1.2 Research Questions
In the thesis, the subjects are 5 undergraduates majoring in English while taking French as their second foreign language in the Foreign Language Study Institute of Nanjing University of Science and Technology and 5 French majors with English as the second language in Nanjing University. This study pays more attention to the phonetic perspective in English and French aiming to solve the following research problems:
Question l: Whether the second language (English) and the third language (French) influence each other in phonetic perspective, to be specific, the vowels?
Question 2: If it does, how do the second language (English) and the third language (French) influence each other in phonetic perspectives, to be specific, the vowels?
1.3 The Significance of This Study
To begin with, by analyzing manifestations of language transfer of Chinese learners in the second foreign language acquisition, this thesis tries to discover the interactions of the transfer between English and French and also it aims to offer an evidence for other researchers concerning the TLA. Secondly, this thesis not only facilitates Chinese learners, especially those who are majoring in English with French as their second foreign language, select proper learning strategies and figure out correct language disciplinarians, but enriches transfer theories in the TLA. Last but not least, this study is conducive to French teachers to comprehend the merits and barriers of Chinese learners in the process of French study so that they could be efficiently instructed to acquire better French proficiency.
2 Literature Review
Language transfer in the TLA is of great importance and high value in many academic and social aspects. As a result, researches on it have never stopped. Many Chinese and western scholars noted that during the process of studying the third language, the transfer of the L1 (the first language) and the L2(the second language) will take place in perse spheres, for instance, vocabulary, syntax, writing, nevertheless, only a few study the transfer occurs in the phonetic perspective in great detail, especially, the aspect of vowels. 中国英语学习者英语法语之间相互迁移问题探讨以元音为例(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_16362.html