The influence of native language skills on foreign language learning: Phonological, orthographic, and semantic contributions

The primary goal of this study was to examine how native language skills influence foreign language learning. Additional goals included determining which native language skills are most predictive of foreign language learning and investigating whether spelling, vocabulary, and rapid automatized naming skills transfer between native and foreign languages. These relationships were explored for a range of learning abilities. Sixty-five college students enrolled in a first-semester German course participated in the study. Specific English language skills were measured to determine the degree to which native language skills were predictive of proficiency in the acquisition of specific skills in German. The independent variables were select phonological, orthographic, semantic, and rapid naming skills in English (native language) and the dependent variables were select German orthographic, semantic, and rapid naming skills.; Of the four primary predictor variables of English phonological skills, English spelling, English vocabulary, and English rapid automatized naming, English spelling was the best predictor of acquisition of select basic German skills (German composite score). Several interactions among the predictor variables also made significant contributions to the German composite score.; English phonological skills of varying levels of difficulty were examined. The phonological tasks that involved elements of orthographic and/or semantic processing (e.g., spelling clues) were more strongly associated with the German composite score than were the simpler English phonological tasks. Cross-language transfer of spelling and vocabulary skills between English and German was also demonstrated in this study.; Data from this study (1) provide support for the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis, which states that native language skills influence foreign language learning; (2) underscore the predictive power of phonologically-based skills; and (3) demonstrate cross-language transfer of specific skills.