Effects of L1 Transfer on English Writing of Chinese EFL Students

Abstract

L1 transfer, or mother tongue transfer, is the influence of the knowledge of the first language of humans on their target language learning or acquisition. English writing is always the weakness of Chinese students in their learning of English. The main cause is mother tongue transfer. L1 transfer can be divided into two parts, positive transfer and negative transfer. Positive transfer is a transfer that can help in learning, while the negative transfer is the one that hinders the learning process. This study mainly focusses on the errors in English writing of Chinese students caused by the L1 transfer and how to deal with errors or how to use transfer as a tool in English writing learning process. Hope to promote the teaching of English writing and enhance the competence in writing of Chinese English learners through utilizing positive transfer and reducing negative transfer.