As The Role of First Language in Foreign Language Learning, this article also explore the helping effects of first language on the learning of second language. First language can have a positive effect on the learning of second language especially when students are required to write about information acquired in their first language. When writing in the same language as the information is acquired, it is more easy for students to recall the details and the norms they need, and they will be more adept in developing their writing. The easiness and effectiveness of planing writing and other forms of second language production( such as speaking) can be found in Josephine Alford's narrative, Hablando Desde Experiencia (Alford 1). In her narrative, she was asked to tell the way to the White House in her second language, Spanish. Since she learned the way to the White House in English environment, she think of the way in English easily, “and I know how to answer, “Yeah, just get off at the Farragut North MetroStation, exit the subway station, go straight for two blocks, then turn left onto H Street, then the White House should be on the right”. (Alford 1) As the sentence is planned in her mind in English, all she need to do is search Spanish words in mind and translate the sentence. The work is more natural and easy than think in Spanish.
Although planing in the first language facilitate second language writing by retrieving more information, it also hinder the writing by preventing students to write in a more native way. Merely transforming the first language version plan into second language will combine too much elements from the first language to the new language students are learning and stop them from writing as native speakers do. Especially in languages which is quite different from English such as Chinese. The Chinese writing structure is very different from English ones: while successful Chinese writing emphasizes on up and fall in stories, English writing prefers explicit explanation of the thesis. If a student plan a writing in Chinese and translate it into English, he face the risk of wring in a indirect Chinese style.
Both this book and the article The Role of First Language in Foreign Language Learning discuss the positive effect of using first language in assistance to the learning of a second language. However, they did not consider the varied effect may result from the difference in distinct first languages. For instance, a student who speak French will have different cognitive experience in learning English than a student who speak Chinese. French is much more closer to English than Chinese that many French words spelling is similar with that in English. When looking at English words, French students would comprehend and remember it in a similar way as they acquire their native language. But for Chinese students, English is a completely different language. They twenty six letters make no resonance with Chinese characters. In the next source, Confucian and Socratic discourse in the tertiary classroom, the differences exist in students' identity are highlighted.
Although planing in the first language facilitate second language writing by retrieving more information, it also hinder the writing by preventing students to write in a more native way. Merely transforming the first language version plan into second language will combine too much elements from the first language to the new language students are learning and stop them from writing as native speakers do. Especially in languages which is quite different from English such as Chinese. The Chinese writing structure is very different from English ones: while successful Chinese writing emphasizes on up and fall in stories, English writing prefers explicit explanation of the thesis. If a student plan a writing in Chinese and translate it into English, he face the risk of wring in a indirect Chinese style.
Both this book and the article The Role of First Language in Foreign Language Learning discuss the positive effect of using first language in assistance to the learning of a second language. However, they did not consider the varied effect may result from the difference in distinct first languages. For instance, a student who speak French will have different cognitive experience in learning English than a student who speak Chinese. French is much more closer to English than Chinese that many French words spelling is similar with that in English. When looking at English words, French students would comprehend and remember it in a similar way as they acquire their native language. But for Chinese students, English is a completely different language. They twenty six letters make no resonance with Chinese characters. In the next source, Confucian and Socratic discourse in the tertiary classroom, the differences exist in students' identity are highlighted.