For Chinese learners, who are eager to master their second language, English vocabulary learning is undoubtedly the very basis for their future development in communication. However, as a foreign language learner, it is usually of great difficulties to learn the new words of a different symbol system due to the impact of his or her native speech. And the reason of which is partially because of the involvement of language transfer. So, it is a key factor to understand the function of language transfer in English vocabulary acquisition.
Based on the theories of language transfer, it is generally believed that the learners’ native language can bring either a positive or a negative impact in the process of second language acquisition due to the support or interference of existing learning experience (Ellis 15). Specifically, the students’ native language will promote the learning of a foreign language when the rules of the mother tongue seem to be similar to that of the target language; otherwise, it will act negatively when there are great differences between the learners’ native speech and their foreign language.
Therefore, under the guidance of the relevant theory of language transfer, the focus of English vocabulary acquisition which is to be covered in this paper is of special values and practical significance. Based on that, the thesis will attempt to discuss the potential impact of language transfer on the learning of English vocabulary and to identify some suggestions in order to make full use of the language transfer theory. 论母语迁移在英语词汇习得中的作用(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_35640.html