The Positive Function Of Mother Tongue-A Study Of Language Transfer In English Learning From A Cognitive Framework

Language transfer has always been a central issue for at least a century in applied linguistics and second language acquisition. It is widely accepted that 'Transfer' is the influence resulting from similarities and differences between the target language and any other languages that have been previously acquired. As an extensive phenomenon, transfer has two types, namely, positive and negative transfer. The former has conducive roles to play in facilitating the target language learning while the latter creates hindrances for learners. Generally Speaking, the transfer study has experienced three phases with respective dominant theory backup- Behaviourism and Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis in the 50s, Universal Grammar and Interlanguage Theory in the 70s and present Cognitive Theory established in the late 80s.Language transfer, in our specific context, is the role our mother tongue Chinese plays in learning English as a foreign language. Long have Chinese Scholars held the viewpoint that Chinese plays a negative role in learner's English learning, therefore, they strongly urge the avoidance of Chinese use in English class in a hope to minimize its interference. What is worth mentioning, the employment of 'Bilingual and 'Immersion' approaches in teaching are booming across various schools, aiming to create a more authentic and optimal linguistic environment in class. However, due to the differences between English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) and the fact of current teaching resources inequality in China, those teaching apporaches are still in controversy as to their effectiveness.The debate regarding the current EFL teaching methods in China finds its root in the controversial roles mother tongue plays. While many foreign language teachers in China hold the view that negative transfer from mother tongue outperforms the positive one, the author believes that there exist a great deal similarities between Chinese and English language in pronounciation, spelling, vocabulary building, grammar and discourse development as well as some cultural elements. In this sense, it is safe to assume that the positive functions of Chinese in English learning are still not studied and revealed in a comprehensive manner. Besides, cognitive theory gives a scientific account of the psychological mechanism involved in learning and proves the inevitability and necessity of taking advantage of one's mother tongue as learning and communication strategies. What is more, the proper use of mother tongue by teachers in class can do good to achieve comprehensible target language input, reduce learners' anxiety and uncertainty in class learning and bring about effective classroom management.The thesis, based on the previous researches in transfer, tries to give a detailed and specific explanation about the similarities between Chinese and English languages in several aspects. Through literature review and her own questionnaires, the author discusses the positive functions of Chinese in learners' English learning, which have been overshadowed by its negative ones for a long time, with the purpose to shed some enlightenments on both the teachers' sides as well as the learners'.