THE NATIVE LANGUAGE INTERFERENCE

The Native Language Interference in Learning a Second Language

Native Language Interference

The theme of "mother tongue interference" has an unusual history in second language acquisition research and practice. For many years, it has been assumed that the only source of syntax errors in the performance of adult second language was the first language of the performer (Lado, 1957), and a large part of the preparation of the materials seized this hypothesis in mind (Banathy, Trager, and Waddle, 1966). Subsequent empirical studies on the errors committed by second language learners led to the discovery, however, that many errors stem from the structure of language, but common to second language performers from different linguistic backgrounds. These findings have led several scholars to question the value of contrastive analysis and argument rather than analysis of errors. The first language, it is argued, is but one of several sources of error, and other sources must be considered. (Nitschke, 2010)

First, the conclusions about the influence of the first language is abstract. After this, the role of language as a substitute starter expression is discussed.

Also present in the compositions were many translations word for word from Czech English expressions such as "my other friend" instead of "another friend of mine."

Loco in a study of American college students learning Spanish and German in the U.S., a foreign language situation, reported that the "high incidence of interlingual (L1 interference) German errors due to errors order of words ... " (P. 101).

First, the language-based errors in Spanish were less numerous and "related primarily to the position of adjectives." The largest word order difference between English and German over the English and Spanish accounts for differences in the frequency of errors in word order interference. Spanish students were more often correct in the use of surface structures of English at the initiation of expression due to the greater surface similarity between English and Spanish. This also explains (1975) finding that Chan to English Spanish interference errors was mainly "in the missing parts of speech, whether in the NL or TL" and not in the order of words. (Nitschke, 2010)

Loco also found that second-level Spanish students showed an increase in errors Lococo type of interference called "terms of expression of everything", word for word translations of L1 expression, which is similar to that reported Duskova.

Duskova notes that certain errors in morphology (eg, omission of plural nouns, lack of ...