This document discusses language transfer, which is when speakers apply knowledge from their native language to a second language. It can affect grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and other language aspects. Transfer can be positive if the languages share structures, leading to correct usage, or negative if structures differ, causing errors. The degree of difference between languages impacts how much interference occurs. Transfer is an inevitable part of second language learning as learners rely on their native language rules. Factors like the languages involved, the learning stage, and individual learner differences influence the nature and amount of transfer.

1. Dr. VMS

2. Language Transfer
 speakers or writers applying knowledge from their
native language to a second language.
 The effect can be on any aspect of language: grammar,
vocabulary, accent, spelling and so on.

3. Transfer (Odlin 1989:27)
 Influence resulting from the similarities and
differences between the target language and any other
language that has been previously(and perhaps
imperfectly) acquired.

4. Positive and Negative Transfer
 Positive: unit or structure of both languages is the
same, linguistic interference can result in correct
language production. EX: cognates.
 Negative: when speakers and writers transfer items
and structures that are not the same in both
languages. EX: False cognates.

5. Transfer
 Speakers apply knowledge from their native language.
It can occur in any situation when someone does not
have a native level command of a language, as when
translating into a second language.
 The grater the differences between the two languages,
the more negative the effects of interference are likely
to be
 It will inevitably occur in any situation where someone
has an imperfect command of a second language.

6. Transfer posited by Various Authors
• Mother tongue influence (Corder, 1967)
• Native language influence (Gass, 1996)
• Cross-linguistic influence (Kellerman and Sharwood-
Smith, 1986; Odlin, 1989)
• Cross-linguistic generalization (Zobl, 1984)

7. Learners Interference
 Learners approach the second language systematically;
they attempt to formulate linguistic rules with the
information they have:
 from the native language
 from the second language
 from teachers and classmates

8. Conscious and Unconscious Behaviour
 Conscious: Learners or unskilled translators may
sometimes guess when producing speech or text in a
second language.
 Unconscious: Learners may not realize that the
structures and internal rules of the languages in
question are different.

9. Adults learning
 Adults learning a second language manifest some of
the same errors found in children learning their first
language.

10. Children's’ Learning
children are better at learning foreign
languages; nevertheless, concerning
literacy, vocabulary, pragmatics,
schematic knowledge and syntax.

11. Multilingual Acquisition Factor
Transfer can also occur between
acquired languages, when people are
learning two language simultaneously
they may assume that a structure or
internal rule from one language is the
same in the other language.

12. Comprehension and Production
There is a universal distinction
between comprehension and
production. Learning a second
language usually means learning to
speak it and to comprehend it.

13. Nature or Nurture
 Learners have the capacity to acquire a
second language at any age. What nature
does is to rule out the acquisition of
authentic accent.
 If an adult does not acquire a second
language successfully it is probably because
of cognitive or affective factors not to the
absence of innate capacities.

14. Contrastive Analysis
 Contrastive analysis is a way of comparing languages in
order to determine potential errors for the ultimate
purpose of isolating what needs to be learned and
what does not need to be learned in a second language
learning situation..” Gass & Selinker
 ;...those elements that are similar to his native
language will be simple for him, and those elements
that are different will be difficult. Lado (1957)

15. Nature of Language Transfer
 1. Transfer strategies are not used by all
learners.
 2. It depends on the learning phase they are
going through.
 3. Strategy to discover the L2 structure & to
help in communicative performance.

16. Constraints on Transfer
Language factors
pronunciation, lexical items, discourse,
and grammar.

17. Sociolinguistic factors
 the social context: focused (e.g., classroom
settings) vs. unfocused contexts (e.g., natural
settings)
 macro-sociolinguistic perspective
 the relationship between the speaker and the
addressee: careful vs. vernacular styles
 micro-sociolinguistic perspective

18. Prototypicality (Kellerman 1977; 1978;1979;
1986; 1989)
 native speakers’ intuitions to determine the
unmarkedness or prototypicality of lexical
items
 learners resist transferring non-prototypical
meanings

19. Language distance and psychotypology
(learners’ perceptions about language
distance)
 the actual language distance affects positive transfer
 learners’ psychotypology governs what they actually
transfer

20. Developmental factors
 The learner’s general level of development
restructuring continuum: L1 (starting point
ofL2)
 Natural principles of language acquisition
interlanguage not necessarily a
restructuring continuum, except phonology

21. Encouraging Positive transfer
Provide opportunities to practice
applications
Teach subject matter in meaningful.
Promote positive attitudes toward
subject matter