test was used to measure English vocabulary size and the Bilingual Language Profile (BLP) was used to
determine the dominance score. The results show that most of the Malay-English bilinguals are Malay dominant.
A positive and statistically significant association was found between the overall language dominance score and
English vocabulary size. One of the most striking findings to emerge from this study is that the language
dominance score accounts for 30% of the variability in the vocabulary size of Malay-English undergraduates. |
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