The Impacts of Mother Tongue Transfer on Chinese Students English Reading and Writing

Abstract

The paper reviews the impacts of mother tongue transfer on Chinese students English reading and writing. The review is divided into four parts: a succinct explanation of the studys background and importance, a general review of the classic theories and terminology in the field of language transfer, a thorough examination of the previous empirical studies on the effect of mother tongue transfer on Chinese students English literacy skills, followed by pieces of suggestion from the preceding review and analysis. From the review of studies focusing on various aspects of English reading and writing, a general conclusion can be drawn. Except for some exceptions, differences between Chinese and English will cause negative transfer, and similarities between these two may lead to positive transfer in Chinese students English reading and writing. This study hopes to show the tip of the iceberg in terms of the impacts of mother tongue transfer on Chinese students English literacy skills and to suggest effective and feasible solutions in terms of language transfer for Chinese students English learning.