TheoreticalStudyofFirstLanguageTransferinSecondLanguageLearning

【Abstract】The role and impact of first language knowledge and how it affects Chinese learners' learning process are significant issues in second language learning.In discussing the role of first language transfer in second language learning，the theoretical understanding of first language transfer will be considered.The next section will go into further detail in the implications and suggestions for teaching and learning English writing and finally conclusions will be drawn from the reading and discussions within this paper.

【Key words】first language transfer； contrastive analysis； error analysis； interlanguage

1.Introduction

During the process of second language learning，some of the learners may rely on their first language and tend to translate them directly into the target language.Due to this phenomenon，according to Ellis （1985），if the learners first language is significantly different from their second language，it can be indicated that higher frequency of errors may occur because of the interference of first language.Hence，the role of first language transfer should be one of the areas emphasized when exploring the reasons for the problems that Chinese learners' encounter in their writing.Research in this area will provide implications that need to be appreciated，alongside solutions for teaching and learning English.

2.Contrastive analysis and language transfer

Language transfer，according to Kwon （2006），is the way that an acquired knowledge of a language affects the knowledge and understanding of the new language.Language transfer began to be extensively discussed in the 1950s and linguists have differing views regarding this issue （Wang，2010）.As an important assumption of Contrastive Analysis （CA），language transfer related to the studies of CA has been an element of research and study since 1960s，and it reveals the impacts of first language on second language learning （Saville-Troike，2005）.During the period of 1940s to 1950s，Structuralism and Behaviorism were significant influences on CA，bringing about another assumption of CA，that the process of language learning is the transfer of language habits from one language to another （Wang，2009b）.

According to CA，the errors that were being produced by second language learners can be attributed to the results of interference.The reasons this interference occurs are manifold.Dong & Han （2009） contribute the point that language transfer can be seen as the learning habits of the learners first language being distinct from the second language.CA further proposes that language transfer is based on the differences between first language and second language，as Odlin （1989） defined，language transfer is，“the influence resulting from similarities and differences between the target language and any other language that has been previously （and perhaps imperfectly） acquired”（p.27）.

According to Ellis （1985），if the first language is similar to the second language，then the first language will ‘facilitate second language learning； however，‘interference will occur if the first language is different from the target language.During the process of second language learning，if there are similarities between second language and first language，first language may contribute the second language learning，and this is considered positive transfer （Ringbom，1987）.On the contrary，if the differences between first language and the second language interfere with the target language，it is considered negative transfer （Saville-Troike，2005）.Therefore，if language transfer can be seen to be distinguished in this way，we can consider that both positive transfer and negative transfer have an effect.

According to Lado （1957），CA can not only predict and explain the difficulties that learners may have in second learning in terms of the differences between first and second language，but also，CA can seen to be improving the effectiveness of teaching and testing in second language.However，as Saville-Troike （2005） states，limitation to CA exist： many errors and difficulties that CA predicts learners may have because of negative transfer do not exist； lots of positive transfer that are predicted do not appear to be correct either，furthermore，CA does not provide explanations of many errors during second language learning.

3.Error Analysis and language transfer

As discussed above，CA has been open to criticism and doubt.In the early 1970s，CA was replaced by EA （Saville-Troike，2005）.Error Analysis （EA） is an important theory in Applied Linguistics，and it is the pre-eminent theory of second language acquisition as well （Wang，2009）.EA is based on the observation，analysis and explanation of the real errors that learners have during second language learning （Dong & Han，2009）.According to Corder （1967，as cited in Dong & Han，2009），EA provides the information about what learners have acquired in the second language，how they went through the process of acquiring the second language，and considers the rules of the language and how they are understood and misunderstood by the language learners.

Understanding the reasons why errors were made by learners is necessary in the process of second language learning （Saville-Troike，2005）.Two major causes of errors in second language learning are interlingual error and intralingual error： interlingual error refers to the interference between first language and second language due to the negative transfer of the first language on second language； intralingual error is considered to be the interference within the second language itself that is mistakenly learnt and results in the limited or incomplete knowledge of the second language （Si & Wen，2000）.

EA can be seem as an better theory of CA owing to the facts that CA mainly focused solely on the analysis of interlingual errors，as opposed to different kinds of errors highlighted empirically （Dong & Han，2009）.Nevertheless，according to Saville-Troike （2005），EA also has its limitations： errors that learners make during second language learning may not be as a result of their first language； data concerning what learners have learnt from the second language is not fully provided as EA only emphasizes the errors and neglects the correct usages； and，because learners may avoid using difficult language structures，errors may not be visible.

4.Interlanguage and language transfer

In 1972，the term of ‘Interlanguage was proposed by Selinker based around the concept of EA （Si & Wen，2010）.Interlanguage occurs during the process of learning a second language after the learners have already acquired their first language.As Wang （2010） further states，Interlanguage is different from first language and second language as it has its own rules of phonology，lexicon and grammar，however，it is a transitional language indicating the knowledge of the second language that the learners have already acquired.Saville-Troike （2005，p.41） claims Interlanguage has four characters，“systematic，dynamic，variable，and reduced form”.The internal grammar of the learners is constructed during second language learning，and the production of Interlanguage will vary in its accuracy from student to student.The rules of Interlanguage are personal and changeable，rules can be both negatively and positively amended，and they must be considered ‘provisional grammar knowledge.Interlanguage is variable as it has different understanding and appropriation of language patterns.Reduced form refers to the grammar structures in Interlanguage are normally not as complicated as the learners' first language.

Interlanguage and first language transfer are closely linked.As Adejemian （1976，as cited in Si & Wen，2000） claims，one of the main characters of Interlanguage is 'permeability'： Interlanguage is subject to the rules of learners' first language and second language，and the permeability from learners' first language is first language transfer.If the transfer of first language is positive，it contributes to the Interlanguage，however，errors result in Interlanguage if the transfer of first language is negative.

5.Implications for the teaching and learning of English in China

Competence in a first language can be an aid to the Chinese students，allowing them to achieve success in their second language as the students are able to use the knowledge and skills already acquired through learning their first language （Jiang，2004）.However，there are many significant differences in Chinese and English which cause the negative transfer and make learning English a serious challenge for the Chinese students.Hence，contrastive analysis of Chinese and English should be focused on in lessons （Zhang，2005）.Contrastive analysis should include different aspects of syntax，lexis，and discourse.During the lessons，when teachers teach the grammar points or new vocabulary，it would be effective to openly analyse the differences between Chinese and English and emphasize the differences which may cause negative transfer to the students （Lin，2009）.It is a good way to draw the attention of learners to the significant differences in Chinese and English，so they will be aware when they use the second language.

Moreover，as Krashen （1981） states，teachers should try to provide an authentic second language learning environment for the learners as the goal of learning shall relate to the real speaking world.According to Berardo （2006），if the exposure to the real language can be provided adequately，the learners will understand more about the differences between their first language and target language.Hence，to create an authentic second language learning environment，the input of materials shall be various yet authentic，materials can be taken from real life，such as newspaper，the radio，television and magazines （Richards & Schmidt，2002）.In providing this authentic environment，teachers give their students tools to improve their English skills.Chinese learners should also read English articles as reading provide learners opportunities to access the“look and texture of 'reader-based' prose” （Krashen，1985，p20）.Furthermore，learning a language can be viewed as synonymous to learning culture，and reading may help learners to acquire a high level of cultural knowledge of the target language which will help them to overcome the negative first language transfer that is caused by the different understanding of cultures （Lado，1964）.

Furthermore，exercises may help Chinese learners to overcome the negative transfer of their first language and facilitate second language learning （Fan，2007）.If the learners only access the input of contrastive analysis of Chinese and English without any legitimate practices，they may forget what they have learnt very easily （Nagata，1998）.Therefore，the teachers may provide some exercises based on the contrastive analysis during the lessons，especially some exercises about the differences between Chinese and English that can cause negative first language transfer，but should also provide the authenticity of learning materials and the opportunity to ‘use the language.According to Lin （2009），it would be effective if the teacher could provides feedback for the learners after the exercises，the teachers and students should comment on the frequent mistakes that learners have made and analyse the mistakes that are caused by negative first language transfer.

6.Conclusion

Although negative language transfer may not be the only cause of learner errors during second language learning，according to Lado （1957），negative language transfer is still the main impediment facing second language learners and is the cause of a number of difficulties encountered during the learning process.According to different theories that have been discussed throughout，the influences of the first language may not be the same in all language learning，but it is undeniable that the role of first language is significant and indispensable （Yan，2010）.It is important for language teachers to help learners overcome the negative transfer of their first language.When learners make typical errors during the study of writing，teachers may point the errors out，explain and provide correct answers for the learners （Wang，2010）.Exploring and analysing the typical errors that result from first language influence are necessary in second language learning，especially in the teaching and learning of English in writing lessons in China （Fan，2007）.

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作者簡介：邱达希，女，1987年8月，汉族，硕士，助教，研究方向：二语习得、英语教学法。