Aug 2026· Social Sciences and Humanities Inquiry· Vol 01· 0 citations· 10 references
Abstract
This study employs the comparative-inductive method prevalent in research on cross-linguistic transfer within multilingual production. Taking Chinese, English and Japanese writing samples collected from nine student participants as research data, it conducts cross-text comparisons to investigate lexical errors in tri-lingual Japanese writing and clarify core issues including the sources and frequency distribution of first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) transfer. The results demonstrate that content words yield a higher overall error rate than function words. Statistically significant differences exist in error rates among subcategories of content words (namely nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs), whereas no significant differences are detected within the category of function words, which consist of auxiliary verbs, particles and other function-word items. From an individual learner perspective, both L1 and L2 transfer exhibit considerable individual variability in the use of either content or function words, with far more prominent divergence observed in content word usage. On the whole, content words involve a higher proportion of cross-linguistic transfer than function words, and instances of L1 transfer appear substantially more fre-quently than those of L2 transfer
Fundamental differences exist between the tense-aspect systems of English and Chinese: English primarily expresses temporal meanings through grammatical tense and verbal inflections, whereas Chinese lacks a grammaticalized tense system and relies mainly on aspect markers such as le, zhe, and guo, together with lexical and contextual cues. These differences make L1 transfer a key factor in Chinese learners' acquisition of English tense and aspect. Based on relevant empirical studies, this review examines how Chinese aspect markers influence the acquisition of English tense-aspect forms from the perspectives of language transfer and conceptual transfer. It focuses on the transfer effect of le, guo, and zhe on the past, perfect, and progressive forms. Existing research shows that L1 transfer involves both positive and negative effects, with negative transfer being more systematic, leading to errors such as tense confusion, missing subject–verb agreement, and misuse of non-finite verbs. This review further highlights the growing prominence of conceptual transfer perspectives and summarizes emerging research approaches, including neurolinguistic methods, longitudinal studies, and pedagogical interventions. The findings provide implications for language transfer theory and English tense-aspect teaching for Chinese-speaking learners.
Chen-chen Yang· Advances in Humanities Resea...· 0 citations
This study examines linguistic interference from Spanish to French in the written productions of fifth-semester students enrolled in the Foreign Languages Program at the University of Cartagena. The research aimed to identify and categorize the most common instances of cross-linguistic influence present in learners' written responses. A mixed-methods design with a qualitative emphasis was adopted. Data were collected through a structured written production test consisting of guided writing tasks, sentence translation, sentence ordering, and interpretation activities. The analysis focused on identifying and classifying instances of interference according to four linguistic domains: morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. The findings revealed that morphological interference was the most frequent category, particularly in orthography, grammatical gender, and lexical borrowing. Syntactic and semantic interferences were also recurrent, while pragmatic interference appeared less frequently. The results suggest that the typological proximity between Spanish and French facilitates learning while simultaneously generating transfer-related difficulties. The study highlights the importance of explicitly addressing differences between language during instruction in order to create linguistic awareness and to reduce negative transfer and improve learners' written production.
Gabriel Sabatini Tamayo, Liz Chaireth De Avila Pacheco, Camilo Andrés Camilo Andrés· International Journal of Lan...· 0 citations
This paper explores the function and influence of L1 transfer in second language acquisition, with a specific focus on English learning within the Chinese context. Language transfer acts as a dual force in the learning process; while inter-lingual commonalities rooted in universal grammar can facilitate positive transfer and boost learner confidence, the structural and conceptual differences between languages often trigger negative transfer, leading to language errors and learning difficulties. Focusing on English writing instruction, this study demonstrates that the tracks of L1 negative transfer are highly conspicuous across vocabulary, grammar, and cultural thinking dimensions. Specifically, students frequently misapply word forms due to differences in plural concepts, omit necessary subjects because of the distinct subject-predicate relations in Chinese, and produce rigid “Chinglish” expressions by directly applying native thinking habits to English sentence building. To address these issues, the paper suggests that teachers should provide targeted guidance—such as analyzing typical mistakes, contrasting sentence patterns, and cultivating target-language thinking—to effectively minimize the negative interference of the mother tongue and progressively improve students’ comprehensive writing literacy.
Xiao-Qi He· Journal of Contemporary Educ...· 0 citations
Shell Nouns Complement Constructions (SNCCs) play a central role in packaging complex information and encoding authorial stance. Previous studies have mainly focused on their classification, stylistics distribution, and cross-linguistic difference in SNCCs use among different groups of writers. Less attention, however, has paid to how the same group of L1 Chinese scholars redistribute constructional resources across different publication contexts. Through the lens of usage-based construction grammar, this study investigates whether SNCCs preferences reflect stable authorial tendencies or context adaptation by comparing Chinese and English research articles written by the same group of Chinese applied linguistics scholars. This research is conducted on the self-built corpus, consisting of research articles published by 13 Chinese applied linguistics scholars in prestigious Chinese and English journals. The findings indicated that: 1) although clausal complement was the dominant construction family in both contexts, Chinese publications showed a stronger concentration on this construction, whereas English publications demonstrated a significantly higher proportion of verbal complements. No significant contextual difference was found for eventive complements. 2) SNCC preferences should not be understood solely as stable individual writing styles. Instead, constructional choices represent context-sensitive resource allocation shaped by the interaction between authors’ habitual tendencies and publication environments. This study aims to provide strategies for using shell noun complement constructions in English and Chinese.
Wanting Zhang· Studies in Linguistics and L...· 0 citations
This study determines the status of English-origin nouns in otherwise Vietnamese discourse among bilingual speakers in Australia. It examines whether these nouns function as fully integrated loanwords, nonce borrowings, or instances of code-switching.
Taking a comparative variationist approach, this study compares patterns of syntactic integration across three points of comparison: Vietnamese nouns (VN), attested English-origin loanwords (LW) and English-origin single nouns (EN1) and multi-word constructions (EN2).
The study is based on a quantitative analysis of natural, spontaneous speech produced by nine bilingual speakers (five female, four male). The analysis compares patterns of post-nominal modification and quantifier and classifier usage across the points of comparison to disambiguate the status of English-origin nouns in Vietnamese discourse.
Findings reveal overall low levels of syntactic integration for EN1, suggesting that most of these items reflect nonce borrowing or code-switching rather than fully conventionalised forms. EN1 shows stronger integration into Vietnamese grammar, particularly in quantified contexts where classifier usage aligns with VN norms and in post-nominal possessives. EN2, however, exhibits minimal adaptation, retaining more English-like structures and showing no transparent patterns of code-switching, suggesting intermediary mixing strategies that blur the boundaries between borrowing and code-switching.
These findings contribute to language mixing theory by providing empirical evidence on the syntactic behaviour of English-origin nouns in otherwise Vietnamese discourse. The study also holds practical implications for heritage language maintenance by providing insights into how bilinguals manage grammar and vocabulary dynamically in multilingual settings.
This research provides a nuanced variationist analysis of English-origin nouns in Vietnamese discourse. It contributes to the study of mixing strategies between English and Vietnamese, an understudied language pair. Methodologically, this study adds to the growing body of studies that use quantitative and comparative methodology for identifying linguistic patterns.
Hoa Do, James A. Walker· International Journal of Bil...· 0 citations
Acquiring L2 prepositions is a complex process, as bilinguals often find it difficult to use the correct preposition in a target language such as English. While frequency of prepositions and prepositional phrases can help this acquisition process, additional factors such as L1 influence also play an important role. Furthermore, the acquisition of L2 prepositions follows a non-linear pattern, similar to U-shaped development in L2 acquisition, making investigations across different proficiency levels crucial in understanding the whole phenomenon. Using an error-coded learner corpus, this study investigated the frequencies of L2 preposition use and error types in the essays written by Turkish-English bilinguals. Three types of preposition errors (substitution, addition, and omission) were examined across different score bands corresponding to different writing proficiency levels. Overall results showed that although the frequency of prepositions accounted for their usage in L2 for the most common 10 prepositions, error types and how they differ across score bands are also essential in understanding the developmental pattern of L2 prepositions. In line with the literature, substitution and omission errors were the most common error types. Notably, omission errors demonstrated a statistically significant U-shaped developmental pattern, while substitution errors showed a similar but non-significant descriptive tendency across proficiency bands. Addition errors, on the other hand, decreased steadily with higher score bands. The current findings offer important insights into L2 preposition error types and development for fields like psycholinguistics, bilingualism, and corpus linguistics.
Enis Oğuz· Cankaya University journal o...· 0 citations
We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads.
See our Cookie Policy.
