An Empirical Study On The L1 Transfer In L2 Writing By Chinese English Majors

L1 transfer, that is, the influence of the habit and knowledge of the native language on target language learning, is a common phenomenon in SLA in that the learner has had a comparatively developed prior first language system in his mind when they acquire second language. Language transfer has been a hot topic in recent years in the field of applied linguistics, especially in SLA, that captures considerable attention of many linguists and language teachers both home and abroad.In China, English writing is the last acquired skill in English learning. Compared with other three skills, the writing skill of English majors who are at the initial stage in universities always remains the weakest. One noticeable factor that leads to this phenomenon is mother tongue transfer. Language transfer can be divided into two types: positive transfer and negative transfer, with the former promoting the learning process while the latter cumbering it. By investigating the phenomenon of mother tongue transfer in English writings by Chinese English majors, the research intends to explore some effective methods to overcome negative transfer and meanwhile facilitate positive transfer so as to improve the writing competence of Chinese English majors. According to the literature review of related studies in China and abroad, based on the theories of Contrastive Analysis, Error Analysis and Interlanguage, the author carries out an empirical study on transfer phenomenon in English writings. Specifically, the study is designed to answer the following questions:(1) What is the manifestation of mother tongue transfer in Chinese English majors L2 writing?(2) What are the common interlingual errors that Chinese English majors commit in their EFL writing? What is the possible proportion of these errors? What are the sources of these errors identified? Which kind of error is most outstanding?(3) Do English majors rely on L1 strategies in their EFL writing?(4) Does the frequency of L1 transfer vary in different stages of writing (pre-writing, while-writing and after-writing)?All these questions are answered through analysis. The subjects for the research are forty sophomores of English major from two classes in Chongqing University. The method used in this research consists of qualitative and quantitative studies. Three instruments are adopted, that is, English writing samples, questionnaire and interview. The students are asked to complete an argumentative composition with given topic and word number. All the samples collected are valid for analysis. Questionnaires are done after finishing the writing task to find out the use of mother tongue in their writing process, interview serves as a supplement of questionnaire.After analyzing the collected writing samples, questionnaires and combining with the interview, it is found that most students are influenced consciously or unconsciously by native language transfer in the process of English writings and the frequency of L1 transfer varies in different stages of writing. The mother tongue transfer can be both positive and negative in writings of English majors. Chinese is very helpful in generating ideas, organizing structures and exploring the content, etc. Compared with positive transfer, the negative transfer of Chinese in English writing is very obvious. Those phenomena of negative transfer of Chinese in subjects'writings are analyzed in detail in this thesis. The result shows that there are 17 main types of interlingual errors resulting from negative transfer of mother tongue, constituting 58.5% of all the errors. Interlingual errors can be classified into three categories: substance, text and discourse with each category being further divided into various sub-categories. Of all the interlingual errors, the errors in the morphology of verbs rank the top, accounting for12.9%. The reasons for interlingual errors are various, the most important factor is the mother tongue transfer caused by the differences between English and Chinese in linguistics, cultures and thought patterns.The thesis summarizes all the analyses, and on the basis of the findings, proposes some pedagogical implications and suggestions for the EFL teaching and learning, such as keeping a scientific attitude towards language transfer, utilizing positive transfer and reducing negative transfer, hoping to promote the teaching of English writing and enhance the writing competence of Chinese English majors.