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Second Language Acquisition and Mother Tongue Influence on Learners
of English Language – A Case Study of El Carmen, Ecuador.
Adquisición de un Segundo Idioma e Influencia de la Lengua Materna en los
Aprendices del Inglés – Un Estudio de Caso de El Carmen, Ecuador.
Christopher Chukwugozie Okafor
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2764-0011 - okaforpher@yahoo.com
Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Ecuador
José Darwin Zambrano Macías
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3597-0774 - darwinzambrano202@gmail.com
Instituto Tecnológico Superior ‘Japón’, Quito, Ecuador
Yadira Maribel Sánchez Zamora
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5708-5338 - yadiramaribel1981@hotmail.com
Unidad Educativa Unidad Popular, Quevedo, Ecuador
Delvis Milagros Pérez Álvarez
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1722-1326 - dperez@itsjapon.edu.ec
Instituto Tecnológico Superior ‘Japón’, Quito, Ecuador
Recibido: 15/05/2023 – Revisado: 22/06/2023 - Publicado: 29/07/2023
Abstract
English language as a means of
communication has globally gained
ground in almost every sphere of life and
society and, as such, has converted to an
important language worldwide. The aim
of this research work is basically to
analyse mother tongue influence (MTI)
on the learning of a second language
through bibliographical and
observational means, and the role it plays
on students in El Carmen, whose mother
tongue (L1) is Spanish in the process of
the learning of English (L2) as a foreign
language. A qualitative investigation
method permitted the analysis of the oral
production of the sample size and
relevant bibliography that are related to
the topic. The results obtained clearly
demonstrated that L1 has influence on
the learning of L2. A list of English
words were taken into account to show
how the Spanish language affects their
pronunciation, and also phrases with
regards to the use and application of
grammatical rules in both languages. In
conclusion, with exposure to audio-
visual and written materials in the L2,
practice of speaking and correcting
mistakes, they gradually learn to replace
the L1 sounds and grammar issues with
the original sounds and grammar rules of
the L2 that they have chosen to learn, in
this case, English as a foreign language.
Keywords: Influence, Learning,
Replacement, Foreign language, Mother
tongue.
Resumen
El idioma inglés como medio de
comunicación ha ganado terreno en casi
todas las esferas de la vida y la sociedad
y como tal, y como tal, se ha convertido
en un idioma importante a nivel mundial.
El objetivo de este trabajo de
investigación es básicamente analizar
mediante el método bibliográfico cómo
cualquier lengua materna influye en el
aprendizaje de una segunda lengua, y a
través de técnicas de observación
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identificar las principales formas en la
que la lengua materna (L1), en este caso
el español, influye en el proceso de
aprendizaje del inglés (L2) como idioma
extranjero en el proceso de enseñanza
aprendizaje de los estudiantes del cantón
El Carmen. La metodología de
investigación cualitativa aplicada
permita analizar la producción verbal de
la muestra y las bibliografías relevantes
relacionadas al tema. Los resultados
obtenidos demuestran que la (L1) tiene
influencia sobre el aprendizaje del (L2).
Se incluye una lista de errores comunes
influenciados por la lengua materna
tanto en pronunciación como en la
gramática. Se concluye que, con la
persistente exposición a recursos
auditivos o audiovisuales, exponerse a
materiales escritos o visuales, la
práctica y a corregir errores comunes en
L2, se aprenden gradualmente a
reemplazar los sonidos y reglas
gramaticales del L1 con los sonidos
originales y las reglas gramaticales de la
L2 que han elegido aprender, en este
caso, el inglés como idioma extranjero.
Palabras claves: Influencia,
Aprendizaje, Reemplazo, Lengua
extranjera, Lengua materna.
Introduction
Language is a method of passing across ideas, thoughts and desires by means of gestures
and sounds for psychological and physiological co-existence. The aim of
teaching/learning English is not to imitate the native speakers or to develop the accents
of the British or American; it is to at least get close to a level of being able to use the
language and be clearly understood by other speakers and users of same gestures and
sounds system irrespective of the part of the globe they hail from. This is because learners
and speakers of English exist in almost all the nooks and crannies of all the continents of
the world. Even in some very remote conclaves and communities where it was not hitherto
the mother tongue, thus; it is now seen as a global or universal language. According to
Garcia (2013), “this seems to be an incontestable fact, especially if we think about the
unprecedented number of English learners across the world, a number that supersedes
that of speakers of English as a first language” (p. 114).
Unfortunately, the student community in El Carmen showed a low literacy level or grasp
of Spanish as their first language and this fact has made their ability of acquiring a second
language even more complex, limited, restricted, and worrisome. This is because they
lack the grammatical foundation as a base upon which to stand and develop their skills
and abilities in the new language. It has been argued in different quarters that the literacy
level of students in their mother tongue assumes a great role in the learning/acquisition
of a second/foreign language.
English and Spanish are two distinct languages with different operational grammatical
structures in practice. This is why learners will always leave given phrases or even whole
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sentences meaningless when they try to make literal or word for word translations from
one language to the other. This point is further buttressed with points that are raised on
the language transfer concept as put forward by Cummins, J. (1979) in his works in this
area of study where he clearly stated that what is leant in the L1 substantially contributes
to one’s competence in the learning of other languages.
This submission is supported by the assertion of Langston et al. (2013) in their assertion
that:
“following the linguistic relativity principle, we hypothesized that the native language of
a speaker would affect the attribution of blame, such that levels of responsibility would
be assigned differently due to the participant’s native language, especially when using
non-agentive wording” (p. 411).
Moreira-Aguayo and Venegas-Loor (2020) declares that communicative competencies
are characterized as a person's ability to communicate successfully in real-life situations
that fall within the domain of foreign language acquisition, such as in English.
Communication is an important factor to develop because that is the achievement of
learning a language and interacting with speakers of the other language. Ranta (2002)
further declares that metalinguistic skills arise as a function of age and it is normal that
children start analyzing language (and correcting themselves) as soon as they have
established the connections between the symbols of the language and the reality of the
environment in which they find themselves.
Students in El Carmen face several problems in the bid to learn English language. One of
these problems is seen in their attempt to use English articles. Learning to use English
articles by students whose mother tongue is Spanish is undoubtedly one of the most
frequent and significant difficulties they encounter. They find it difficult to initially
correctly use English articles because of the differences that exist between the article
systems in both languages. The Spanish language, to a large extent, has an article system
that functions differently; the issue of definiteness and indefiniteness are encoded
differently as compared to that of the English language. Other notable differences
between both languages are on the issue of placements of the adjectives and nouns in
phrases/sentences and that of pronunciations of some words/expressions. These are some
of the factors that highlight MTI in learning the L2.
This article is aimed at discussing the mother tongue influence found in students in El
Carmen and how to overcome some of the problems encountered. The students, based
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on their different backgrounds, were found to have difficulties in the learning process of
English as a foreign language. This means the effect of the learners’ native language on
the learning of a foreign language. Other areas of discrepancies between both languages
are on the issue of placements of the adjectives and nouns in expressions and that of
pronunciations of some words/expressions. This paper endeavors to look at the
aforementioned problems, discuss, explain and analyze them.
Communicative relevance of the English language:
English is undoubtedly the world’s second largest most used language. It is the official
language in 70 countries around the world and English-speaking countries account for
about 40% of the world’s Gross National Product which implies its strong economic
influence. Its importance and relevance in society cannot be over emphasized, hence; the
ever increasing need to learn English apart from the mother tongue as to be able to
communicate and effectively relate with people from other parts of the world. Based on
the assertions above, and the academic directives of the government as enshrined in the
national school curriculum, English as a foreign language is now being taught to children
from the primary to the secondary school levels in El Carmen to prepare them to improve
their communicative competencies as is now being demanded by our modern-day
globalized world. This is all in a bid to enable them be effectively prepared for the present-
day exigencies of almost all spheres of human endeavor in which at least the possession
of an acceptable level to a good command of the language has become the order of the
day ranging from; commercial transactions, travel, international educational projects,
scientific programs, job interviews, etc.
Mother tongue influence on English language learners in El Carmen:
This influence tends to disrupt the smoothness, flow and understanding of communication
in the L2. It was observed that students in El Carmen are not confident enough and hence,
ultimately resort to the use of the mother tongue in expressing their views and opinions
for them to be clearly understood rather than formal English. This is owing to a lot of
factors that range from shyness, fear, limited exposure and lack of practice amongst
others.
Zambrano and Alirio (2001) puts forward thus:
The communicative approach is based on certain objectives and premises to provide
support to students in the management of the communicative competencies of the foreign
language, facilitate the use of the foreign language in everyday actions to express diverse
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personal and intrapersonal information, the provision of adequate feedback and correction
of errors according to the needs that arise, the promotion of the learning of the foreign
language not only for educational purposes but for foreign language linguistic purposes
and finally, the exploration of different teaching methods and techniques that strengthen
communicative skills in function and meaningfulness.
Learning English language does not require a student to possess a high intelligence
quotient IQ; it rather requires that the student in question should possess a high interest
on the subject. Just like every other language, English is also constantly evolving. It is
advised that students, with the help of their instructors, continually keep pace with current
trends and never relent on continuous practice as it is the most practical way of improving
on their language capabilities. It cannot be done overnight but rather, over time.
According to Vivanco, 2009, “foreign language and literacy is developed by using it in
many different situations, environments, with many different speakers and listeners, and
for many purposes” (p. 2).
Furthermore, Meyer mentioned the issue of cultural identity in his work that “The self-
identity of a monolingual person is inextricably bound up with their native language
(Brown, 2000: 64; Piaseka, in Schweers, 1999). Some students may resent the L2 if they
feel it is forced on them, thus raising affective filters. Schweers (1999) believes that in a
case where the instructor is a native speaker of the L2, students can better identify with
them if the instructor speaks the students’ L1, thus showing that the instructor respects
and values the student’s mother tongue. The instructor can also be held as a model of
someone who successfully learned another language”.
A lot of foreign language learners unconsciously transfer language rules of their L1 to the
L2, word ordering/sequencing and sound system. Heavy MTI occurs when the native
language sounds of alphabets, numbers and even words have not yet been completely
replaced with the foreign language sounds. This requires time and constant practice to
overcome. Just as each language has different alphabets and words, so does each have
different sound and pronunciation.
Methodology and Data Analysis
Participants
A sample size of 60 students were randomly selected for this research work made up of
36 females and 24 males, all within the range of 8 to 14 years of age. 10 participants were
chosen from 6 educational units (3 primary and 3 secondary schools), all within El
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Carmen, a small town in the Manabí province of Ecuador. The time frame for this study
was 6 months. All participants are Ecuadorian nationals and were all born in this agrarian
town. To ensure objectivity of purpose, within the time of data collection, the selected
students were attending between the 4th year of the Generalized Basic Education
(primary) and the first 2 years of secondary education in the Ecuadorian school system.
Research instruments and data analysis
The research tools administered for the collection of both oral and written linguistic data
were questionnaires (word glossary and a list of short phrases), audio clips and sound
recorders. The former was basically to aid the authors’ analysis of possible lexical and
grammatical flaws while, the later was aimed at facilitating the subsequent
replays/reproductions and identification of specific oral production discrepancies
between recorded sounds and standard English pronunciation of same words or
expressions.
On completion of the data collection stage of the study over time, the authors retired to
the language laboratory for further processing and analysis of gathered information in the
field. It was at this point, after series of data and sound analysis, that all identified errors
in the course of this work were spotted and highlighted.
For the purpose of this research work, the following English language words and sounds
were constantly used over time with the students that make up the sample size of this
study to verify and confirm the correctness or otherwise of pronunciations among other
factors. It was interesting to observe that MTI was very intense and obvious in almost all
the pronunciations that were recorded. They were subsequently pronounced as outlined
and depicted below;
TABLE 1 - WORD AND SOUND TABLE
Random word list
British sound
pattern
North American
sound pattern
Recorded learner
sound output
Absent
æbsənt
æbsənt
æusənt
Book
bʊk
bʊk
bʊt
Club
klʌb
klʌb
clʊd
Cook
kʊk
kʊk
cʊt
Develop
dɪˈveləp
dɪˈveləp
dɪˈveləb
Eight
eɪt
eɪt
eɪch
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Source: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 8th edition. 2015
This list of words above is not all comprising; it is just to mention but a few. Practicing
speaking is one of the most fun and practical ways of learning English language. The
following are some tips for improving spoken English; being confident and speaking as
often as possible to as much people as possible and avoid being shy to make mistakes.
The only way to get better is by actually trying to do it.
English
ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ
ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ
ˈɪŋɡlɪs
Fifteen
ˌfɪfˈtiːn
ˌfɪfˈtiːn
ˌfɪsˈtiːn
Fifty
ˈfɪfti
ˈfɪfti
ˈfɪsti
Iron
ˈaɪən
ˈaɪərn
ˈaɪəron
Job
dʒəʊb
dʒəʊb
dʒəʊv
Jungle
ˈdʒʌŋɡl
ˈdʒʌŋɡl
ˈdʒʌŋɡle
Lab
Læb
Læb
læv
Lava
ˈlɑːvə
ˈlɑːvə
ˈlɑːbə
Million
ˈmɪljən
ˈmɪljən
ˈmɪljon
Proverb
ˈprɒvɜːb
ˈprɑːvɜːrb
ˈprɑːbɜːrv
Project
ˈprɒdʒekt
ˈprɑːdʒekt
ˈprɑːyʒekt
School
skuːl
skuːl
eskuːl
Seven
ˈsevn
ˈsevn
ˈsebn
Shake
ʃeɪk
ʃeɪk
cheɪk
Shopping
ˈʃɒpɪŋ
ˈʃɑːpɪŋ
ˈchɑːpɪŋ
Sweep
swiːp
swiːp
eswiːp
Speak
spiːk
spiːk
espiːk
Student
ˈstjuːdnt
ˈstuːdnt
ˈestuːdnt
Sure
ʃʊə(r)
ʃʊr
siʊr
Swim
swɪm
swɪm
eswɪm
Umbrella
ʌmˈbrelə
ʌmˈbrelə
ʌmˈbreyə
University
ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti
juːnɪˈvɜːrsəti
juːnɪˈbɜːrsiti
Whisky
ˈwɪski
ˈwɪski
ˈwɪki
You
juː
juː
jiuː
Zero
ˈzɪərəʊ
ˈziːroʊ
ˈciːroʊ
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Another area of MTI between L1 and L2 is in the placements of adjectives and nouns in
phrases and sentences. Spanish English language learners tend to make the very common
mistake of placing the nouns immediately before the adjective that describe same nouns.
E.g., “house big” instead of big house, “cat black” instead of black cat, “woman pretty”
instead of pretty woman, etc. This word placement structure is permitted in Spanish
grammar but totally wrong in that of English. It is also worthy of note that in some cases,
auxiliary verbs are absent in the Spanish grammatical structure but are practically
indispensable in that of the English language. In the same vein, Spanish grammar permits
the pluralization of adjectives which was noted in the following expressions: “cars news”
instead of new cars, “boys talls” instead of tall boys, etc. It is simply known as mother
tongue influence. It is always advised to think in “English” and gradually leave out our
mother tongue while trying to improve on the L2 skills. It is a recommended way of
putting the MTI under check while improving on tone and clarity in the new language
that is being learnt.
According to Beckman & Venditti (2010), as cited by Ochagu & Agban (2022):
The terms 'tone and intonation' refer to patterned variation in voiced source pitch that
serves to contrast and to organize words and larger utterances. However, the terms are
differentiated in typical usage by applying them to different aspects of these linguistic
uses of speech. Pitch is defined as the relative height of speech sounds as perceived by a
listener and is what we are hearing when we refer to a voice being ‘high' and ‘low’, in
speech, is the relative highness or lowness of a tone as perceived by the ear, which
depends on the number of vibrations per second produced by the vocal cords. Pitch is the
main acoustic correlate of tone and intonation (Britannica.com) the varying Pitch levels
throughout an utterance form what we hear as intonation: the “falling” and “rising” of the
voice.
The definite article system is yet another area of observable difference. Students of El
Carmen encounter problems in their attempt to use English articles with words, in phrases
and sentences. It is frequent and significant especially with regards to time and place.
Spanish grammatical structure permits the use of the definite article with time, for
example, “the last week”, “the last year”, “the last month”, etc. This is not the case in
English language. Same is also observed in the case of place where people generally say
“the China”, “the Ecuador”, “the Peru”, etc. This article system is also different from
what is obtainable in English language where the names of countries or places are just
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mentioned without the need for the use of the article. i.e., zero articles are applied; except
in cases of making reference to a bigger body that is made up of other smaller units such
as is the case with: the African Union, the European Union, the United States, the United
Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, etc. Isabelli-Garcia and Slough (2012) argue that “a
difference between Spanish and English exists with some geographical names; in English
the article is omitted before “lake” in “Lake Eerie is in the United States” but not in
Spanish El lago Earie está en los Estados Unidos” (p. 97).
The errors that were identified in the course of this work are basically classified into the
following:
Contextual errors
These are the identified cases in which different English words are used out of
grammatical contexts in sentences, possibly because they sound similar to their Spanish
counterparts. For example, the case of “incidencia” incidence used in place of effects,
“estimado” estimated used in place of esteemed, “atender” attend used in place of assist,
“asistir” assist used in place of attend, “instancia” instance used in place of moment or
situation, “libreria” a library used in place of a book store, etc. The use of the
aforementioned words in English by a considerable number of native Spanish speakers
are often times confused and; thus, used out of context to represent words or situations
that they represent in their L1. This reflected incompetence on the part of some of the
English language teachers that work with the sampled students with regards to their
choice of words and usage in the language classrooms while working with these students
because, according to (Meneses, (2011)., “when studying languages people are mostly
concerned about orthographical issues, grammatical correctness, and syntactical issues
but are not sufficiently aware of crucial aspects like cultural equivalence or language
transfer influences, knowledge in these areas will allow them to deal with the real
meaning of the words, looking beyond the words itself, but centered on the
communicative purposes”.
Syntactic errors
This is as a result of the observed difficulty for the students to easily conform to and
utilize the English syntax. This is probably as a result of the mother tongue influence. For
example, an expression like “cómo está?”, “how is you?” shows an error of agreement
which translates to a syntactic error because of the erroneous use of the auxiliary “is”
instead of “are”. Going by the words of Vasquez (2009), “in concrete terms, the child
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used both the English form in Spanish (which was always ungrammatical in Spanish) and
the Spanish form in English (which was pragmatically inappropriate in English)”.
Morphological errors
This was demonstrated in the pluralization of adjectives. For instance: prettys, bigs,
beautifuls, intelligents, wides, olds, etc. It was further observed that these language
learners have problems in understanding that it is not all English nouns attain their plural
forms by adding the morpheme “s” at the end of the noun, for example, “fishes”,
“advices” and “furnitures”. This is an indication that these students possess a problem of
over-generalization and incomplete knowledge and application of grammar rules or
conditions under which these rules are applied in practice.
Phonological errors
This has to do with the issue of wrong pronunciations as depicted in the table above.
These errors could probably be attributed to the lack of constant practice by the students,
especially in the area of speaking or oral production of the target language. Another aspect
of this error was identified in situations where the students spell out words based on the
way the words sound, “laf” as laugh, “laif” as life, “laik” as like, etc.
Merits of the mother tongue
According to Phindane, Pule. (2020):
The positive arguments for using L1 in a L2 classroom
Authors like Deller and Rinvolucri (2002), Briggs (2001); Galali and Cinkara (2017)
believe that L1 play an important role in second language learning in a classroom.
According to Seftiawan (2018), mother tongue can help six-year-old learners to study
second language and master vocabularies through translation. Hanáková and Metruk
(2017) observed that L1 can also be used to explain a certain vocabulary, grammar,
instructions, organisation purposes and to monitor learners’ comprehension. This view is
also shared by Alshehri (2017) who observed that L1 in a second language classroom
develops good rapport with students.
Certain idiomatic expressions in the L2 can best be taught and understood by students by
making comparisons with those that exist in the mother tongue. Otherwise, students will
misunderstand the idioms and the teacher’s objective of sending his/her message across
in English might not be achieved. There might be some English words which cannot be
understood by the students irrespective of whatever teaching technique the teacher
applies. In such cases, the use of the mother tongue does the magic.
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Demerits of the mother tongue:
Going by the assertions of Phindane, Pule. (2020):
The negative arguments against using L1 in a L2 classroom.
Regardless of many advantages of using L1 in the L2 classroom there are also some
disadvantages of using or overusing L1 in the classroom that may happen. According to
Auerbach (1993:5) ‘the more the learners are exposed to English, the more quickly they
will learn’, and for them to be able to learn it, they should be ‘forced to use it’. Cook
(2001) identifies two reasons for those who support only L2 use in L2 classes. Firstly, the
L2 learning process is like the process of L1 learning. Secondly, Cook (2001) states
that the acquisition processes of L1 and L2 are completely separate.
The under listed are some of the disadvantages of the mother tongue in the learning
process of a target language:
Every L1 has its laid-out grammar structures which, in most cases, differ from those of
the L2. As such, learners would not be able to do word for word translations because there
are no exact equivalents of English language in the mother tongue. The sentence patterns
of English are often times quite different. By extension, the articles, propositions and
demonstratives of the mother tongue are differently used in the English language.
Shy students will always prefer to express themselves in their L1 to ensure being clearly
understood. This sudden switch from L2 to L1 was noted to be sometimes unintentional.
The flow of the language acquisition process could be cut or somehow interrupted by the
use of the mother tongue in conversations amongst peers.
Tips on reducing mother tongue influence on L2 learners:
Linguists have found MTI to influence the learning of English in different manners depending on
the L1 in question. According to Sriprahba (2015), every language affects English
differently, so we can't simply list
out all the common mistakes if one starts learning a local language, one will find oneself
understanding mother tongue influence a lot more, and one will be able to correct it far
more easily. As mentioned earlier different languages affect English learning in a
different way. For some, sentence word order can be a problem for others, sound
articulation and placement of primary stress can be a difficult task.
Building a habit of reading books in the target language will gradually help learners
increase their word bank/vocabulary and, by implication, help to suppress MTI.
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The constant practice of pronouncing words and sentences in front of the mirror will, not
only enhance our pronunciation, but will also increase the confidence level in speaking
without MTI. Recording one’s own voice and taking note to make necessary corrections
will definitely help overcome MTI.
The regular use of a few tongue twisters in the target language goes a long way to improve
our pronunciation. The habit of watching and listening to television and radio channels
respectively in the target language is undoubtedly a great way of sharpening our
communicative skills in the L2. Try to develop spontaneity while speaking and
consciously limit or completely avoid the use of fillers such as: ummm, ehhh, ahhh, uhhh,
etc. Try to closely relate and interact with people that speak the language and, in the
language, to practice and improve pronunciation.
Pedagogical interventions in the language classroom:
Going by the words of Robinson (2015) “acquiring literacy in the mother tongue is
educationally and pedagogically sound, but what is there to read? This is a common cry
in literacy programs, both from learners and instructors. Often materials are limited to
literacy primers and other learning materials, as well as functional booklets on
development topics. This dilemma emerges from a heavy emphasis on literacy as reading
and a neglect of literacy as writing. Unless speakers of a local language write creatively
it is unlikely that there will be much of interest to read” (p. 6).
Furthermore, Gooding de Palacios (2020) asserts that the communicative approach to
language acquisition deploys many types of activities that are interactive, motivating, and
projected in the development of communicative functions while being playful to release
tensions, get out of the routine and worries, hence, making the process entertaining and
fun classes, etc.
Bilingual models and practices vary and so do their results, but what they have in common
is their use of the mother tongue at least in the early years so that students can acquire
and develop literacy skills in addition to understanding and participating in the language
classroom. The role of mother tongue also depends on the teaching methods a teacher
applies in the classroom. Larsen-Freeman (2000) supports the role of the mother tongue
in the classroom procedures and summarizes the role of L1 in various English language
teaching methods as follows:
Grammar Translation method: The meaning of words and expressions in the target
language is made clear by translations using the students’ native language. Direct method
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and Audio-lingual method: The students’ native language should not be used in the
classroom because it is thought that it will interfere with the students’ attempts to master
the target language. Communicative Language Teaching: This advocates that a judicious
use of the students’ native language is permitted in communicative language teaching.
The conception in this study is that whatever the case of the level of L1 use in the language
classroom may be, it would basically be dependent on the educational objective that is
being pursued. To this effect,
Meyer (2008) states as follows:
“Even in the case of linguistically homogeneous classes, there is still controversy over L1
use. Students need exposure to the L2. In many cases the only exposure the students may
get is in the classroom; therefore, shouldn’t the instructor speak only the L2? That
depends on what the purpose of the language class is. Is it a class full of novice learners
of the L2? Is it a class of students preparing for a stay abroad? Is it a class of students
training to become translators/interpreters?” (p. 147).
Discussion
This study perceives literacy to be the formal learning of how to read and write. When
learners go on to expand their abilities in two or more language throughout their early
school years, they tend to achieve a deeper understanding of language and how to use
same effectively in communication. This is so, especially when they are literate enough
in both languages and, are able to compare and contrast the ways in which their two
languages organize reality. As such, bilingual children have been said to develop more
flexibility in their thinking as an outcome of being able to process information through
the perspective of two different languages. Rogers (2008) calls learning, i.e., conscious
learning, and Rojo (2009) terms it schooled literacy. Accordingly, the operational
definition of literacy will be that of the instrument that is judged suitable to asses literacy
conceived as the formal learning of reading/writing, which defines reading literacy as
“the capacity to understand, use and reflect on written texts, in order to achieve one’s
goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential, and to participate in society”. This is
crucial in the achievement of expected success in L2 students.
According to Cuartas (2014), “beyond the taken-for-granted assumptions regarding its
use, I found that the selective use of L1 could actually be beneficial for L2 learning”.
More so, well equipped and functional language laboratories should be put in place in
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schools to encourage students have the opportunity of practicing their speaking to
improve on their oral production of the target language.
In the same vein, having understood that mother tongue influence could negatively impact
on the learning process of a new language if not put under check; even though the use of
the L1 is seen as indispensable at certain points of the language learning process to ensure
the understanding of given cases of study by the students, concerted efforts should be
made by all concerned at gradually reducing the use of the mother tongue in the
teaching/learning process of the L2. This is because the only way to get better in the target
language is by actually doing it. This implies that continuous practice is paramount. This
is intended to align students on the issue of speech and sound patterns in the target
language.
It was possible to establish in this work that many students of foreign languages
unconsciously transfer the grammar rules from their L1 to the L2, the order/sequencing
of words and sound pattern/system. Heavy MTI occurs when the native language sounds
of alphabets, numbers, and even words have not yet been completely replaced with those
of the foreign language sounds. This takes time and constant practice to overcome. Just
as each language has different alphabets and words, each also has different sounds and
pronunciations. Manjula, (2022) asserts that:
Poor pronunciation not only leads to misunderstanding but also creates negative
impression and confusion. Learners with bad pronunciation are judged as lack of
knowledge, incompetent and they will be misunderstood. There are several factors that
influence pronunciation such as native language interference, amount of exposure,
phonetic ability, cultural and educational back ground and motivation. Of all the
influences the influence of native language is the most inhibiting and inherent factor that
manifest in the form of mispronunciation.
Conclusions
Literacy development involves learning a great deal of content as well as developing the
skills necessary to deal with the newly acquired content. Children need to learn to
understand the shape of letters, how they sound, how they are written, and sometimes
using different alphabets. Through this activity, which typically starts in preschool or
within the home environment, children begin to understand that language is a system
made of arbitrary symbols, and that each language has its own structure.
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They also learn to distinguish different sounds, developing language-specific phonemic
knowledge and the ability to identify rhymes or similarities of various kinds, both in the
sound and the meaning of the words they encounter. Bilingual children develop
vocabulary in both languages simultaneously, while they also develop the necessary skills
to speak to others in both languages. These skills include the strategies that allow children
to identify when they should use one language over another, with whom, and in which
context.
In compendium, efforts should be directed at all means of making these young learners
use the target language in practice as this is the only practical means of timely identifying
and consciously eliminating mother tongue influence on the effective and efficient
learning of English as a second or foreign language.
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