THE INFLUENCE OF MOTHER TONGUE IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of Study When the child was born, parents have started to teach us the language that is still simple. They began from teaching the word "mom" or “dad”. Mother tongue or first language is the language that first time rill taught by mom or dad. in first language acquisition we've been taught since we were born into the world. Teaching second language or foreign language is the next step for children got the second language for their communicated with other people, but it not easy to do. Teaching of first language that was done of their parents can influence for the second language. The state-of-the-art teaching of languages is based on the communicative method which emphasizes the teaching English through English. However, the idea of abandoning the native tongue is too stressful to many learners, who need a sense of security in the experience of learning a foreign language. Although most linguist acknowledge that there must be a bidirectional independence between first language (L1) and foreign language or second language (L2), only one side of this interaction has been emphasized in the relevant literature (cf. Cummins, 1979, 1984;Cook, 1991; Larsen-Freeman. Long, 1991). Much is known about the influence of the first language on the foreign language learning process but much less about the opposite direction the effect of second language learning has on the development of mother tongue. Translation has been thought as uncommunicative, boring, pointless, difficult, and irrelevant. Recently there has been a revival of interest to translation due to the shift of its emphasis - to using a mother tongue as a resource for the promotion of language learning. According to Ross, 1|Page

(2000:61). Translation develops three qualities essential to all language learning: accuracy, clarity, and flexibility. Therefore, the use of mother tongue and translation can serve as a tool for improving language skills. B. Identification of Problems 1. How is the impact of mother tongue in second language learning? 2. How is using translation method in second language learning?

C. Limitations of Problems The writer Limit this paper only about how is impact of mother tongue in second language learning. D. Objectives The objectives of this research are: 1. To know the impact of mother tongue in second language acquisition. 2. To know teacher strategies for develop second language ability.

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CHAPTER II FRAME OF THEORIES A. Definition of terms

Mother tongue is defined as the language which a group of people considered to inhabitants of an area acquired in the early years and which eventually

becomes

their

natural

instrument

of

thoughts

and

communication( You may wish to re-consider other definition of language} (Awoniyi, 1978). Mother tongue is the first language that a person learned. In terms of that view, the person is defined as a native speaker of the first language, although one may also be a native speaker of more than one language if all of the languages were learned without formal education, such as through cultural immersion before puberty. Often a child learns the basics of the first language(s) from family (Wikipedia, 2007). Language acquisition is very similar to the process children use in acquiring first and second languages. It requires meaningful interaction in the target language-- natural communication—in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding. Error correction and explicit teaching of rules are not relevant to language acquisition (Brown and Hanlon, 1970; Brown, Cazden, and Bellugi, 1973), but caretakers and native speakers can modify their utterances addressed to acquirers to help them understand, and these modifications are thought to help the acquisition process (Snow and Ferguson, 1977). B. Correlation of L1 and L2 The theoretical and conceptual framework, which informed and framed this study emerged first from bilingualism and its two forms, namely the additive and the subtractive models, and secondly from related models of second language teaching which are the transitional and immersion models. 3|Page

According to Hornby and Genesee, (1977) One of the expectations and assumption of bilingual education is that the product becomes successful both linguistically and culturally, but it is only possible when the form of bilingualism is additive rather than subtractive. Subtractive bilingualism arises out of a situation where the second language is acquired without accommodating the linguistic skills that have already been developed in the first language (Mwamwenda, 1996). Such situations are evident in societies where one language is considered as having a more prestigious socioeconomically determined status than the other, which is regarded as inferior (Jeffreys, 1996; Hornby, 1977; Roy-Campbell, 1996). In this model, the learners’ L1 skills are replaced by the L2, thereby placing linguistic and cultural systems in conflict instead of complementing one another (Robinson, 1996). The subtractive model thus disadvantages bilingual children (McLaughlin, 1990) since studies by Hakuta (1986) in Travers, Elliot and Kratochwill (1993) show that children with a high degree of bilingualism have a better level of cognitive development. In this argue explained that the child who have good bilingualism can implemented their ability anywhere. So, the good knowledge depends on their good bilingulism. C. Mother tongue and translation in English Language Teaching It is necessary to discriminate between the teaching of translation as a vocational skill and the use of the mother tongue in the teaching situation as an aid to language learning. The need for some translation in language learning is usually supported by non-native teachers. Native teachers of English argue that foreign language learning needs as much exposure to the L2 as possible during precious classroom time, and any usage of the L1 or translation is a waste of time. In the past, most methods in L2 language pedagogy dictated that L1 should be prohibited in the classroom. Communicative approaches to language learning in the 1970s and 1980s considered the use of the L1 as undesirable. However, recently the attitude to 4|Page

mother tongue and translation in language classes has undergone a positive change. Translation is sometimes referred to as the fifth language skill alongside the other four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. ‘Translation holds a special importance at an intermediate

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CHAPTER III DISCUSSION A. How is the impact of mother tongue in second language learning?

Mother tongue have role for teaching language. First language can show develop in second language acquisition. First language can make self confidence of child because they feel enjoyed. it is a part of the Nigerian culture; it conveys or transmits culture and itself in subjects to culturally conditioned attitudes and beliefs (Awoniyi, 1975). The positive results of the experiment in Mother Tongue Medium in Yoruba carried out at the then University of Ife empirically demonstrated the great advantages of mother tongue in primary education for scholastic attainment (Bamgbose,1984) and even in the successful mastery of English as a second language. According to Carless, (2008:331) mother tongue has potentially both positive and negative consequences: it may serve social and cognitive functions (It is claimed that students working in groups do not have to speak English all the time. Use of mother tongue relates to learner identity. Negative impact of mother tongue use is that too much reliance on the L1 may undermine the interaction in English. However good the students are at comprehending authentic reading or listening materials, the majority keeps mentally translating from L2 into L1 and vice versa. This fact makes teachers of foreign languages aware of the importance of translation in language classrooms. Why do students use the mother tongue in class? According to J. Harmer (2001:131), a principal cause of the L1 use is required by the activity, if students are linguistically incapable of activating vocabulary for a chosen task. So, mother tongue can influence in second language acquisition while first language was 6|Page

B.

How is using translation method in second language learning? Translation as a teaching tool needs to take into account a number of different aspects, such as grammar, syntax, collocation and connotation. Uncritical use of translation may give learners insufficient, confusing or even inaccurate information about target language. Translation is sometimes referred to as the fifth language skill alongside the other four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. ‘Translation holds a special importance at an intermediate. Based on data of Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania showed that translation method can develop of second language learning. Numerous studies indicated that both negative and positive transfer between the L1 and L2 was important for development of the interlanguage, the complex system of the learners’ L2. Many teachers recognize that the L1 in the classroom is a positive representation of the interlanguage. The data on the interlanguage and language transfer show that it is highly probable that L2 learners will always think most often in their L1, even at the advanced level (Mahmoud, 2006:29). Moreover, translation in the L2 classroom offers a way to highlight similarities and differences between L1 and L2 forms. The translation is useful for L2 acquisition because, firstly, it uses authentic materials, secondly, it is interactive, thirdly, it is learner-centered, and finally it promotes learner autonomy (Mahmoud, 2006:30)

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CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION

Mother tongue is a first language that we got in our parents. According to Awoniyi,( 1978) argue that mother tongue is defined as the language which a group of people considered to inhabitants of an area acquired in the early years and which eventually becomes their natural instrument of thoughts and communication( You may wish to re-consider other definition of language}. Correlation of LI and L2 is significant and both of them influence of language teaching. Mother tongue is crucial problem in language teaching. But, mother tongue or first language has role important to progress in second language acquisition. First or home language is particularly important for the child‘s development of a positive self-concept and well-being. Children who have the chance to maintain their first language can extend their cognitive development.

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REFERENCES Kavaliauskienė, Galina. 2009. Role of Mother Tongue in Learning English for Specific Purposes. http://www.espworld.info/Articles_22/pdf/role%20of%20mother%20tongue %20in%20learning%20english%20for%20specific%20purposes.pdf:

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http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol2no4/2.4_Mother_Tongue_Usage_in_Le arning.pdf. Access on January 01, 2013 at 9.30 a.m Oluwole, David Adebayo.2008. The Impact of Mother Tongue on Students’ Achievement in English Language in Junior Secondary Certificat Examination

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