An Analysis of the Influence of Mother Tongue on Second Language Learning.doc

浅析母语对第二语言学习的影响An Analysis of the Influence of Mother Tongue on Second Language LearningContentsAbstract1Key words.11. Introduction 22. Definition and Relationship33. Necessity.44. Influence.44.1. Development of the Theory44.2. Translating Ability.64.3 Writing84.3.1 Theory of Influence in Writing.8 4.3.2 An Experiment.84.3.2.1 Participants.94.3.2.2 Tasks94.3.2.3. Interview.94.3.2.4. Analysis Procedures.94.3.3. General discussion.13 4.3.4. Conclusions of the Experiment.144.3.5. Limitations of the Experiment.155. Conclusions.15References.17 An Analysis of the Influence of Mother Tongue on Second Language Learning摘 要：母语对第二语言学习的影响一直是第二语言学习者和研究者关注的课题。本文试图通过分析母语对第二语言学习的影响，使我们在学习第二外语时能充分而有效的利用母语，最终达到既能学好第二外语又不忘母语的双重效果。本文在大量研究的基础上就母语对第二语言学习的影响作了进一步分析和实验研究。涉及母语与第二语言的概念，母语在翻译，句子结构方面对第二语言学习的影响，并通过实验阐述了母语在写作方面对第二语言学习的影响。关键词： 母语 第二语言 影响 Abstract: The influence of the mother tongue on the second language learning is always a topic, which the second language learner and the researcher pay attention to。The intention of this paper is to analyse the influence of mother tongue on the second language learning, therefore, we can make best use of mother tongue while learning the second language, not only can we learn the second foreign language well, but also not forget the mother tongue. This paper, which carries on further analyze and research this influence in the massive research foundation, involves the concept of the mother tongue and the second language, the influence of the mother tongue on the second language learning in translating and the sentence structure, and elaborating the influence of the mother tongue on the second language learning in the writing through an experiment.Key words: mother tongue second language influence An Analysis of the Influence of Mother Tongue on SecondLanguage Learning1. IntroductionThe second language learner wants to dissolve the society and culture that the goal language belongs to, hope to introduce the outstanding culture of one's mother tongue to people who speaks the goal language. This kind of people, whose goal is clear, will produce more lasting and stronger motive force. Because the learners demonstrate the strong interest in the goal language, they will produce a kind of inherent motive force, then combine the second language perfectly with the mother tongue. The influence of the mother tongue on the second language, the second language-learning circle has had two kinds of completely different views all the time.The second language learning environment encompasses everything that the language learner hears and sees in the new language. It may include a wide variety of situations such as exchanges in restaurants and stores, conversations with friends, reading street signs and newspapers, as well as classroom activities, it may be very sparse, or it only includes language classroom activities and a few books.Regardless of the learning environment, the learners goal is the mastery of the target language. The learner begins the task of learning a second language from point zero (or close to it) and, through the steady accumulation of mastered entities of the target language, eventually amasses them in quantities sufficiently to constitute a particular level of proficiency (Dulay, Burt & Krashen, 1982 and Ellis, 1984).This characterization of language learning entails the successful mastery of steadily accumulating structural entities, then organise this knowledge into coherent structures that lead to effective communication in the target language (Rutherford, 1987). If this is the case, then we would expect that well-formed accurate and complete target language structures would, one after another, emerge on the learners path towards eventual mastery of the language. If the learners continue to master the language, we could, in principle, tabulate the expansion of his/her repertoire up to the point where all of the well-formed structures of the target language had been accounted for (Beardsmore, 1982 and Hoffman, 1991).In reality this is not the case. Second language learners appear to accumulate structural entities of the target language, but demonstrate difficulty in organizing this knowledge into appropriate, coherent structures. There appears to be a significant gap between the accumulation and the organization of the knowledge. Then this raises a critical question - what kinds of language do second language learners produce in speaking and writing? When writing or speaking with the target language, second language learners tend to rely on their mother tongue structures to produce a response. If the structures of the two languages are distinctly different, then one could expect a relatively high frequency of errors to occur in second language, thus which indicates an interference of mother tongue on second language (Dechert, 1983 and Ellis, 1997).2. The Definition of Mother Tongue and Second LanguageIn dictionary: Mother tongue: 1 Ones native language. 2 A parent language. And a second language: A language that a person can speak which is not the first language they learnt naturally as a child.Mother tongue is the first language a person learns to speak. Correspondingly, the person is called a native speaker of the language. Usually a child learns the bases of their first language from their family. Mother Tongue is the language you speak all the time, you communicate with others for all your needs, you think, you argue, you express your emotions with it, it's the land of the languageSecond language is any other language except the first or native language learnt and used because of geographical or social reasons; it is different from a foreign language. Linguist Eric Lenneberg uses the term in his "Critical Period Hypothesis" to mean a language consciously learned or used by its speaker after Puberty. In most cases, people never achieve the same level of fluency and comprehension in their second languages as in their first languageThe level of development of the second language learners mother tongue is a strong predictor of their second language development. Second language learners who have a solid foundation in their mother tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the second language. During learners use of their knowledge and skills to transfer across languages from the mother tongue, they have learned view of learners development of concepts and thinking skills, learning the two languages are interdependent. There are two ways to transfer across languages: when the mother tongue is promoted, the concepts, language, and literacy skills, which learners are learning in the second language can transfer to the mother tongue. In short, two languages nurture each other when the environment permits learners access to both languages.Good skills in mother tongue are essential for further learning, as mother tongue is thought to be a base of thinking. Incomplete mother tongue skills often make learning other languages difficult. Mother tongue has therefore a central role in learning a second language. 3. The Necessity of Knowing the Influence of Mother Tongue on Second Language Learning This means that mother tongue has influence on the second language learning. The mistakes made in second language learning course result in many psychological factors. The interference of these main defeats, the interference of the limited purpose of language learning, the interference of this nationality or the other nationality's cultural factors, such as being different in the way and attitude towards learning and training, or the training method are not apt. These factors are not isolated , but influence each other。It contributes to the students understanding of second language and learning to grasp the mother tongue well. Understanding the different between mother tongue and second language appears nothing to be partial to predict the mistakes we may make in the second language learning. Dont “correct every error " blindly , but we should make the best use of the situation , overcome the psychological obstacle, train self-confidence and succeed in the sense , finally, it improves the learners English level progressively。4. The Influence of the Mother Tongue on the Second Language Learning4.1. The Development of the TheoryAbout the influence of the mother tongue on the second language learning, the second language-learning circle has had two kinds of completely different views all the time. The view of objecting to using the mother tongue in foreign language learning is taking shape progressively of the direct method on the beginning of this century. The direct method emphasizes and carries on the second language learning in conversation, talking and reading under the second language environment, it is proposed clearly that the foreign language teaching should not use students' mother tongue and translation, do not use the form of grammar either. Though the direct method has not been so fashionable yet, its influence is quite extent.In 1960's, taking British scholar as the core, the communicative approach mounted " stage " of the foreign language teaching again. The communication law proposes, the goal of the foreign language teaching is to develop the students' communicative competence, to object to the teaching method based on grammar, and to abandon audio-lingual method again. Its important characteristic is to use English as only an approach. It advocates that we should teach students different functions of a language, and the method of use language etc. This adopts the view that the direct method despises the mother tongue, too. Communication law has great influence. Its advocator and follower write books to expound a theory one after another, to advocate its theory and method. Let us recall several books to review on foreign language teaching circle. An Introduction to English Language Teaching written by Haycraft and Training Course for TEFL written by Hubbard, etc, these books have not involved the function of the mother tongue at all, The Practice of English Language Teaching written by Harmer mentioned once in a while only in 4 places, A Teaching Practice Handbook written by Gower and Walters has not mentioned the function of the mother tongue, but warn people not to abuse the mother tongue. While in some " humanistic " works, such as Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Classroom written by Moskovitz and Teaching English a Way and Ways of Sterick have not involved this question either. As we know, the language connects with thinking directly. Then, how many foreign language learners can totally break away from the mother tongue in the course of learning, and carry on communication only with the thinking of foreign language? Since the Eighties, it has had the statement to emphasize foreign language practices. Its representative figure has explained, the language, which is being learned and the language which has been learned are stored and used separately. If one wants to practice the language, one must participate in the language that exchanges information through the meaningful signal. Because all the theories mentioned above are influenced, people seem to not having a conclusion of the mother tongues positive role in the second language learning. So, it is unsuitable to use the mother tongue when learning a second language. The theories influence the people who are learning the second language in our country in various degrees. In the Sixties, direct method has tried out in our country gradually .In Eighties, the communication law influences us again. Objectively, these two kinds of methods have produced positive impact on our second language learning, the direct method makes us notice the importance of training in spoken language, the communication law makes us notice that we should pay attention to training the learners communication ability. But these two kinds of methods both object to using the mother tongue in the second language learning. With the further development of reform and opening-up, learning the second language, especially learning English, become more and more popular in our country. A large number of teachers who are from the English speaking countries teach English in the universities or middle schools in our country. Among them, some are qualified, but some are unqualified, hiring them often only because they are the native speakers. Their common point is: most of them do not know Chinese. Sometimes, at the beginning, students like their foreign teachers and their " all English class” very much. Because they feel fresh. So it is quite enthusiastic to learn, especially in training spoken language, we seem to draw the conclusion that we cannot forget the mother tongue while learning a second language. But what is the result? Having produced friction between the student and foreign teacher, the knowledge foreign teachers have, students cannot understand, but the foreign teacher do not stop saying the thing that they are already grasped. Students even refused to listen to the foreign teacher's lesson, this action formed a obvious contrast with the enthusiasm beginning. Of course, the reason was very complicated, not only the reason of the cultural difference, but also the reason of the teachers and students own factors . Whether or not we have already realized it, the teacher did not know students' mother tongue, the foreign language teaching would not achieve. The view of mother tongue has influence on second language learning is not new; we can find the basis of this theory. Whether we admit or not, every second language learner, especially the beginner, is thinking about the similarities and differences between native language and foreign language. Marx says: “Thinking is direct and realistic language. Stalin says: “The authenticity of the thought is displaying in the language”. The language and thinking are contacted directly. There are commo