The Effects of Prior Language Knowledge in Japanese Acquisition as a Foreign Language: The Case of the Japanese Noun Modifier No

Abstract

Second/foreign language learners inevitably make errors. One recognized type of error is the developmental error, which all learners are considered to produce in the process of their language development. Another type of error is thought to be due to language transfer (LT) in which one's prior language (L1) knowledge either helps or interferes with the second language (L2) acquisition. When it interferes, it is called negative transfer (-LT). This phenomenon has been studied in the context of Japanese language acquisition. This paper focuses on the acquisition of “の” (no), a Japanese noun modifier, by Chinese, Korean and English L1 learners. Following Okuno (2005), these learners were tested in their acquisition of “no” in both instantaneous production and production without time restrictions. Given that the Chinese language contains a corresponding noun modifier 的” (de), the results showed a significant -LT in the Chinese L1 group. This and other results are discussed in the light of language transfer and developmental errors.