Comparing languages: Stage 1, 1st language influences
There's no right answer ...
... but there are a number of reasons. Essentially they boil down to one of two things:
- The writer's 1st language operates differently from English.
- English is intrinsically difficult.
The second reason doesn't seem very sensible, given that the writer has got most of the sentence right. What seems to have happened is that the writer has carried over structures (or a lack of them) from his/her first language into English. This is usually known as first language (or L1) interference.
Question: What percentage of learners' errors (excluding
pronunciation) do you think are caused by interference from
L1? Write down a number before you click here. |
A summary taken from Ellis, The Study of Second Language Acquisition, 1994, p302. | ||
STUDY | % INTERFERENCE ERRORS | TYPE OF LEARNER |
Grauberg 1971 | 36 | First language German, adult, advanced |
George 1972 | 33 (approx.) | Mixed first languages, adult, graduates |
Dulay and Burt 1973 | 3 | First language Spanish, children, mixed levels |
Tran-Chi-Chau 1975 | 51 | First language Chinese, adult, mixed levels |
Mukkatesh 1977 | 23 | First language Arabic, adult |
Flick 1980 | 31 | First language Spanish, adult, mixed level |
Lott 1983 | 50 (approx.) | First language Italian |
So, between one third and a half of all errors were caused by 1st
language interference.
Note that the lowest figures are for the youngest learners.
Why should this be?
The assumption has been made that young children have fewer expectations about language but adults compensate for a lack of knowledge by assuming that the language they are learning will behave roughly in the same way as the language(s) they already speak.
Ellis also wrote: "there is now clear evidence that L1 acts as a major factor in L2 acquisition” but there are other good reasons for learning about other people's languages;
- L1 can be used as a resource rather than an impediment.
- Understanding what all languages have in common may help us to avoid teaching what our students already know.
- It impresses and reassures your students that you have taken some time to learn about their languages.
There is a guide on this site to language interference and language facilitation which provides a good deal more detail (new tab).
Before we go on ...
Question 2: How many languages are
spoken in the world? Write a number on a piece of paper and then click here to go to Stage 2. |
Index | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | The lesson |