Positive Transfer of Native Language on Translation 英语专业毕业论文.doc

母语的正迁移作用在翻译中的作用分析 positive transfer of native language on translation contentsabstract.1key words.1i. introduction.2ii. the historical development of the study on transfer phenomena in sla.31. the concept of transfer.32. the historical development of the study on transfer phenomena in sla.3iii. language transfer and translation.4iv. prevailing views on translation.51. arguments against the positive transfer on translation.52. arguments in support of the positive transfer on translation.5v. pedagogical implication.6vi. conclusion.8references.8positive transfer of native language on translationabstract: the term “transfer” is first defined by behaviorist psychologists to refer to the process of automatic, uncontrolled and subconscious use of past learned behavior in the attempt to produce new responses. according to them, the main impediment to learning was interference from the prior knowledge. psycholinguists use the term to refer to the influence imposed by a learners possessed linguistic knowledge and skill upon the subsequent learning of new linguistic knowledge or skill. generally speaking, there are two types of transfer, positive transfer and negative transfer. positive transfer results in correct performance while negative transfer results in errors. in the field of sla research, language transfer has long been a controversial research subject. it was initially associated with behaviorist theories of language learning and was seen as an impediment (a cause of errors). it was considered to only hinder the acquisition of a second language. however, the development of interference theory and the flourishing of psycholinguistics have finally recognized the significance of the role of the first language in sla. the positive role of language transfer in sla has been gradually acknowledged. the thesis mainly explores positive transfer of native language on translation. key words: language transfer; positive transfer; translation; sla摘 要：“迁移”最初由行为主义心理学家提出，指在学习新知识的过程中，对已有的知识进行自动的潜意识的利用过程。心理语言学家利用这一术语，指语言学习过程中学习者已有的语言知识或技能，对获得新的语言知识或技能的影响这一现象。外语学习中，迁移现象非常广泛。语言迁移一般有两种：即正迁移和负迁移。正迁移产生积极正确的结果；相反，由于母语的习惯而导致的错误称为负迁移。在二语习得研究领域，语言迁移一直是一个有争议的问题。它最初和行为主义心理学的语言学习理论联系在一起并看成是一种障碍（错误的起因），有百害而无一益。然而，随着实践研究的不断发展，母语在二语习得中的作用受到重视，语言迁移的正面作用也逐渐被认可。本文主要探究母语的正迁移在翻译中的作用。关键词：语言迁移；正迁移；翻译；二语习得i. introductionthe traditional concern of the impact of the first language (l1) on the second language (l2) in second language acquisition made by second language learners are often attributed to interference or negative transfer from the first language caused by the differences between the languages but forgot the common features of languages. for instance, all languages possess the similar grammatical classifications. each language has negative, interrogative and sentence order and any normal person can understand and create indefinite number of sentences. the common features of different languages make possible the positive transfer from the first language to the second language. thus the current thesis is going to portray the positive transfer of native language on the second language learning, an important aspect that has long been neglected by most researchers of second language acquisition (sla).of the four skillsreading, listening, speaking and writing, writing is considered the very one which is vital in measuring their overall linguistic competence because it requires the learners to possess a comprehensive knowledge of the english language. the learners should possess a solid grammatical knowledge and a good vocabulary on the one hand, and numerous writing skills such as developing paragraphs and using rhetorical devices on the other. while in a second or foreign language is an acknowledged difficulty for majority of students taking english as a foreign language or as a second language at all levels.although writing is an output activity, it can reflect how well the language skills have been input. in this sense, writing is considered to be one of the most effective means to test the learners input of language skills. the large number of errors in students writing also shows the problems in the present teaching of language skills. by the study of errors, the learner may know better in what aspect he is weak and to what he should pay more attention so that he may improve his learning. from the standpoint of the teacher, he is able to assess a students ability to communicate effectively as well as his grammatical accuracy, and further to infer the nature of the interlanguage of his students at a particular period of time. he is able to find the weak points in his syllabus, teaching materials and teaching techniques so that he can improve his teaching. therefore, designed to investigate positive l1 transfer in second language acquisition, the present paper will focus on a comprehensive analysis of transfer phenomenon in terms of comparative study of english and chinese writing to examine how much the first language influences the learners interlanguage performance in their writing.ii. the historical development of the study on transfer phenomena in sla1. the concept of transferthe phenomena of transfer in learning have been universal accepted. but they are initially associated with the interference in behaviorist theories of second language acquisition. however, it is now widely accepted that the influence of the learners native language cannot be adequately accounted for in terms of habit formation as the behaviorist put in. transfer has been used by educational psychologists and educators to describe the use of past knowledge and experience in new situations. in sla, transfer refers to the effect of native language on the learning of second language. a good many linguists have various definitions for the term:kellerman has suggested that the term be restricted to “those processes that lead to the incorporation of elements from one language into another”. odlin offers the definition of transfer as: transfer is the influence resulting from the similarities and the differences between the target language and any other language that has been previously (and perhaps imperfectly) acquired.foreign language learners often use native language patterns or rules in learning a foreign language. this is negative transfer, also known as interference. in some cases, when both the native language and the foreign language have the same form, pattern, or rule, the transfer facilitates learning. this is positive transfer. so, positive transfer is beneficial while negative transfer is a hindrance to sla. transfer can be a two-way process, namely, the linguistic knowledge and skill of the native language may affect the sla and vice versa.2. the historical development of the study on transfer phenomena in slatransfer and transfer theory can be traced back to as early as 200 years ago. yet, learning transfer theory concerning sla came into being just in the 1950s. it refers to the phenomenon that learners try to employ sentence intonation, lexical meaning, grammatical structure and cultural habit of the mother tongue when they communicate in the target language. actually, this phenomenon is very common in sla, particularly at the elementary stage.language transfer phenomena have exerted considerable effect on sla: people in the past conducted detailed investigation and research on transfer phenomena in learning a foreign language. from the historical point of view, the research of transfer in sla has undergone three stages: (1) the first stage: in the 1950s, behaviorism played a predominant role in the field of language learning theory. the function of transfer was fully recognized and always integrated with behaviorism, thus became the theoretical basis of comparative analysis. (2) the second stage: from the 1960s to the end of the 1970s. during this period, due to the influence caused by chomskys language theory, behavioral language learning standpoint was severely criticized, and its drawbacks were also exposed gradually. so the function of learning transfer was largely contempted in sla. scholars in foreign language teaching and research tried to follow the cognitive theory and get rid of the impact of behaviorism. both behaviorism and transfer phenomena were coldly treated and ignored. the research focus was on interlanguage and cognition investigation in sla. (3) the third stage: from the beginning of the 1980s up to now. at this stage, in foreign language teaching and research field, people became increasingly interested in transfer phenomena. the word “transfer” did not merely refer to the mechanical transfer from native language to second language. it was treated as a kind of important learning strategy in language acquisition, a complicated cognitive procedure that is influenced by various factors. the clarification of this procedure became an outstanding topic in sla research field. the positive role of transfer phenomena in sla was gradually acknowledged.iii. language transfer and translation all languages share basic fundamentals, according to chomskys universal grammar theory (cook, 1994). while languages may differ in their word order or in what elements may be dropped from a construct, they are indeed similar. languages comprise aspects of plurality, nouns, objects and other such linguistic components; they are built on what surrounds us physically and emotionally, and the combinations are not limitless. we learn the rules when we learn our first language and we apply them to any other language we learn. yet, language transfer can have both positive and negative results in the target language being learned “correctly”, and “incorrectly”, with the l1 structure and vocabulary causing interference with the learner. there is both positive and negative transfer. “it has been common in second language teaching to stress the role of interference for native language interference is surely the most immediately noticeable source of error; however, the native language is often positively transferred.” (brown, 1994) the theme of language transfer was dealt with by james and cook . the positive transfer of l1 to l2 makes “explanations compatible with the learners prior knowledge” (james, 1994). learners bring with them their own meta- cognition and meta-language from their l1 to help them describe, compare and explain the l2 to themselves, enabling them to analyze the language further. if students are encouraged to analyze the l2 language and consciously compare it to their own language, they may notice patterns that make sense to them, and better understand the structures and uses of the language. hence early l2 fossilization may be prevented. both james and cook cite france as an example of this move to integrate both the students native language and foreign language in l2 studies.iv. prevailing views of transfer on translation1. arguments against the positive transfer on translationmany valid arguments have been put forth to keep translation out of the classroom. one situation which would appear to hold no place for its use would be in classes consisting of students with differing mother tongues. as there is no single unifying language between the students. translation would be used at the expense of students who do not share that language. other arguments presented in training sessions, and certainly enforced at language schools in japan are that the application of l1 in the learning process creates a crutch for students. as a result of word-by-word translation, learners develop neither target language (l2) thinking skills nor efficient reading ability, their speech is halting and interlanguage errors are embodied. harbord (1992) provides further reasons for not using it, citing a return to grammar-translation with all of its negative connotation; the isolation of lexis from any real context prevents students from gleaning insight into the multiple uses and meaning of the word as well. he further contends that in an informal application, translation creates a hierarchy where the stronger students prevent weaker students from contributing in the l2 by enforcing a feeling of inferiority.2. arguments in support of the positive transfer on translationgoruschs study, while enlightening, is an example of the extreme form of translation which is abhorred by educators and students, and is not at all what current advocates of translation are suggesting. recent articles argue that there is no reason why translation activities cannot be incorporated into a communicatively based lesson, and they promote different activities that suit the different goals and aims of students (atkinson, 1987).heltai suggests a positive transfer for the use of translation and writing is that it should be used when translation is an end in itself, when english is a foreign language and not a second language, by students at an advanced level of language ability, for adults who prefer conscious learning, when formal correctness is important and the students are actively interested in acquiring this formality, and when the teacher shares the same l1 as the students. while these scholars may disagree with whom and to why translation should be used, there is accordance as to how it benefits students and where it should be used, which is in classes where the l2 is a foreign language and there are few opportunities to experience that language outside of the classroom.if the translation activities are done in pairs or in small groups, the students must use the target language for negotiation in order to agree on the more appropriate language to be used. as heltai explains, for many students, the use of the l2 will be in situations where either neutral or formal language is required, and activities that do not require creative spontaneity yet require transactional language are more appropriate than ones which require more colloquial language. translation can provide this situation.further arguments reason that the use of translation anchors previously learned vocabulary in the mind and helps learners to expand their vocabulary, rather than relying on a limited syntax. this is an argument put forth by heltai, who states that advanced learners tend to fossilize in their acquisition of vocabulary because they have learned circumlocution skills. forcing advanced students to search for other words gives such learners a new goal in their studies.v. pedagogical implicationthe findings of this research suggest several directions for second language teachers. first, l1 thinking affect more or less to l2 learners in their interlanguage development. indication from the present study tell us that what accounts in field of language transfer is how to train our students to make good use of the positive transfer of the native language and how to minimize their negative transfer in translation rather than a whole ignorance of the role l1 may play in l2 learning. actually in teaching practice, l1 thinking style can be helpful in structuring and generating ideas and it may help with the lexical and syntactic choice in the process of l2 translation. english teachers should encourage them to consciously resort to some effective references so that the learners can enlarge their target language repertoire.in addition, teachers need to be aware of the effect the academic depth of the translation task has on the transfer of composing processes. if the task requires language that is beyond a students l2 proficiency level, then the difficulty of producing a text in the l2 becomes exponentially greater. in classrooms where l2 translation students have a low l2 proficiency level and are faced with high level translation tasks, it may be advantageous for the teacher to discuss and practice compensating strategies for accomplishing real-world translation tasks that require an l2 proficiency level beyond that of the students. without having any strategies for accomplishing such a task, it is possible that these l2 learners may become frustrated and give up on the task. if they do persevere and finish the task, the quality of the final product may possibly be below their potential that they had been aware of some compensating strategies. a final implication for teachers of l2 translation is that translation instruction for lower l2 proficiency students should be coupled with language instruction. the main target of l1 translation instruction is to teach students about the translation process and how to use it. however, l2 translation instruction should contain not only translation instruction but also language instruction in reading, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and anything that the translation teacher believes accelerates the acquisition of overall language fluency. instruction that speeds up the acquisition of the l2 will help students quickly get beyond an l2 proficiency level that potentially inhibits their ability to transfer their l1 composing processes.although many l2 writers use their l1 in some way while writing in the l2, the amount of l1 used during l2 writing is not the same for all l2 writers. in general, proficient l2 learners do not depend heavily on the l1 to drive the writing process because they have a sufficient level of l2 automat city and knowledge to think and plan in the l2. however, lower l2 proficiency writers rely more heavily on their l1 during the writing process in order to sustain the process and avoid a complete breakdown in language.cumming observed two distinct strategies that helped sustain the writing process of their lower