Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
It is generally known that errors are inevitable in the process of language learning.Just as H. Douglas Brown states that learning language is a process of committing errors,in which ungrammatical expressions can be produced by learners. While errors can alsobenefit language learning because they are the key to understanding how language isacquired or learned[1].English writing is gaining its weight in “National English Curriculum Standards forCommon High School”. The scores of English writing account for more than 23% in thenational paper. In view of this, this study will focus on the English writings written byHigh School students. What’s more, it is stimulated in the “National English CurriculumStandards” that the English curriculum should pay much attention to the cultivation ofstudents’ competence of thinking and expressing in English. However, living in theChinese environment, students prefer to thinking in Chinese while writing or speaking inEnglish. A lot of researchers conclude that negative transfer of L1 (the first language) isevident in Chinese students’ writings[2] [3].In foreign language teaching and learning, a great deal of researches have beenconducted about the influence of L1 on the learning of target language, especially theinfluence of negative transfer of L1 on students’ English writings. Kaplan usesContrastive Rhetoric firstly to investigate the interference of L1 thinking pattern andcultural background on the target language writings[4]. Apart from abroad studies, someChinese researchers like Wen Qiufang and Guo Chunjie investigate the relationshipbetween Chinese thinking pattern and the scores of students’ English composition andconclude that those students who had fewer scores depend much on Chinese in theirwritings[5].
…………
1.2 Significance and Purpose of the Study
In the field of linguistics, language transfer is a significant issue to be studied. Mostof the students, who are at the initial stage of foreign language learning, are easy to beinterfered by L1 during the process of English writing. The interference of L1 can resultin negative or positive transfer in their writings. The positive transfer can improvestudents’ English writing proficiency, while the negative transfer can cause. ungrammatical expressions and errors in students’ writings.In China, students in High School have mastered Chinese before they learn English.Therefore, it is unavoidable that students will be interfered by Chinese in the process ofEnglish writing. What’s more, writing is a mirror that reflects students’ Englishproficiency. As a result, it is important for either English learning or teaching to find thedistribution and the sources of errors by analyzing the negative transfer errors in HighSchool students’ writings.The aim of this thesis is to acquaint High School teachers with the importance oflanguage transfer, especially the negative transfer of L1 in students’ English writings. Itis intended to help teachers improve their teaching methodologies, such as acquaintingstudents with the existence of language transfer and analyzing students’ errors from theview of language transfer. It is hoped that students can be given some inspiration abouthow to avoid or reduce the influence of negative transfer of L1.
……………
Chapter 2 Literature Review
2.1 Language Transfe，英语论文范文，英语论文题目
|
