Methodological rigor in the study of transfer: Identifying L1 influence in the interlanguage lexicon

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262 Scopus citations

Abstract

Numerous conflicting claims exist concerning the nature of L1 influence. This article argues that much of the confusion could be eliminated if a unified framework were established for this area of inquiry. Such a framework would minimally require transfer studies to consider at least 3 potential effects of L1 influence: (a) intra-L1-group similarities, (b) inter-L1-group differences, and (c) L1-IL performance similarities. This study examines all three types of evidence in the English lexical reference of Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking Finns at multiple levels of age and L2 exposure in three different but related elicitation tasks. The results suggest a subtle yet demonstrable presence for L1 influence in this area of interlanguage performance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)245-309
Number of pages65
JournalLanguage Learning
Volume50
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2000
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language

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