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23PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOLOGY
INTERFERENCE BETWEEN LANGUAGES1
Mgr. Denisa KraVovicova PhD., Mgr. Anna Hurajova
Slovak Republic, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Faculty of Mass Media Communication
Introduction
It is necessary to improve the quality of teaching and learning globally. Understanding the principles of interference between languages helps to improve the quality of English nationally and internationally. Main goal of this paper is to emphasize and understand the interference between languages L1 & L2. It also focuses on tools and tests being used and points out research made in this field.
Regarding learning languages, it is necessary to take into consideration language interference between L1 (first language) and L2 (second language). So let us define some basic terms at the very beginning of this paper, which are as follows: language acquisition, first language acquisition, second language acquisition, bilingualism, monolingualism and phonological awareness.
1. Basic terms
Language acquisition is considered to be one of the most important and fascinating aspects of human development. It must strongly develop in the early years of a child due to provide a success in cognitive functioning. There are various language variables involved in language processes such as phonology, vocabulary, morphology, syntax, paralinguistic, pragmatics and discourse.
First language acquisition is called by various terms such as mother tongue, native language, primary language (e.g. Hindi)
Second language acquisition is typically and official or societal dominant language (e.g. English), which is required for education, work and other basic purposes.
Bilingualism is considered to be very interesting topic for psycholinguistic investigation. It takes into consideration e.g. reasons of separating two languages in storage and production, thinking processes, differences in terms of cognitive processes between monolingualism and bilingualism.
Phonological awareness is important in learning to read words, paragraphs and sentences in particular language. It refers to the sound of one's language in the process of writing and speaking.
Definitions of interference
Regarding some basic definitions, we have chosen the ones we consider to be interesting from psycholinguistic point of view. These are as follows:
Dulay at all(1982) - interference is an automatic transfer, due to habit of the surface structure of L1 onto the surface of L2
Ellis (1991) - refers to interference as „transfer", which he says is the influence that the learner's L1 exerts over the acquisition of L2
Caroll (1964) - argues that the circumstances of learning L2 are like those of L1
Beardsmore(1982) - suggests that many of the difficulties L2 learners have with phonology, vocabulary and grammar of L2 are due to interference of habits from L1
Where the errors come from?
As it comes to errors during the process of learning new language, it is necessary to mention positive transfer and negative transfer. Positive transfer depends on similarities between languages L1 & L2, leading to correct guesses. Negative transfer depends on differences and errors between L1 & L2, leading to wrong guesses.
2. Tools/tests developed
There are various standardized tests and measures available, administered on global level for children, youngsters as well as adults. The tests are as follows:
- The children's and adult Multilingualism Questionnaire
- Reading assessment task
- Rationale
- Reading comprehension
1 University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Faculty of Mass Media Communication, 2 Nam. J.Herdu, 917 01, Trnava, Slovakia, email: [email protected], [email protected]
The children's and adultMultilingualism Questionnaire
It is considered to be language background questionnaire. It was designed to check the background of bilingual children and is completed by the parents. The questionnaire consists of six parts - information about the child, family language background, child language background, child language use(code-switching), reading/writing ability, summary and comments. It allows open-ended question types.
Reading assessment task
Reading skills of the participants is assessed with reading assessment tasks (word-reading and non-word reading) in the required language. All the tasks are age appropriate and words are read aloud.
Rationale
Word reading task administers the reading skills with familiar words in L1 & L2 languages separately. The pseudo word task is also used. The measure of performance is accuracy in terms of number of words correctly read and time taken to read the words.
Reading comprehension
It evaluates language acquisition as a major component of literacy skill acquisition. The participant is presented with an age appropriate passage in Hindi and English. He is asked to read the passage loudly, followed by five questions from this passage. The measures of performance are as follows: accuracy dealing with questions being asked, reaction time taken.
3. Various studies dealing with interference between L1 & L2
There were various studies made dealing with interference between L1 & L2. It is needy to mention e.g. recent research based on comparisons between bilinguals and monolinguals, recent research focusing on language as motor interference reflected in MEG beta oscillators, small scale case study dealing with mother tongue interference with foreign language. The small research is quite interesting, because it took place in the Czech republic, which is a neighboring country to Slovakia and focuses on quite up-dated topic nowadays, which is immigrants. The research also focuses on native language interference in learning 2nd language and methods of overcoming the language interference in the speech of Russian- speaking immigrants. Regarding the studies, it is necessary to deal with one explanatory study much more in details. The case study focuses on native language interference in learning L2. Both studies are to be described in the following part of the article.
Case study
Main aim of this case study was to analyze the use of specific parts of language and use the results of this analysis to make judgments dealing with the status of the L1-L2 interference hypothesis. The interview was a flexible procedure that allowed for probing of the participants' linguistic knowledge. The goal of this study was to develop a pertinent hypothesis and propositions for further research. Methodology of this case study was not an experimental intervention.
There were 4 participants in this study (Bianca - Spanish, Cath - Vietnamese, Sabi-Cambodian and Mato - Italian), aged from 21-65. As it comes to writing, it was very important for all of them.
There were given 2 tasks as follows:
1. Writing the stories following 2 sets of sequential pictures in L1 & L2 ( base for analysis of errors made)
2. Interview - they were interviewed individually, tape-recorded and they were supposed to explain the errors occurred when using L1 & L2. It was followed by self-correction of text in L2
The results indicated that the learners adopted L1 structures to help them in L2 texts. The value of this study is its generalisability to similar set of circumstances for the type of learners identified in this study.
Research
This research is called Methods of overcoming the language interference in the speech of Russian immigrants in the Czech Republic. It last 2 decades, the Czech republic became attractive country for immigrants from the Russian Federation, Ukraine & and post Soviet countries. It is connected with teaching of Russian language to Russian speaking students in the Czech Republic (Russian - Czech interference). Many children of immigrants attend schools in the Czech republic, because they have limited knowledge e.g. of Russian grammar.
Purpose of this research is to analyze the Russian Czech interference in the speech of bilingual students and develop methods of overcoming this interference and approbation in practice due to improve their speaking competences.
Regarding methodology, it consisted of 28 assignments and 140 in-class practice tasks, which were collected and analyzed for errors. It consisted of e.g. special complexes of grammar exercises, command of Russian language norms, creation of texts for different communicative situations, evaluation of literary pieces from foreign verbal culture, evaluation of communicative ones own competences - ability to notice and correct ones own mistakes.
WORLD SCIENCE
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There were 47 Russian - speaking participants, who attended the university in Usti nad Labem. The outcomes unfold interference in two directions, from Russian to Czech language and from Czech to Russian language. As it comes to conclusion of this research, it is its implementation of functional and systematic approaches.
Conclusion
Summing up the previous points, it was necessary to define some basic terms dealing with interference between languages. The article focused mainly on some tools and tests to be used due to check the quality of language being learned in connection with interference between L1 & L2 (or more languages). It was also to point out the fact that language does not exist on its own, it is a complex unit, which is mutually connected with other ones, influencing one another. Research being made in this area is also very important due to understand influences between various languages. Understanding all processes being connected with language interference helps to improve quality of education locally, as well as globally.
REFERENCES
1. Sinha, A.: Interference of first language in the acquisition of second language. Journal of Psychology and Counseling Vol.1(7),pp.117-122, September, 2009.Quoted [15.02.2016]. Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JPC
2. Nazarenko, L.: Methods of overcoming the language interference in the speech of Russian-speaking immigrants in the Czech Republic. Science Direct, Quoted [15.02.2016]. Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
3. Bhela, B.: Native language interference in learning a second language: Explanatory case studies of native language interference with target language usage. International Education Journal Vol1, No 1, 1999. Quoted [15.02.2016].Available online at http://iej.cjb.net
4. Nicholls ,D.: What is learner English? Quoted [15.02.2016]. Available online at http://ingles.ing.uchile.cl/otros/downloads/What%20is%20Learner%20English.pdf
THE ROLE OF INTERNAL FORM IN FORMATION OF SECONDARY NOMINATIVE UNITS (ON THE BASIS OF SCIENTIFIC WORKS OF ALEXANDER
POTEBNJA)
associate-professor Rahimov A. S.
Rahimov A. A.
Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Samarkand state institute of foreign languages
Abstract. This thesis deals with the role of internal form in the formation of secondary nominative units. The authors mainly focused on the works of Alexander Potebnja. Alexander Potebnja in his works paid attention to the role of internal form as a linguopsychological base in formation of the semantic structures of simple and derivative words.
Keywords: internal form, secondary nomination, subjective meaning, objective meaning
Alexander Potebnja is one of the scientists who applied and developed the notion of internal form directly into lexical system of the language, particularly, into interpretation of secondary nominative units. Therefore, he drew attention to the notion of internal form as a linguo-psychological basis in formation of semantic structureof root and derivative words.According to him, the human collects information during the observation of things and phenomena, then produces new nominative units reusing these information relying on his previous knowledge and practice. Such kind of linguo-psychological process "can be observed during the formation of a new word in using one of meaning components of a certain word as an internal form. e.g. for a derivative word язвить (be acrimonious / sarcastic), the sign"pain" in the basis of the word язва (ulcer/sore) serves as an internal form"[1].
On the basis of these ideas Alexander Potebnja differs subjective and objective meaning in the semantic structure of a word.As he wrote "the subjective meaning"is a kind of meaning that the word
