First Language Interference in Learning the Second Language

Eye Tracking Supported Research Into Sight Translation. Lapsological Conclusions.

In the article, the author, on the basis of eye tracking research, indicates the linguistic elements that posed the greatest difficulty for the test subjects in sight translation from Polish into Russian. She explains what the difficulty of these elements is and what causes problems in translating them. Interestingly, other types of translation difficulties were revealed by eye tracking research (in fact, objective research of increased mental effort), while others were indicated by the respondents themselves in questionnaires when answering the question - what do they think will be the biggest problem for them. 
Next, the author presents in tables the most frequent mistakes that the respondents made in sight translation. Most of them were interference errors (51% of the total number of errors) due to the very strong influence of the visual stimulus in this type of translation, which is the source text lying all the time in front of the translator. On the other hand, when it comes to specifying the nature of interference errors, they were predominantly lexical errors (78% among the interference errors), while interference at the grammatical level constituted 22%.

This article confronts two languages, Spanish and Slovak, and contrasts the position
and the use of French loanwords used by them. It classifies the differences and gives
their examples, starting with phonic, graphic, semantic and structural differences
and finishing with the analysis of the presence or absence of anglicisms in the cases
of denotative mismatches.

Autorka pracy analizuje transfer językowy pojawiający się na wszystkich poziomach języka, opisuje poszczególne wpływy i próbuje znaleźć odpowiedz na pytanie, w jaki sposób można wykorzystać transfer pozytywny do intensyfikacji nauczania oraz jak wyeliminować błędy interferencyjne.

There is an issue about whether or not the first language can be used in teaching and learning English. However, it is often found that the first language is used in English classroom to mediate foreign language learning. This study aims to find out the use of first language by the teachers and the students, as well as the reasons, which underlie the phenomena in English classroom. Case study is used as the research method, with classroom observation and interview as the techniques to collect the data. The result of this study shows that the first language is used in several occasions during teaching and learning process. It is because of some reasons such as it is easier to use in explaining complex concept, lack of understanding and ability to use english, shyness and afraid of making mistakes. However, it gives positive contribution to mediate language learning and language teaching. In conclusion, when it is used appropriately, L1 has facilitating role that can support teaching and learning process in English classroom.

Dans ce livre,  je voudrais offrir à mes étudiants et à mes collègues, les enseignants du français, une étude propre à l'interférence interlinguale  en vue de profiter des traits communs entre les deux systèmes( le français et l'arabe) au processus de l’enseignement  et / ou  d’éviter particulièrement les erreurs dues surtout à l’influence négative de leur langue maternelle - l’arabe -  sur la langue cible c’est-à-dire le français.
Notre analyse  linguistique part de l’observation du français parlé et écrit de nos informateurs arabophones vers la description objective qui portera sur  la phonologie, la morphologie et la syntaxe.

The influence of already learned languages on learning a new language has been a site of controversy; a huge number of scholars have asserted that learned languages affect learning a new language positively, and others have seen that learned languages cannot be a thing other than a negative influencer. The number of learned languages is also taken into consideration to be of additional complexity or simplicity on language learning. That is, the number of languages already learned inevitably determines the amount of complexity or simplicity learning a new language would have.  The paper approaches the Moroccan case of monolingualism and bilingualism so as to come up with implications that can make clear the nature of bilingualism's influence on second language acquisition.

Analysis of errors produced by Korean learners of English is one area in which much work remains to be done. This paper attempts to delineate two particular types of errors: L1 syntax-influenced errors, those caused by L1 surface structure interference in L2 production, and L1 culturo-syntactically related errors, those caused by L1 surface structure interference which, in turn, has been influenced by cultural or other extralinguistic aspects of the L1 speech community. This culturo-syntactic influence of Korean is shown to occur at the morphological, lexical, phrasal, and sentential levels, all causing errors in English production. Two additional general principles are proposed to account for much of this influence. It is suggested that teacher awareness of these types of errors and imparting to the student information on the reasons causing them will be conducive to their expedient elimination.

Può l'interferenza linguistica che si nota talvolta nelle traduzioni letterarie, essere considerata come un fenomeno, seppure transitorio, di attrito linguistico? Certo è che il processo traduttivo comporta un notevole impegno cognitivo e per un periodo più o meno prolungato le due lingue coinvolte convivono nella mente del traduttore che deve continuamente inibire una a favore dell'altra. Durante la traduzione di un'opera il traduttore presenta almeno in parte le caratteristiche dei soggetti sotto attrito, ovvero una competenza altissima nella lingua seconda (L2) e l'utilizzo di essa per gran parte della sua giornata, viene naturalmente a mancare la condizione che si ritiene essenziale ovvero risiedere nel paese dove la L2 viene parlata. Cardinaletti ha notato (2004, 2005) che nelle traduzioni dall'inglese all'italiano si usano i pronomi espliciti anche in contesti dove sarebbe opportuno utilizzare soggetti vuoti e si usano soggetti preverbali la dove sarebbe più adeguato utilizzare un soggetto postverbale. Cardinaletti (2005) nota che questa particolarità sintattica dell'italiano delle traduzioni dall'inglese è coerente con le caratteristiche dimostrate in altre situazioni di contatto linguistico, come ad esempio nell'acquisizione dell'italiano L2 da parte di anglofoni e nel caso di attrito linguistico (Sorace, 2000, 2004; Tsimpli & al., 2004). Cardinaletti avanza l'ipotesi che il processo di traduzione possa essere visto come un momento molto particolare di contatto di linguistico in cui l'immersione non è dovuta ad un fenomeno sociale (l'emigrazione), ma alla convivenza intensa con la lingua da cui si traduce e che le interferenze linguistiche nelle traduzioni possano essere dovute all'attrito linguistico. In questo studio si prendono in considerazione alcune opere turche tradotte in italiano1 da traduttori madrelingua che risiedono ancora nel paese di origine ed hanno vissuto solo per brevi periodi e per motivi di studio in Turchia. 1. Che cos'è l'attrito linguistico L'attrito linguistico può essere definito come la perdita non patologica della lingua madre nei bilingui che hanno appreso la seconda lingua da adulti in un contesto di migrazione, va distinto dal fenomeno dell'erosione linguistica e della scomparsa della lingua in comunità bilingui come viene studiata dai sociolinguisti (Köpke, 2004). L'attrito non deve essere confuso o associato a casi estremi in cui l'emigrante dimentica quasi completamente la propria lingua madre (casi che presentano generalmente problemi che vanno oltre il mero attrito linguistico, come ad esempio senescenza, distacco emotivo dalla lingua madre, ecc.). Il fenomeno dell'attrito si delinea come un continuum tra casi estremi di perdita quasi totale della lingua e casi lievi in cui la presenza di attrito è valutabile solo attraverso test specifici (Köpke e Schmid, 2004). Uno degli scopi delle ricerche in questo campo è stabilire il minimo comun denominatore tra i due estremi. In altre parole stabilire quali sono i tratti linguistici più vulnerabili all'attrito che, al di la delle condizioni sociali e psicologiche che aggravano o attenuano il fenomeno, vengono comunque influenzati dal transfer linguistico. Tra gli studiosi più interessanti nel campo dell'attrito troviamo Antonella Sorace (2000, 2004) che introduce l'Ipotesi dell'Interfaccia (I.I.) quale spiegazione di tutti i fenomeni di interferenza linguistica nel loro complesso (bilinguismo precoce e tardivo e attrito), l'ipotesi, introdotta per la prima volta in Sorace e Filiaci (2006), propone che le strutture che si presentano all'interfaccia, dove cioè la sintassi incontra altri sistemi cognitivi, sono più difficili da acquisire e più vulnerabili all'attrito. Tsimpli e Sorace (2006) perfezionano l'ipotesi distinguendo tra interfacce interne ed esterne, le interfacce interne sono quelle tra la sintassi e le componenti interne del linguaggio (fonologiche e semantiche) mentre quelle esterne sono quelle generate dall'incontro tra sintassi ed altri sistemi cognitivi. Le interfacce interne, quelle tra componenti del linguaggio, come ad esempio l'interfaccia tra sintassi e semantica, secondo lo studio citato prima, non sarebbero vulnerabili all'interferenza linguistica, mentre le interfacce esterne esterne come quella tra sintassi e discorso risulterebbero vulnerabili. Molti studi che utilizzano l'I.I. per analizzare i fenomeni di interferenza linguistica tra sintassi e discorso riguardano bilingui le cui lingue sono diverse dal punto di vista parametrico, l'ipotesi è infatti che se una condizione è assente nella L2, con l'andare del tempo nella lingua madre (L1) diventa non specificata. Nel suo studio sull'attrito Sorace (2000) aveva notato che l'utilizzo del pronome anaforico, normalmente realizzato come non pronunciato in italiano, diventava opzionale per i parlanti quasi nativi di inglese e di conseguenza realizzavano un numero maggiore di pronomi pronunciati rispetto al gruppo di controllo monolingue italiano. Anche Cardinaletti (2004) prende in esame il caso dell'inglese e dell'italiano e riporta la stessa opzionalità riscontrata nei parlanti sotto attrito, anche le traduzioni dall'inglese in italiano presentano frasi in cui il pronome nullo sarebbe stato pragmaticamente più accettabile rispetto alla scelta fatta dal traduttore di utilizzare un pronome espresso. L'interferenza linguistica, però, non pare avvenire limitatamente alle lingue che presentano opzioni parametriche distinte; di recente alcuni studi hanno dimostrato che l'interfaccia tra sintassi e discorso è vulnerabile anche in coppie di lingue tipologicamente simili quando cioè le condizioni in analisi sono le stesse nella L1 e nella L2, Bini (1993) per esempio ha trovato che gli apprendenti spagnoli di italiano usano molto più pronomi espressi sebbene in queste due lingue le norme di sintassi e discorso che governano il pronome espresso siano le stesse. Questi risultati sono in linea con quanto discusso da Margaza e Bel (2006) che hanno studiato lo spagnolo interlingua di apprendenti greci; anche in questo caso gli apprendenti greci a livello intermedio producevano un numero maggiore di pronomi soggetto là dove sia in greco che in spagnolo la frase pragmaticamente più corretta sarebbe stata quella con il soggetto nullo. Sorace et al.(2009) confrontano invece i

The main goal of this work is to present and analyse a subtype of false friends, the so called false internationalism between Slovak and Spanish. The article is written from the Slovak perspective and includes internationalisms that do not exist in Spanish, although the international character of the loanword convinces us frequently of the opposite.
And this is why this group of words often induces us into false analogy and causes negative interlingual interference. The article gives examples of internationalisms of English, French, Italian and Latin&Greek origin present in Slovak and absent in Spanish where they are replaced by other words that are etymologically unrelated.

English language plays an important role as an effective communication medium. It is used in schools ,colleges and universities. The aim of this study is to explore writing difficulties in the English language faced by second language learners particularly by Bengalis. A survey was conducted for this purpose. Majority of students with rural and urban backgrounds cannot communicate properly in English and perceive it as a very difficult subject. This paper reports on a small scale study which examined ten Bengali learners with a vernacular background. Data was collected from them in the form of essay writing. The main focus of the study has been on usage of articles and verbs in the written form. Seven of the students essays were studied in details. Results of the study indicated that students were facing a lot of difficulties in writing English language due to lack of vocabulary, poor spelling, L1 interference and a poor understanding of grammatical structure. Primary data was collected from the students of Shantiniketan and the secondary data was collected from other websites.

The author investigated the difficulties encounter Arab second language English learners in using English adjectives across four levels of English proficiency. Sixty students, fifteen from each year, were randomly selected. The subjects were undergraduate students at the English Department, Benghazi University, Libya. Test that covered most of the semantic and structural characteristics of English adjectives was used as an instrument of collecting data in this research. All of the errors were analyzed in the frame of Error Analysis Theory to second language acquisition. A Chi-square test of independence revealed that there is no significant difference in the types of errors (interference and developmental) committed by the students of the four years. Qualitatively, a through analysis of the types of errors and their possible causes were highlighted to assist ESL/EFL teachers and to help them reduce future problems regarding teaching English adjectives to Arab speaking learners of English as a second language.

The article examines trends in the development of modern language teaching technologies and methodologies based on digital innovations. The digital tools become a core part of computer assisted language learning (CALL) in general and Russian language teaching for foreigners in particular. The author illustrates putting spaced repetition software into practice with the algorithm used by program Anki which makes the process of learning Russian easier and more effective.

本稿の目的は、日本語とペルシア語の対比焦点を形成する機構を比較し、その外国語 学習への影響を明らかにすることである。まず、実験 1 では、ペルシア語における焦点 の音響的特徴を検討し、日本語のそれと比較した。結果、両言語は基本的に類似した機 構を利用するが、日本語では焦点を当てるのに句末境界音調(boundary pitch movements) を利用するのに対して、ペルシア語にはそのようなものが存在しないということがわか った。実験 2 で は、実験 1 で見られた相違点が母語干渉として言語学習者の発話に現出 するかどうか調査した。結果として明らかになったのは、ペルシア語を学習している日 本語母語話者は、多くの場合、ペルシア語の対比焦点構造において日本語と同様に句末 境界音調を利用し、日本語を学習しているペルシア語母語話者は日本語の対比焦点の際 にこの機構を用いないということである。つまり、母語の対比焦点を形成する機構を外 国語の場合にも適用するという母語干渉が起こっているということが示された。

Using L1 in the English classroom has long been considered as an unforgivable wrongdoing. Many English teachers who use L1 in the classroom feel guilty about it and in many cases do not admit it. Recent researchers started to question the validity of this claim suggesting contexts and situations in which using L1 can be very helpful in ELT and refuting, on the other hand, the claims upon which the idea of using L2 solely were built.
My paper examines the attitudes of advanced English language learners toward using L1 in the class of English where the students and the teacher speak the same first language and also examines the attitudes of a group of EFL and ESL teachers toward the same practice.
The same questionnaire given to the students was redesigned and given to a number of teachers.

The current research paper attempted at investigating the use of prepositions of standard, prepositions of possession and prepositions of accompaniment by some Jordanian learners of English. A total of 53 Jordanian English Majors participated in the study from the department of English language at Princess Alia University College. In collecting the needed data for the purpose of the study, the researchers employed fifteen items of a multiple choice test. The results of the study showed that Jordanian learners of English encountered moderate difficulty in learning the three aforesaid usages of prepositions. This difficulty is ascribed mainly to first language interference more than intralingual interference. It was also found that prepositions of standard are the most difficult to learn by the participants, followed by prepositions of accompaniment and prepositions of possession respectively.       Keywords: First language Interference, Intralingual Interference, Prepositions of Stan...

A study of the process of bilingualization of speech-area second-generation immigrants in Catalonia (Spain), is described and summarized. The study looks at the interrelationships between (1) linguistic context, all sources of messages in natural speech; (2) linguistic behavior, the real communicative use the individual makes of his expressive faculties in the language; and (3) linguistic competence, the combination of knowledge and capacity allowing the individual to understand and utter messages in the language. These variables are examined as they relate to the acquisition of Catalan by Castilian-speaking immigrants' children. The report begins with a general geographic and demographic background and a description of the study's design. The second chapter presents information on the demography and the three linguistic variables examined in the town under study. The third and fourth chapters present analyses of the relationships between the three variables. The fifth chapter outlines the study's conclusions and observations. A bibliography, the data-collection instruments, notes on oral and written responses to the tests used, and extensive statistical tables are appended.

This study investigated the effect of first language (L1) metalinguistic comments on Iranian EFL learners’ acquisition of third person /-s/ as measured by the learners’ performance on a grammaticality judgment test. Accordingly, two intact university classes- randomly assigned to experimental and comparison groups- were homogenized based on their scores on language proficiency and grammatically judgment tests. During 6 hours of task-based instructions, the experimental group was treated by L1 metalinguistic comments and the comparison group through L2 metalinguistic comments. Using ANCOVA and t-test to compare the groups’ scores, the results indicated that although the mean accuracy scores of both groups were improved on the immediate posttest, the experimental group outperformed the comparison group on the delayed posttest. It can be postulated that L1 metalinguistic comments lead to more durable gains than L2 metalinguistic comments in EFL classrooms. The findings suggest that L1 ...

Under the shadow of the inescapable fact that learning L2 (Second or Foreign Language) especially English in this global village is mandatory for academia in developing countries, thereupon, Pakistan faces akin conditions where learners are exposed to Urdu as National Language and English as Academic and Official Language besides L1 (First Language, Mother Tongue, Primary Language or Native Language). Within this confused sequential multilingualism, few achieve native-like accuracy or fluency or both, while others fall a prey to influence of L1 in L2. The current study extends to explore the different types of interferences Pakistani Urdu (L1) speakers face while learning English as Second Language (ESL) (L2). A random sample of thirty students of first semester BS (Hons.) program students with Urdu as L1 from eleven Pakistani universities were interviewed online and were examined utilizing qualitative approach for the investigation of syntactic interferences which were theoreticall...

From birth we start to acquire language which is the most natural method of communication with our environment and try to use it to the degree we acquire it. The acquisition phase starting with insensible sounds and chirping continues after some specific phases with the construction of more comprehensible structures subject to the rules of the language. This phase, which develops in native language acquisition automatically, takes place in second language acquisition or foreign language acquisition by applying some methods and ways. It can be come across with different manners of use in both processes as a result of the learner and the acquirer. These different uses are positive or negative linguistic transfers emerging during the second language acquisition under the effect of the native language with the uses called personal matching completely peculiar to the child and which are related to the child's cognitive development in native language acquisition. In this paper, by examining examples of personal matching of 4-6 age group children during the native language acquisition phase and the positive/negative linguistic transfers of French preparatory class, the causes and results and the effects on language of these manners will be discussed. Özet Doğduğumuz andan itibaren çevremizle iletişim kurmanın en doğal yolu olan dili edinmeye ve edindiğimiz ölçüde de kullanmaya başlarız. Belli belirsiz seslerle, cıvıltılarla başlayan edinim süreci belli aşamalardan sonra dilin kendi kurallarına bağlı olarak daha anlaşılır yapıların oluşumuyla devam eder. Ana dili ediniminde kendiliğinden gelişen bu süreç, ikinci dil veya yabancı dil ediniminde bir takım yol ve yöntemlerin kullanımıyla gerçekleşir. Her iki süreçte öğrenenden ve edinenden kaynaklanan bir takım farklı kullanım biçimleriyle karşılaşılabilir. Bu farklı kullanımlar anadili ediniminde çocuğun bilişsel gelişimiyle bağlantılı olan ve tamamen çocuğa özgü olan bireysel eşleştirme diye adlandırılan kullanımlarla ikinci dil öğreniminde anadilinin etkisiyle ortaya çıkan olumlu veya olumsuz dilsel aktarımlardır. Bu incelemede 4-6 yaş grubu çocukların anadili edinim sürecinde yapmış oldukları bireysel eşleştirme örnekleri ve Fransızca hazırlık sınıfında okuyan öğrencilerin yapmış oldukları olumlu/olumsuz dilsel aktarımları ele alınarak bunların nedenleri ve sonuçları dil üzerindeki etkileri irdelenmeye çalışılacaktır. Anahtar Sözcükler: Ana dili edinimi, ikinci dil öğrenimi, dil aktarımları.

Mother tongue interference would occur naturally in all language skills with some degree of relativity and in all linguistic components; that is syntax, morphology, phonetics, pragmatics and rhetoric. Therefore, analysing the interference points of the native language would assist in developing more teaching tools and strategies that could assist faculty members and students in managing these emerging linguistic tensions. As most of Qatar University (QU) students are native Arab learners of (EFL), Arabic language could have a significant influence on their learning of English as a foreign language and consequently their ability to master the English language. The most crucial interference issue is that when QU students continue their English language learning at the university, they do not approach the English language from a neutral perspective; they seem to interpret the new phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic patterns through those of the already internalised native language. Therefore, when Arabic (a Semitic language) and English (a West Germanic language with some Indo-European influence) collide in their faculty language, Arabic, which is the native language, will mostly dominate their understanding of English and its use and application of new rules. This paper aims to raise awareness of how to harness the well-established wired linguistic system and the internalised knowledge of Arabic to facilitate English language learning further and to help faculty members provide more effective learning support to Qatar University students. The paper provides insights into the theoretical and practical aspects of the issue with some authentic examples.

The aim of our study was to test whether and how the proficiency level in L2 affects the amount of within-language interference in Stroop colour word test (Polish as L1, English as L2); as well as to test whether and how the proficiency level in L2 affects colour naming speed in this L2, based on a study on 50 Polish students (age  M = 20.8, SD = 1.6) at varying levels of English proficiency and age of acquisition > 7. The English version of Golden et al. (2002) Stroop Colour and Word Test and its Polish counterpart were used. The results show that in late unbalanced bilinguals the within-language interference was smaller in L2 than in L1 and its amount was not affected by L2 proficiency level; and that colour naming was slower in L2 than in L1, and the scores were not affected by L2 proficiency level. The implications of the study are discussed, concerning, among others, L2 processing in late unbalanced bilinguals. The popular claim that the pattern of the interplay between inter- and intra-linguistic interference in Stroop colour word test relates to proficiency level in L2 is challenged.

Under the shadow of the inescapable fact that learning L2 (Second or Foreign Language) especially English in this global village is mandatory for academia in developing countries, thereupon, Pakistan faces akin conditions where learners are exposed to Urdu as National Language and English as Academic and Official Language besides L1 (First Language, Mother Tongue, Primary Language or Native Language). Within this confused sequential multilingualism, few achieve native-like accuracy or fluency or both, while others fall a prey to influence of L1 in L2. The current study extends to explore the different types of interferences Pakistani Urdu (L1) speakers face while learning English as Second Language (ESL) (L2). A random sample of thirty students of first semester BS (Hons.) program students with Urdu as L1 from eleven Pakistani universities were interviewed online and were examined utilizing qualitative approach for the investigation of syntactic interferences which were theoreticall...

The research investigated whether a bilinguals' second language (L2) is activated during a task involving only the first language (L1). We tested the hypothesis that the amount of L2 interference can vary across settings, with less interference occurring in testing locations where L2 is rarely used. In Experiment 1, we compared language processing for 50 Arabic-English bilinguals tested in Saudi Arabia and 49 Arabic-English tested in the United States. In the task, participants viewed a picture and judged whether a phoneme presented over headphones was part of the L1 picture name. The results showed no effect of testing location on processing. For both groups of bilinguals, we observed L2 interference in mean error rates, but not in mean response times. We also found evidence for L2 interference in correlational analyses between response times and (a) participants' weekly L2 usage and (b) frequency of English picture names. A second experiment with 24 Arabic monolinguals sup...

Das hier vorgestellte Modell trägt den Arbeitstitel "C-Model", d.h. Constructionist Model. Das Modell ist in seiner Anlage ein Produktionsmodell, welches einen Teil des Sprachproduktionsprozesses modellieren möchte. Dieser Teilprozess ist die Grammatische Enkodierung. In diesem Teilprozess wird eine geplante Message in eine Morphemfolge kodiert, welche bereits alle Merkmale besitzt, um als eine akzeptable natürlichsprachige Äußerung wahrgenommen zu werden. Auf dieser Ebene gibt es jedoch noch keine Informationen über die phonologische/phonetische Form dieser Morphemkette. Dies ist Teil der anschließenden phonologischen Enkodierung. Ziel des Modells ist es unter anderem, die sogenannten strukturellen Ausprägungen von Kontaktphänomenen zu erklären. Dennoch steht die Äußerungsproduktion im Zentrum, da ein Sprecher weder Strukturen (noch Sprachen) produziert, sonder immer nur konkrete sprachliche Äußerungen. Diese Äußerungen bestehen aus kleineren sprachlichen Einheiten. Die Natur dieser Einheiten ist durchaus umstritten. Für das C-Modell werden die sprachtheoretischen Annahmen der Konstruktionsgrammatik übernommen (daher der Name). Die wichtigsten sprachlichen Einheiten sind also Konstruktionen. Das Modell behandelt als Produktionsmodell konsequenterweise ausschließlich synchrone online-Prozesse und geht nicht auf Prozesse der Grammatikalisierung oder Konventionalisierung ein. Entlehnungen werden als Ergebnis eines Konventionalisierungsprozesses betrachtet. Daher geht das Modell nicht auf das Problem der Entlehnungen ein und auch nicht auf Mischsprachen. Das Modell ist für die gleichzeitige oder nachzeitige Verarbeitung zweier Sprachen konzipiert. Einsprachige Äußerungen (sofern es solche überhaupt gibt) und mehrsprachige Äußerungen sollten denselben Prozessen folgen, jedoch wird hier darüber keine Aussage gemacht.

ABSTRACT The subject of the research is the use of first language in the process of learning second language in the second language classroom. In this research, two usages will be considered: teachers’ use, and students’ use. Several teaching methods are used by the teachers in the second language classroom: the holistic approach (including visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning style), the silent way, and total physical response. In this paper two methods will be considered: analytic and comparison. Implications of this research can be used in the classroom to improve classroom management making the input comprehensible and easy to follow, to lower affective filters allowing deeper and more profound input of the second language, to reduce the levels of language anxiety thus improving communication and comprehension of the second language, and also for psychological and pedagogical teaching improvements. Keywords: First Language(L1), Second Language (L2), Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Classroom management, Affective filters, Language anxiety

The current research paper attempted at investigating the use of prepositions of standard, prepositions of possession and prepositions of accompaniment by some Jordanian learners of English. A total of 53 Jordanian English Majors participated in the study from the department of English language at Princess Alia University College. In collecting the needed data for the purpose of the study, the researchers employed fifteen items of a multiple choice test. The results of the study showed that Jordanian learners of English encountered moderate difficulty in learning the three aforesaid usages of prepositions. This difficulty is ascribed mainly to first language interference more than intralingual interference. It was also found that prepositions of standard are the most difficult to learn by the participants, followed by prepositions of accompaniment and prepositions of possession respectively.

This study investigated the effect of first language (L1) metalinguistic comments on Iranian EFL learners’ acquisition of third person /-s/ as measured by the learners’ performance on a grammaticality judgment test. Accordingly, two intact university classes- randomly assigned to experimental and comparison groups- were homogenized based on their scores on language proficiency and grammatically judgment tests. During 6 hours of task-based instructions, the experimental group was treated by L1 metalinguistic comments and the comparison group through L2 metalinguistic comments. Using ANCOVA and t-test to compare the groups’ scores, the results indicated that although the mean accuracy scores of both groups were improved on the immediate posttest, the experimental group outperformed the comparison group on the delayed posttest.  It can be postulated that L1 metalinguistic comments lead to more durable gains than L2 metalinguistic comments in EFL classrooms. The findings suggest that L1 use may aid language learners to become more cognitively conscious of L2 grammar features.

本稿の目的は、日本語とペルシア語の対比焦点を形成する機構を比較し、その外国語 学習への影響を明らかにすることである。まず、実験 1 では、ペルシア語における焦点 の音響的特徴を検討し、日本語のそれと比較した。結果、両言語は基本的に類似した機 構を利用するが、日本語では焦点を当てるのに句末境界音調(boundary pitch movements) を利用するのに対して、ペルシア語にはそのようなものが存在しないということがわか った。実験 2 で は、実験 1 で見られた相違点が母語干渉として言語学習者の発話に現出 するかどうか調査した。結果として明らかになったのは、ペルシア語を学習している日 本語母語話者は、多くの場合、ペルシア語の対比焦点構造において日本語と同様に句末 境界音調を利用し、日本語を学習しているペルシア語母語話者は日本語の対比焦点の際 にこの機構を用いないということである。つまり、母語の対比焦点を形成する機構を外 国語の場合にも適用するという母語干渉が起こっているということが示された。

Under the shadow of the inescapable fact that learning L2 (Second or Foreign Language) especially English in this global village is mandatory for academia in developing countries, thereupon, Pakistan faces akin conditions where learners are exposed to Urdu as National Language and English as Academic and Official Language besides L1 (First Language, Mother Tongue, Primary Language or Native Language). Within this confused sequential multilingualism, few achieve native-like accuracy or fluency or both, while others fall a prey to influence of L1 in L2. The current study extends to explore the different types of interferences Pakistani Urdu (L1) speakers face while learning English as Second Language (ESL) (L2). A random sample of thirty students of first semester BS (Hons.) program students with Urdu as L1 from eleven Pakistani universities were interviewed online and were examined utilizing qualitative approach for the investigation of syntactic interferences which were theoreticall...