A Review of Studies of the Role of Native Language

• Published in: Journal of language teaching and research 2011-03, Vol.2 (2), p.441
• Main Author: Yu, Weihua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Early second language learning; Grammatical number; Language acquisition; Learning transfer; Linguistics; Native language; Second language instruction; Second language learning; Second language teachers; Teaching
• ISSN: 1798-4769; 2053-0684
• DOI: 10.4304/jltr.2.2.441-444

Where the first and second language share a meaning but express it in different ways, an error is likely to arise in L2 because the learner will transfer the realization device from his first language into the second. [...]the process of SLA is considered as that of overcoming the effect of L1,of slowly replacing the features of L1 that intrude into L2 with those of the target language, just as Marton (1981) has told us "taking a psychological point of view, we can say that there is never peaceful co-existence between two language systems in the learner, but rather constant warfare, and that warfare is not limited to the moment of cognition, but continues during the period of storing newly learnt ideas in memory" (P.150). BODILY MANIFESTATION Ellis (1994) argues that no theory of L2 acquisition is complete without an account of L1 transfer. Since the L1 system is highly automatized through repeated activation, L1 transfer occurs inevitably, and both the similarity and difference between L1 and L2 may lead to L1 transfer, which can be shown in the following forms: A. Negative Transfer The 1960s saw a number of studies of linguistic errors produced by L1 learners. Ellis (1994) points out that the facilitative effect of L1 is evident in the early stages of acquisition before the learner is ready to construct a developmental rule. Because facilitation is not as evident as interference, Odlin (1989) argues that the facilitative effect of L1 depends on the reduced number of errors and the rate of learning. Lado (1957) points out that the teacher who has made a comparison of the foreign language with the native language of the students will know better what the real problems are and can provide for teaching them. [...]study on the role of native language is very important for us to know more about L2 acquisition, which must instruct our teaching and then improve our teaching quality.