THE INFLUENCE OF L1 (TAMIL LANGUAGE) IN THE WRITING OF L2 (ENGLISH)

Abstract

This study focuses on the interference of L1 grammatical rules in the writing of L2 with specific reference to the interference of Tamil (L1) in English (L2). Though many research have been done in mother tongue interference, very few research have been conducted in terms of Tamil versus English. This study seeks to find out the components of the L1 (Tamil language) grammar that the students of Tamil schools use interchangeably in their daily writing of L2, namely English. This study will follow a mixture of qualitative and quantitative survey research design, the purpose of which is to find out the influence of mother tongue linguistic items in the writing of English (L2), among the standard 4 students of a selected school. The findings of the study clearly indicated that mother tongue and the national language interfered (negative transfer) in the writing of L2 among Tamil school students. Apart from the interference of L1, the research also found that there is a heavy influence of the national language (Malay) in the writing of students' L2.