Written L3 (English): transfer phenomena of L2 (German) lexical and syntactical properties

The research aim of this project is to account for the ways and paths of the activation of prior languages in the multilingual acquisition of English.

Dr. Tanja Angelovska & Prof. Dr. Angela Hahn

Duration: 2012 (ongoing), 1. pilot phase completed.

The first language has been considered the main source of transfer for the acquisition of further languages for a long time. However, studies by linguists such as Hufeisen (1998), Cenoz and Jessner (2000); Cenoz (2001), Hammarberg (2001) found that the L3 learner has already acquired one second language (L2) and thus this knowledge plays a role in the acquisition of other foreign languages. The research aim of our project is to account for the ways and paths of the activation of prior languages in the multilingual acquisition of English.

The foci of the present study are the negative transfer phenomena of the second language (L2) German in the third language (L3) acquisition of English. In the present study, we set forth the possibility of negative transfer in L3 interlanguage based on the ‘L2 status factor’ and attempt to explain whether these occurrences of L2 negative transfer can be documented in the L3 written data from learners with different L1s and at different L3 proficiency levels.

Angelovska, T. & Hahn, A. (2012). “Written L3 (English): transfer phenomena of L2 (German) lexical and syntactical properties.” In Gabrys-Barker, D. (ed.) Crosslinguistic influences in multilingual language acquisition, Heidelberg: Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-29556-0. (p.23-40).