Markedness Theory and First Language Transfer Phenomena

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 167-189
Author(s):  
Zhongshi Jin ◽  
Yue Yifei
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
First Language Transfer

A bidirectional study on the acquisition of plural noun phrase interpretation in English and Spanish

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
TANIA IONIN ◽  
SILVINA MONTRUL ◽  
MÓNICA CRIVOS
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
First Language ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Subject Position ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Plural Noun ◽  
First Language Transfer ◽  
Bare Plurals

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates how learners interpret definite plural noun phrases (e.g., the tigers) and bare (article-less) plural noun phrases (e.g., tigers) in their second language. Whereas Spanish allows definite plurals to have both generic and specific readings, English requires definite plurals to have specific, nongeneric readings. Generic readings in English are expressed with bare plurals, which are ungrammatical in Spanish in preverbal subject position. Two studies were conducted in order to investigate the role of first language transfer in this domain in both English → Spanish and Spanish → English directions. Study 1 used a meaning-focused task to probe learners’ interpretation of definite plural nour phrases, whereas Study 2 used a form-focused task to examine learners’ judgments of the acceptability of definite and bare plurals in generic versus specific contexts. First language transfer was attested in both directions, at lower proficiency levels, whereas more targetlike performance was attested at higher proficiency levels. Furthermore, learners were found to be more successful in learning about the (un)grammaticality of bare plurals in the target language than in assigning the target interpretation to definite versus bare plurals. This finding is shown to be consistent with other studies’ findings of plural noun phrase interpretation in monolingual and bilingual children.

Feedback for Language Transfer Errors

1989 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Tomasello ◽  
Carol Herron
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Garden Path ◽  
First Language Transfer ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Transfer Error ◽  
Path Condition ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Teaching Conditions

In this study we compared two methods for correcting language transfer errors in the foreign language classroom. Thirty-two English-speaking college students enrolled in two sections of an introductory French course served as subjects. Eight commonly encountered English-to-French transfer errors were identified and randomly assigned to one of two teaching conditions for one class section; each error was assigned to the opposite condition for the other section. In both teaching conditions students began by translating English sentences into French. The sentences were such that an L1 (first language) transfer strategy produced correct translations (e.g., using savoir for some uses of “to know”). A sentence for which the transfer would not produce an adequate translation (e.g., a sentence requiring connaître) was then introduced in one of two ways. In one condition—what we have termed the Garden Path condition—students were given the new sentence and asked to translate as before. Their inevitable transfer error was then immediately corrected by the teacher. In the control condition students were simply given the correct French form and told that it differed from the English pattern (they were not given the opportunity to commit a transfer error). Student learning of the non-transferable form was assessed three times throughout the course of the semester, and at all time points performance was better in the Garden Path condition. We interpreted this finding as support for a cognitive comparison model of second language acquisition.

scholarly journals An Increase in Imported Goods, Imports Have Increased – The Role of Teaching Pronunciation in an Esp Classroom

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-98
Author(s):  
Tatjana Đurović ◽  
Nadežda Silaški
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
First Language Transfer ◽  
Economics Students ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
University Level ◽  
Teaching Pronunciation

Abstract The fact that English has become the major lingua franca of international business and economy has influenced the goal of teaching pronunciation in an ESP economics classroom: the nativelike speaking skill as the ultimate goal has been superseded by a more realistic and more reasonable goal - the adoption of intelligibility and communicability skills. We argue here, however, that pronunciation skills should be included in a university level ESP economics course syllabus. We point out common pronunciation errors made by economics students due to first-language transfer, exemplifying our points with various types of exercises aiming at overcoming their pronunciation problems.

scholarly journals First language transfer and long-term structural priming in comprehension

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjo Nitschke ◽  
Evan Kidd ◽  
Ludovica Serratrice
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Structural Priming ◽  
First Language Transfer

A Study of The Lexical and Morpho-Syntactic Errors of Fourah Bay College Students

IJOHMN ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Dr. Momodu Turay
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
First Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Written Composition ◽  
First Language Transfer ◽  
Grammatical Errors ◽  
English Usage ◽  
The University ◽  
Lexical Errors

This study investigates the lexical and grammatical errors in the English usage of some Fourah Bay College students at the University of Sierra Leone. Selinker’s Inter-language Theory (1972) and Corder’s Error Analysis Approach (1981) were used as a theoretical framework in examining the learners’ errors. Data were collected by giving the learners a written composition to work on. From the subjects’ essays, lexical and grammatical errors were extracted and categorized. The lexical errors were categorized into first language transfer and learning induced. The grammatical errors were divided into first language transfer, over-generalisation of target language rules, ignorance of target language rules, false concepts hypothesised and universal hierarchy of difficulty. Recommendations were also offered in order to minimize the learners’ errors.

scholarly journals The role of first language transfer in the acquisition of definiteness in specific and generic contexts by Saudi-Arabic learners of English

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Afnan M. Aboras
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Definite Article ◽  
Indefinite Article ◽  
First Language Transfer ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Article Usage ◽  
Saudi Arabic

Studies on the acquisition of definiteness in English by Arabic learners have largely focused on the errors made using articles. The present study investigates the accuracy of Saudi-Arabic learners with regard to the different features associated with definiteness: specificity and genericity. Arabic, like English, contains a definite article and an indefinite article; however, article usage differs between the languages in that Saudi-Arabic tends to drop the indefinite article as it is not obligatory, as it is in English. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine the accuracy with which learners employ specificity and genericity and the effect of the first language on learners’ accuracy. The thesis examines the effects of proficiency level and vocabulary level (receptive and productive). Two experimental studies were carried out, the first focusing on specificity by testing the Bottleneck Hypothesis (Slabakova, 2008) and the Fluctuation Hypothesis (Ionin et al., 2004). The former posits that learners are able to map features between L1 and L2 and that similarities and differences between languages affects acquisition. The latter hypothesis relates to definiteness and specificity, postulating that learners fluctuate between article settings until they acquire the Article Choice Parameter in English. The second experiment focused on genericity with singular and plural contexts, testing the Bottleneck Hypothesis (Slabakova, 2008) and the Representational Deficit Hypothesis (Hawkins & Chan, 1997), which argues that learners cannot acquire a new uninterpretable feature if it is already set in their L1. These experiments demonstrated that the accuracy of Saudi-Arabic learners of English varies according to definiteness features, as the participants performed more accurately with specificity than with genericity. First language transfer affected uses involving genericity more than those involving specificity. The other factors – proficiency level and receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge – affected the learners’ accuracy with respect to both specificity and genericity.

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