The Positive Transfer Of Native Language In Second Language Acquisition

When people talk about the influence of our native language during the process of second language acquisition, they will think of "interference" or "negative transfer". So the popular belief is that our mother tongue interferes the second language learning. Although it is well known that language transfer can be divided into the positive and the negative, the positive transfer of the native language is seldom mentioned, or even is neglected in the study of second language acquisition. This thesis argues that native language contributes to second language acquisition (SLA). The author has based the argument on the theory of Universal Grammar, the findings of SLA research and her own empirical studies. Transfer is not simply interference. The popular belief that the role of the learner's first language (L1) is negative needs to be reconsidered in the cognitive framework. We must have a new review to the "interference" of our native language. When the second language (L2) learners experience difficulty in communicating an idea because they lack the necessary target language knowledge, they will resort to their L1 to make up the insufficiency. The-concept of "interference" should be refrained as "intercession". L1 should be viewed as a resource which learners can use for temporary translation to overcome their limitations. So we can't only think about its negative aspect, but cognitive process, a strategy of communication. And the empirical study indicates that L1 plays a positive role in SLA, so we should make full use of the common area to lead the positive transfer, then to strengthen the confidence of the second language learners.