The Role of Mother Tongues in Second Language Learning Essay

The Role of Mother Tongues in Second Language Learning - Essay Example The impact of first language on second language can bring problems especially in intercultural communication where the speakers use a lingua franca such as English or another language, hence causing misunderstandings and problems in communication. This research will look at how second language is acquired with a close look at the impact of the first language on second language learning. Literature Review/Discussion Second language is any language that a person learns in addition to his/her first language. The term can also be used to refer to learning a third, fourth and subsequent languages. Second language acquisition is therefore the process in which people or learners study that language. Errors made by second language learners have been proved to originate from the speech of their first language by majority of linguists. This occurs as a result of influence of the first language commonly known as language transfer. The errors are mostly lexical or phonological. The learners†™ mother tongue influences the way the second language vocabulary is learnt and recalled for use. Learners at their disposal compensate their lack of knowledge by constructing difficult lexical items that are characterized with errors emanating from their first language. ... What happens in the classroom, for example, is greatly attributed to the social needs of both teachers and learners. According to Chomsky, human beings are endowed with the capability to acquire any language in the world since learning a language involves learning its rules. The rules are systematic for every language though learners make mistakes in the process. These mistakes have been attributed to mother tongue interference. This paper will also look at how mother tongue can enhance or hamper a learner who is using the vocabulary of a second language. This usually happens when a learner acquires a new vocabulary, when he/she is attempting to remember the already leant vocabulary or in the process of constructing a complex lexical item that has not been learnt. Comparison between Languages Different languages construct meanings in different ways and the equivalents only exist depending on what is exactly meant. Though different speakers tend to divide themselves from others, the c onceptualization of some lexical items remains the same. For example, the term dressing is conceived the same by various speakers, a term that generally serves all clothing including shoes, jewellery, glasses among others. Differences in conceptual organization can be as a result of ways in which words are assigned to parts of speech. For instance, Japanese equivalents of English are mostly nouns and verbs. Lado (103) notes that elements that are similar in the fist and second languages will be simple for the learner to grasp. On the other hand, those that have no correspondence will be more difficult to learn. Cross Linguistic Influence and Ease or Difficulty of Learning There are a