An Investigation Into The Influence Of Junior High School Students’ Cantonese And Chinese Competence On Their English Learning

Many studies, both home and abroad, have emphasized the importance of individual differences in language learning, especially in the area of second language acquisition. Nowadays, third language learning is very common all around the world, in natural as well as formal contexts, and there is no exception in China. However, few researches have attached the same attention to the learners who have dual-language learning experience before learning English as a third language learning in China. In order to learn English more effectively, to ameliorate the time-consuming and inefficient English learning situation, more attention should be paid to individual differences not only in the area of second language acquisition but also in the area of third language acquisition.This study is a modest attempt to explore differences between Chinese monolinguals and Cantonese-Chinese bilinguals in English learning in terms of their English achievement, learning style and learning strategy. At the same time, the reasons for the differences were also been explored and illustrated. The ultimate aim of the study is to find out the effect of Cantonese and Chinese competence on English learning. That is, to what extent their learning styles and learning strategies contribute to the difference of English achievement between bilinguals and monolinguals. Thus, this study investigates: whether junior high school students’ Cantonese-Chinese bilingual competence makes a difference in their English achievement; what differences exist between Chinese monolinguals and Cantonese-Chinese bilinguals in learning style preference and learning strategy use; what differences exist between Chinese monolinguals and Cantonese-Chinese bilinguals in their correlations among English achievement, learning styles and learning strategies.The present study was combined with quantitative and qualitative approaches. It was limited to 72 students from one junior high school in Zhongshan City. Eleven students as one group were also interviewed. Subjects were asked to finish self-assessment questionnaires including basic personal information, Strategy Inventory for Language Learning(SILL, ESL/EFL 7.0 version) and Perceptual Learning Style Preference Survey(PLSPS) developed by Joy Reid(1984). And their scores of Chinese and English final examinations in four terms taken as the measurements of their Chinese and English achievement were also collected. Descriptive statistics, Independent-Samples T Test and Person correlation analysis test were adopted for analyzing data of questionnaires; as a supplement illustrating the data of questionnaires and scores of English achievement, content of interview was qualitative analyzed.Results show that compared with Chinese monolingual students, Cantonese-Chinese bilingual students got much higher scores in English achievement; the Cantonese-Chinese bilinguals were much more experienced in selecting the suited language learning styles and learning strategies which was conducive to their English as third language learning. Therefore, much higher scores bilinguals achieved in English examination. Discussions which include the result of questionnaires and content of interview indicate that Cantonese-Chinese bilinguals have much more advantages in English learning than Chinese monolinguals due to their prior nature and form dual-language learning experiences, that is, bilingual competence. It is suggested that mother tongue or, to be exact, dialect has positive effect on English as third language acquisition, and hence should be promoted but not prohibited to use in school,which also has great significance in dialect maintaining.