Korsspråkstransfer

Korsspråkstransfer, often referred to as cross-linguistic influence or language transfer, is a phenomenon in linguistics that describes how knowledge of one language affects the acquisition or use of another language. This influence can occur in both directions, from a native language to a second language (L1 transfer) or from a second language to a native language (L2 transfer), although L1 transfer is more commonly studied.

The concept of language transfer is fundamental to understanding second language acquisition. It posits that learners do not start with a blank slate when learning a new language. Instead, they draw upon the phonological, grammatical, lexical, and pragmatic systems of languages they already know. This can lead to both positive transfer, where features of the native language facilitate learning the target language, and negative transfer (often called interference), where differences between the languages cause errors in the target language.

Examples of korsspråkstransfer are ubiquitous. A speaker of Spanish might struggle with the English 'h' sound due to its absence in Spanish, or a French speaker might incorrectly apply French verb conjugations to English. Conversely, a learner of English who also knows German might find it easier to grasp English word order due to similarities with German.

The extent and nature of language transfer depend on various factors, including the linguistic distance between the languages, the learner's proficiency level, the learning context, and individual learner differences. Researchers in linguistics and language education study korsspråkstransfer to better understand language learning processes, develop more effective teaching methodologies, and analyze linguistic variation and change.