应用语言学

The Influence of Negative Transfer of Chinese on Freshmen English Majors’ English Writing汉语母语负迁移对英语专业大一学生英语写作的影响学生：刘晓勤AbstractTransfer is a common phenomenon in foreign language learning, which results from the similarities and dissimilarities between native language and target language. The research in this thesis is carried out to explore the relationship between native language transfer and English majors’ English writing. This thesis lists manifestations of language transfer and puts emphasis on making a contrastive study of the different characters between Chinese and English while analyzing the various errors in Chinese students’ composition caused by negative transfer of Chinese. It also provides some pedagogical implications.Key words:negative transfer; English writing; error analysis; pedagogical implications摘要迁移是外语学习中存在的普遍现象,是由已掌握的语言知识在外语的习得和使用过程中产生的。

本研究旨在探讨大学英语专业大一学生英语写作与母语迁移之间的关系。

本篇论文阐述了语言迁移的历史,对比分析中英文间的不同语言特点,从词汇、句子及中国式的表达等方面讨论了汉语对中国学生的英文写作的负迁移的存在和具体表现，同时也给出了一些相应的教学启示。

关键字：母语负迁移；英语写作；错误分析；教学启示IntroductionWith the development of the society and the globalization of the world, English becomes more and more popular and has more and more users in many countries. There is no exception in China. With frequent international communication and international trade, more and more Chinese start to learn English. When learning English, Chinese learners may feel that the influence of native language (Chinese) is inevitable. Language transfer has been a main issue for linguists to study in applied English, second language acquisition, and language teaching for at least a hundred years. “One of the manifestations of language transfer in second language acquisition is the occurrence of errors which are caused by negative transfer of mother tongue”(Ellis, 1999:152). A large number of studies on L2 acquisition have focused on errors which attribute to negative transfer. According to the research made by Tran-Chi-Chan (2002:50), “errors caused by negative transfer of Chinese accounted for 51% of errors in their corpus of English expressions of Chinese learners”.It is known that listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating are regarded as five main language skills which learners should master in foreign language learning. Compared with the other language skills, writing is usually considered to be the most difficult one in EFL learning for Chinese college students (Wang, 2004:105). “The process of writing is very complicated and the competence of writing is usually considered to be the most difficult skill to master in language learning. The process of writing is the process of selecting, combining, arranging and developing ideas in effective sentences, paragraphs, and often, longer units of discourse”(Grade &Kaplan, 1996:212). Although writing is an output activity, it shows how well skills have been input firstly. In this case, writing competence is treated as one of the most effective ways to test learners’ language input. In the process of writing, various kinds of errors can be found in Chinese college students’ English compositions caused by negative transfer of native language.The purpose of this thesis is to analyze causes of errors which caused by negative transfer of native language in Chinese learners’compositions, and to put forward some suggestions to improve college English teaching at the same time. Based on theories of Language Transfer and Error Analysis, the author attempts to look into how negative transfer of Chinese influences EFL (English as a foreign language) learners in China on their English writing competence via analyzing errors which occur in their compositions.33 freshmen of English major in Yan’an University are the subjects in the research. They were asked to write a composition on the same topic “What is happiness?” The results are presented in percentage.This thesis is divided into six parts. The first part is about the significance and objectives of the study. The second part talks about literature review. Then the research design is provided. The fourth part, also the most important part, is the analysis of the errors caused by negative transfer of native language in the students’sample writing. The second part before the last is about some pedagogical implications. The last part is the conclusion of the thesis.1.Literature ReviewThe influence of native language transfer has long been a controversial topic in second language acquisition field, which has been discussed among linguists, second language teachers and researchers. Language transfer is not only an abstract academic issue in linguistic field, but also a common problem in the field of second language teaching. All the linguists and foreign language teachers admit the fact that native language can greatly influence second language acquisition both positively and negatively. It is no wonder that second language learners often commit errors caused by the influence of native language.1.1 Language TransferThe term “transfer”is firstly defined by psychologists, which refers to “the carryover of previous performance or knowledge to subsequent learning”(Brown, 2007:32). This process takes place through the use of “sound, expressions, or structures” from the native language when performing in the target language (Yule, 2006:18). According to them, the main obstacle to learning is interference from the prior knowledge which learners have acquired and negative transfer of native language has become one of the main factors leading to language errors, which deserves great attention.1.1.1 The Definition of Language TransferAlthough language transfer has been a heated topic for several decades, it is difficult to define it clearly owing to controversy among linguists.According to psychologists, the term “transfer” means “the process of automatic and subconscious use of prior knowledge to produce new response”.The cognitive theory regards “transfer” as “a cognitive activity and an embodiment of the inner processing course of learners” (Anderson, 1985:165). In other words, transfer refers to the influence of the possessed experiences on the new process of learning.Faerch and Kasper (1987:75) give a definition of transfer as “the process of foreign language learners’ active first language knowledge in influencing learning of foreign language, and point out that process may either support (positive) or detract (negative transfer) from learning”.Krashen (1981:112) stated, “Transfer is the result of the assistance of the old knowledge, i.e., the rule of the first language, when new knowledge is lacking”.Language transfer is also defined as “the application of native language rules in attempted performance in a foreign language, which may result in deviations from target language norms and facilitate foreign language acquisition in some cases” (Ellis, 2000:95).1.1.2Classification of Language TransferAs is mentioned in the previous section, the theory of language transfer means that one’s prior knowledge of native language may sometimes facilitate or hinder the learning of the target language. It is natural to divide language transfer into positive transfer and negative transfer. “Positive transfer occurs if the prior knowledge of first language assists second language learning, that is to say, it makes second languagelearning easier. Otherwise, it is negative transfer if the knowledge of first language results in an error or an inappropriate use of second language pattern”(Yang Dafu, 2002:33). In this thesis, the author attempts to analyze errors caused by negative transfer of the native language on EFL learners’ English writing.1.2Error AnalysisIn applied linguistics, error analysis is “the study of patterns of errors”. Analysts have proposed six kinds of errors, arising from inaccurate learning, inaccurate teaching, wrong guessing, poor memory, the influence of the mother tongue, and the process of learning” (Corder, 1981:33).1.2.1 The Definition of ErrorThere are many different definitions of error. Corder (1981:45) defines an error as “a breach of the code”, which means everything deviating from the norm is regarded as errors. James (1998:19) regards errors as “an unsuccessful bit of language”. Chun (1982:35) defines errors as “the use of linguistic item in a way which, according to fluent users of the language, indicates faulty or incomplete learning”.1.2.2 Procedure of Error AnalysisThe procedure of error analysis can be talked from the following five aspects proposed by Corder (Ellis, 1999:51-52). They are collecting samples, identifying errors, describing errors, explaining errors and evaluating errors.2.Research DesignIn the previous part, the theories about language transfer and error analysis havebeen stated. In this part, how the research is designed and carried out will be stated. 2.1 ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to investigate how negative transfer of Chinese influences Chinese English majors’ English competence from the view of writing. The author attempts to answer the following questions via this empirical study:(1)Is negative transfer of native language one of major sources of errors in ChineseEnglish majors’ English writing?(2)What are the main kinds of transfer errors which have been committed in ChineseEnglish majors’ compositions in English?2.2 SubjectsThirty-three freshmen of English major in Yan’an University are the subjects of the research.2.3 MethodsThe students are asked to write a composition on a given-topic “what is happiness”. Then a few questions are asked about their knowledge of the differences between Chinese and English and the strategies they use to write.3.The Results and Analysis of the Sample WritingsIn the previous part, the author introduced how the study was performed. In this part, the author will analyze the results of the study to find the main errors and the specific proportion of errors caused by mother tongue transfer. The author will also analyze the errors in detail and show the reasons of that kind of errors.3.1The Results of the Sample WritingThere are many kinds of errors in the students’ sample writings, but my study only focused on the errors may caused by the negative transfer of the native language. Therefore, some errors such as punctuation errors and capitalization errors are not counted here.The following table is based on the collection of sample writings and divided into lexical and syntactic errors. Lexical errors are further divided into errors in collocation, errors of the part of the speech and errors of repetition, syntactic errors into errors in subject-verb agreement, zero subject, errors of conjunctions, errors in tense and zero verbs.Errors in the Sample Writings of the Students3.2The Analysis of the Sample WritingAccording to the table above, these errors are all inter-linguistic errors. That is to say, negative transfer of native language is one of the factors which interfere Chinese English learners’ English writing.3.2.1 Errors in CollocationThere are many interesting examples in students’ sample writings. Here are some of them.(1)study to appreciate your success and possession(2)move your hearts(3)touch the world with heart(4)good health and happy heart(5)clean your eyes to look at the worldIn Chinese there are expression like this “学会珍惜你所拥有的”, “感动我们的心”, “用心体会社会”and “身体好心情好”. However, it is very strange if we translate them into English like the examples.Chinese and English are different from each other. In addition, their ways of thinking and cultures are also different. The students are not familiar with this kind of difference. The students translate these expressions into English directly. As a result errors appear.3.2.2Errors of RepetitionIn a common sense there is only one verb in each sentence of English. When we write in Chinese we always use many words of the same meaning at the same time.However, the case is different when it comes to English. Briefness is the main principle of English writing. Because of their native language, the students sometimes use some words repeatedly. Look at the following examples:(1)happiness is consists in contentment(2)that happiness needn’t possess has these things(3)I am grew up.(4)Happiness is not means that…These expressions are grammatically wrong because the repetition of verbs. Chinese students are not sensitive to this kind of errors. That is also the result of the negative transfer of their native language.3.2.3Errors of the Part of SpeechIt is not so apparent in Chinese that words have different parts of speech. English pays more attention to forms while Chinese more meaning. These students think that their meanings are clear so they pay no attention to the forms. Therefore, there are many errors.(1)I was a happiness princess.(2)For my sincere effort, love, fulfillment, simplify, sincerity, peace, love, smile,are all my happiness.(3)Happiness is not get something from others.(4)We enjoy comfortable.In (1) a noun is used when an adjective is needed. In (2) a verb is used when a noun is needed. In (3) the infinitive form of the verb is needed while an original verbis used. In (4) an adjective is used while a noun is needed. These errors are all caused by the negative transfer of their native language.3.2.4Errors in Subject-Verb AgreementFrom the previous table we can see that the frequency of this kind of errors is very high. That is because there is not the principle in Chinese. Here are some errors in students’ sample writings.(1)Parents is so great.(2)Everyone have a dream.(3)There are also someone who regards money and power as the most importantthings for them.(4)Different people have different feeling in their mind.3.2.5Errors of the ConjunctionsErrors of the conjunction are the most in this study. When we write or speak in Chinese we always say many words or many sentences at the same time without using conjunctions. However, that is not allowed in English. There must be conjunctions between sentences. There are so many examples in students’ sample writings. Here, I will just list some of them.(1)Happiness is not great, unique or special, it is some ordinary things in ourdaily life.(2)Sometimes, I ask my friends what happiness is, they give me some differentanswers, some of them tell me, happiness is that all of your dreams will come true, some of them tell me, happiness is having a good life.There are many examples like sentences above. Here, I will not analyze them one by one in detail.All in all, these errors are caused mainly by students’little knowledge of the difference between Chinese and English. Chinese and English belong to different linguistic systems. So there is no doubt that there are many differences between them and also their ways of thinking and cultures.4.Pedagogical ImplicationsThe following conclusions are drawn on the basis of analysis of subjects’ sample writings. Negative transfer does exist in the process of foreign language acquisition. It can be proved that with the increasing of learners’knowledge about the target language negative transfer will certainly be reduced. At the same time, the author presents some strategies on how to avoid negative transfer in some degree to help teachers perfect their teaching and to help learners acquire foreign language better, followings list findings and pedagogical implications.Language transfer has been an important topic in foreign language acquisition teaching for quite a long time, and this topic is also full of controversies. It is impossible to obtain an exact answer to the influence of Chinese on Chinese English majors’English writing and it is even more difficult to find out some effective methods to eliminate transfer errors simply via an investigation or an experiment.The aim of the author is not only to analyze the types of errors that Chinese English majors committed in their English writings, but to provide foreign language teaching with some useful implications.4.1Encouraging learners to think in native waysIt can be noticed that sometimes students committed errors which were caused by negative transfer simply because they do not learn to think in English. That is to say, if language learners can know how to think in English, they will not have opportunity to transfer Chinese into English, which may cause errors. To avoid such kind of errors, it required the united efforts of both teachers and learners. English teachers have the responsibility to guide learners to think in English, and learners are given more chances to practice more and try to avoid translating thoughts from Chinese to English directly. What they should do is to express, not to translate.4.2 Enhancing teachers’ and learners’ understanding of negative transferAlthough negative transfer may cause some grammatical or non-grammatical errors it is not simply an error. Therefore, it is advisable to say that both teachers and students should take a proper attitude towards negative transfer. Exactly speaking, when students commit negative transfer in the process of their foreign language acquisition, teachers’ duty is not only to correct them, but the most important thing they should do is to make students be aware of the fact that it is not simply a mistake, and it is the negative transfer that caused by the influence of their native language. If possible, teachers should enable students to have a general understanding of negative transfer, and help them find out the reason why they are not able to use target language properly, which can achieve a lot.4.3 Providing necessary language input for the studentsThere exist many different opinions on the role of language input in the process of language development. For example, the ideas of behaviorists lay great emphasison the importance of linguistic environment, such as stimuli and feedback, while the inter-actionists regard language development as the outcome of both input factors and innate mechanisms. Although the above motioned theories have different ideas on the role of language input, that the input of language determines the output of language cannot be denied. And a large number of foreign language input can help learners formulate their ideas and develop them in a proper way, and consequently negative transfer of first language may be reduced.ConclusionIn language transfer fields, researchers in China and abroad have already finished a lot of studies, and worked towards a fuller theoretical understanding of how and when their first language influences their foreign language acquisition (Ellis, 1994:11-13). The study is mainly focused on the analysis of errors which are caused by negative transfer of the native language in Chinese EFL writing. Based on the theory of language transfer and error analysis, investigations of the 33 compositions selected from English majors in Yan’an University have demonstrated that language transfer of first language does exist in the process of foreign language acquisition.Besides, the author also put forward some pedagogical implications to help teachers perfect their teaching and students improve their linguistic competence on the basis of the results and analysis of the sample writing.There are still some limitations in the study. Firstly, the samples collected in the study are just the reflection of the subjects’ linguistic competence at a given point of stage rather than the whole stage of language learning. Therefore, it is difficult to identify all types of errors accurately which learners may commit at different stages of their development. Secondly, it is impossible for the author to cover all types of learners’ errors attributing to the interference of first language. In addition, it is hard to say that the interference of first language is the only reason to some of those errors because there are direct evidences to prove it. That is to say, there may be other factors which cause those errors, such as learning strategies, motivation, attitudes or different genders etc.In fact, analyzing learners’errors in EFL writing is far more complicated than they are expected to be. Therefore, the results coming from the study in the thesis are far from being complete and further research is necessary.。