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1、Title：Language transfer on SLAAbstract The essay aims to investigate how the language transfer influence the process of SLA,in the field of SLA research, language transfer has long been a controversial research subject. it was initially associated with behaviorist theories of language learning and w
2、as seen as an impediment. It was considered to only hinder the acquisition of a L2. However, the development of Interlanguage Theory and the flourishing of psycholinguistics have finally recognized the significance of the role of the L1 in SLA. Learners L1 is viewed as a resource which the learner a
3、ctively draws in interlanguage development. The positive role of language transfer in SLA has been gradually acknowledged. Based on this , it will make a exploration of both positive and negative transfer between the L1 and the L2 through learners interlanguage.Key words: language transfer; positive
4、 transfer; negative transfer; second language acquisition (SLA)1.Language transfer1.1Definitions of language transferLanguage transfer took its root in the Transfer Theory in psychology. Psychologists defined transfer as a type of learning activities by which learners previously acquired knowledge a
5、bout the learning skills will influence the out come of their learning or training behavior. They maintain that transfer can be both be both positive and negative.Behaviorists defined transfer as a consequence of habit formation, which implies the extinction of the learners primary language when he
6、or she is learning the new language. However, it is now widely accepted that the influence of the learner;s native language cannot be adequately accounted for in terms of habit formation. Nor is transfer simply a matter of interference or of falling back on the native language. Nor is it just a ques
7、tion of the influence of the learners native language, as other previously acquired second languages can also have an effect (Ellis, 1994). This suggests that the term L1 transfer itself is inadequate. Some scholars have advocated abandoning the term or using it in highly restricted ways. Sharwood a
8、nd Kellerman (1986) have argued that a superordinate term that is theory-neutral is needed and suggest crosslinguistic influence. They comment:the term crosslinguistic influence is theory-neutral, allowing one to subsume under one heading such phenomena as transfer, interference, avoidance, borrowin
9、g and L2-related aspects of language loss and thus permitting discussion of the similarities and differences between these phenomena.(1986:1)Odlin(1989) offers this working definition of transfer as basis for his own thoughtful treatment of such pehenomena: transfer is the influence resulting from t
10、he similarities and the differences between the target language and any other language that has been previously acquired91989;27).Many researchers disapprove of the term language transfer, and prefer mother tongue influence proposed by Corder (1983）or cross-linguistic influence by Kellerman instead.
11、 However, we will stick to the term language transfer throughout this thesis, partly because of its convenience, and partly because of its familiarity to most people, with the understanding that here Language transfer is used in its broad sense, not restricted to the behaviorist notion.1.2The manife
12、stations of Language TransferIn traditional accounts of language transfer, the research focus was placed on the errors that learners produce. Errors occurred as a result of the negative transfer of mother tongue patterns into learns L2 (Ellis, 1994). It is possible to identify a number of other mani
13、festations of transfer however, three of which are frequently discussed by transfer researchers:negative transfer,positive transfer.1.2.1.Negative transfer(errors)Negative transfer, also known as interference, is the use of a L1 pattern or rule which heads to an error or inappropriate form in the L2
14、. Negative transfer can be found at all the levels of language structure. A speakers foreign accent in L2 learning is an evidence of negative transfer at the phonological level. Morphological negative transfer is common. For instance, under the influence of Chinese language, some students will say b
15、ig rain rather heavy rain. Negative transfer at syntactical level also exists. For example, when a learner is asked to translate the sentence 我昨天在家做作业 into English, he or she tends to ignore the tense and word order of an English sentence and would translate it according to the Chinese grammatical s
16、tructure I yesterday at home do homework.1.2.2.Positive transfer (facilitation)Positive transfer is transfer which makes learning easier, and may occur when both the L1 and L2 have the same form. Similarities between vocabulary can reduce the time needed to develop good reading comprehension; similarities between vowel systems can make the identification of vowel sound easier; similarities between writing systems can give learners a fa
