The study of interlingua in the learning of French as a Foreign Language at Lhanguene Secondary School in Maputo

Abstract

Abstract

This article emerges from the study on the occurrence of interlanguage in the learning of French as a foreign language (FLE) by Mozambican learners who have Portuguese as their mother tongue (L1) or second language (L2). The aim of this study is to describe occurrences of negative transfer from mother tongue (L1) or second language (L2) habits, which are the source of negative linguistic interferences observed in the learners' interlanguage. Drawing from some approaches to communicative and cognitive paradigms, we find that learners' communicative competence needs to be analyzed not only in terms of grammar but also in terms of the effectiveness of learners' communication and how they use the language in interaction. On the other hand, the cognitive paradigm is another important aspect to consider, as it focuses on the cognitive learning processes, such as attention, memory, knowledge transfer, etc. Based on these two paradigms, we will develop our study regarding the issue of interlanguage in the initial phase of French foreign language (FLE) learning. As is known, in the initial stages of language learning, communicative competence is emphasized as the basis for language acquisition, and learners' attention and memory also play a crucial role in learning. As methodology, we apply the analysis of compositions written by learners in an ethnographic classroom situation for the study. Learners typically go through a series of stages as they acquire proficiency, with this being an important phase of learning development. Errors in interlanguage observed are not intentional but represent attempts at communication by learners.

Keywords: interlanguage, transfer, linguistic interference, error in FL learning.