Research Article

The Influence of Native Language Background on English Article Acquisition

Jinghan YangDalian University of Foreign Languages*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

As the number of English learners from different countries and regions increases, the difference in learning effectiveness and efficiency caused by different native language backgrounds are gradually becoming significant. The Article in English is one of the functional words with significant differences in this respect. This article aims to review and summarize the theoretical and empirical studies on English article acquisition and classifies the native language backgrounds into two types: native language backgrounds with the system of articles, native language backgrounds without the system of articles. Based on the classification, this paper is attempt to analyze the specific effects and degree of influence about different native language backgrounds on the efficiency and effectiveness of article acquisition. This paper indicates that students from different native language backgrounds, especially those without articles, face significant difficulties in the acquisition of English articles, Additionally, differences in article system between the native language and the target language would also lead to difficulties. This paper explains the reasons for the phenomenon by organizing and analyzing the experimental methods and results in the empirical study

Keywords: Second language acquisition; English articles; native language background
Published: January 7, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2024.19784
Volume: CHR Vol.65
pp. 28-34
Download PDF

References

  1. Ionin, T.​, Baek, S.​, Kim, E.​, Ko, H.​, &​ Wexler, K.​ (2012).​ That’s not so different from the:​ Definite and demonstrative descriptions in second language acquisition.​ Second Language Research, 28(1), 69-​101.
  2. García Mayo, M.​ D.​ P.​, &​ Hawkins, R.​ (Eds.​).​ (2009).​ Second language acquisition of articles:​ Empirical findings and theoretical implications (Vol.​ 49).​ John Benjamins Publishing.
  3. Lado, R.​ (1957).​ Linguistics across cultures:​ Applied linguistics for language teachers.​ University of Michigan Press.
  4. Liang Yibing.​ (2022).​ Corpus-​based error analysis of articles in junior high school students' English writing (master's thesis, Guangdong Technical Normal School).​ Master.
  5. Chomsky, N.​, &​ Chomsky, N.​ (1998).​ Universal grammar.​ What's Left.
  6. Ionin, T.​, Ko, H.​, &​ Wexler, K.​ (2004).​ Article semantics in L2 acquisition:​ The role of specificity.​ In A.​ Brugos, L.​ Micciulla, &​ C.​ E.​ Smith (Eds.​), Proceedings of the 28th annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (pp.​ 232-​243).​ Cascadilla Press.
  7. Hawkins, R.​, &​ Chan, C.​ Y.​-​H.​ (1997).​ The partial availability of Universal Grammar in second language acquisition:​ The “failed functional features hypothesis.​” In W.​ J.​ Glass &​ A.​ T.​ Pérez-​Leroux (Eds.​), Contemporary perspectives on the acquisition of Spanish (pp.​ 187-​226).​ John Benjamins Publishing.
  8. White, L.​ (2003).​ Second language acquisition and Universal Grammar.​ Cambridge University Press.
  9. Lardiere, D.​ (2009).​ Some thoughts on the contrastive analysis of features in second language acquisition.​ Second Language Research, 25(2), 173-​227.​ https:​/​/​doi.​org/​10.​1177/​0267658308100283.
  10. Beck, M.​-​L.​ (1998).​ L2 acquisition and obligatory head movement:​ English-​speaking learners of German and the local impairment hypothesis.​ Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 20(3), 311-​348.
  11. Selinker, L.​ (1969).​ Language transfer.​ General linguistics, 9(2), 67.
  12. Pillai, A.​ D.​ R.​, &​ Paramasivam, S.​ (2014).​ Miscue analysis of oral reading among non-​proficient Malaysian ESL learners.​ Journal of English Language and Literature (ISSN:​ 2368-​2132), 2(2), 179-​185.
  13. Crosthwaite, P.​ (2016).​ L2 English article use by L1 speakers of article-​less languages:​ A learner corpus study.​ International Journal of Learner Corpus Research, 2(1), 68-​100.
  14. Goto Butler, Y.​ (2002).​ Second Language Learners’ Theories on the Use of English Articles:​ An Analysis of the Metalinguistic Knowledge Used by Japanese Students in Acquiring the English Article System.​ Language Awareness, 11(3), 195-​210.​
  15. Kanno, Y.​ (2003).​ The Role of First Language in the Second Language Acquisition of English Articles:​ A Study of Japanese Learners.​ The Modern Language Journal, 87(1), 40-​55.​
  16. Watanabe, M.​ (2018).​ The Effects of Explicit Instruction on Japanese Learners’ Use of English Articles.​ ELT Journal, 72(2), 138-​149.
  17. Takahashi, T.​ (2020).​ The Specific–Non-​specific Distinction in the Acquisition of English Articles by Japanese Learners of English.​ TESOL Quarterly, 54(4), 837-​860.
  18. Chan, A.​Y.​ (2022).​ Hong Kong Cantonese ESL Learners’ Interpretation of the Use of Articles for Generic Reference:​ a Bilingual Perspective.​ English Teaching &​ Learning, 47, 469-​492.
  19. Xu, Q.​, Shi, Y.​, &​ Snape, N.​ (2016).​ A study on Chinese students’ acquisition of English articles and interlanguage syntactic impairment.​ Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 39(4), 421-​441.
  20. Snape, N.​, &​ García-​Mayo, M.​ d.​ P.​ (2013).​ The acquisition of articles across languages.​ In M.​ d.​ P.​ García-​Mayo, J.​ Gutierrez-​Mangado, &​ M.​ Martínez-​Adrián (Eds.​), Contemporary approaches to second language acquisition.​ John Benjamins.
  21. Zdorenko, T.​, &​ Paradis, J.​ (2012).​ Articles in child L2 English:​ When L1 and L2 acquisition meet at the interface.​ First Language, 32, 38 -​ 62.
  22. Montrul, S.​ (2000).​ The acquisition of Spanish:​ Morphosyntactic development in monolingual and bilingual L1 acquisition and adult L2 acquisition.​ Second Language Research, 16(3), 206-​242.
  23. Schwartz, B.​ D.​, &​ Sprouse, R.​ A.​ (1996).​ L2 cognitive states and the full transfer/​full access model.​ Second Language Research, 12(1), 40–72.
  24. Hopp, H.​ (2010).​ Ultimate attainment in L2 inflection:​ Performance similarities between non-​native and native speakers.​ Lingua, 120(4), 901-​931.
  25. Giuliano, P.​ (2015).​ L1 influence in L2 article acquisition:​ Italian learners of English.​ International Journal of Language Studies, 9(1), 45-​66.