The influence of learners' knowledge of L1 (Maltese) on their writing in L2 (English)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of first language (L1) influence on the learning of a second language (L2). More specifically, it examined negative transfer in the context of Maltese learners of English. The field of investigation was L2 writing in Maltese schools. A total of 100 homework composition scripts written by Form 5 students in two schools were analysed, and errors that were attributed to LI influence were classified according to their type and source. Taxonomies were designed to incorporate these categories. Sample errors of each type were discussed and an explanation for their occurrence was attempted. Two teachers and four parents were interviewed in order to provide background information on the phenomenon. 125 negative transfer errors were found, a ratio of 1.25% errors per script. This indicates that negative transfer, though present, was not a particularly significant element in the writing of the students in the sample. The most prevalent areas of negative transfer were Prepositions, Verbs and Idioms, while the main sources were Literal translation, Ll form, and Differentiation. The study also showed that stylistic transfer and difficulty transfer were in operation, while the English rendition of the verb jagħmel and the preposition bi were the two most problematic linguistic items for the students in the sample. With one exception, the transfer errors were not judged to cause serious communication problems with monolingual native-English speakers.