The onset of English lexical acquisition among Malaysian preschoolers

Mohamed Salleh, Rabiah Tul Adawiyah and Di Biase, Bruno and Kawaguchi, Satomi (2024) The onset of English lexical acquisition among Malaysian preschoolers. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. ISSN 0143-4632

	PDF - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (1MB) | Request a copy
	PDF - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (240kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

English is undoubtedly an important language for educational and socioeconomic mobility in numerous countries including Malaysia. Regardless of its importance, studies to document English language acquisition among Malaysian children acquiring English in the local context remain scarce. This normative data is imperative for syllabus-designers, policymakers, teachers and linguists to understand and to develop materials that are developmentally sensitive and contextualised to the local setting. Thus, the objective of this paper is to present the onset of English lexical acquisition among 99 Malaysian preschoolers at the beginning of formal instruction. The 99 children were pupils in 3 public preschools in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The children’s language production was elicited in individual communicative tasks. Their lexical output, both in English and Malay were analysed based on the children’s language choice during the session as well as the frequencies of types and tokens. The results indicate that Malaysian preschoolers displayed a limited range of productive abilities and age-sensitive vocabulary in English at the beginning of formal instruction. However, at that point, the children already possess receptive skills greater than their productive skills. Based on the findings, implications for pedagogy are also discussed.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	English as a second language; lexical development; Malaysian preschoolers
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of English Language & Literature
Depositing User:	Dr. Rabiah Tul Adawiyah Mohamed Salleh
Date Deposited:	23 Feb 2022 08:48
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2024 09:00
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/96884

Actions (login required)

View Item