Cross-Linguistic Influence in Syntax: The Impact of Chinese(L1) on German(L2) Acquisition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202510_8(10).0034Keywords:
Cross-linguistic influence, Syntax, Chinese-German bilingual, Cognitive mechanism.Abstract
In China, an increasing number of individuals are taking up German for professional and educational purposes. This trend renders the cross-cultural influences (CLI) within Chinese-German bilingual acquisition particularly noteworthy. This paper primarily examines the CLI exerted by the native language on Chinese-speaking learners during German output, alongside the potential cognitive factors underlying such effects. In German writing tasks, Chinese students frequently encounter issues such as incorrect word order, run-on sentences, and missing sentence components. In spoken German, common problems include grammatical errors, incorrect preposition usage, and the omission of articles and conjunctions. Three models may explain these CLI: Competition Theory, the Declarative/Procedural Model, and Cognitive Load Theory. Ultimately, all three models indicate that CLI stems from learners' difficulty in switching between two linguistically distant systems. Finally, this paper concludes that research should focus on developing more effective language teaching methods enabling learners to study languages outside their native linguistic environment, which may potentially mitigate such negative cross-linguistic interference.
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