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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
ISSN: 0128-7702 © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press
SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES
Journal homepage: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/
Article history:
Received: 8 December 2015
Accepted: 7 May 2016
ARTICLE INFO
E-mail address:
genevieve@ucsiuniversity.edu.my (Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.)
L1 Inuence on Writing in L2 among UCSI Chinese Students:
A Case Study
Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.
English Language and Communication Department, Faculty of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts,
UCSI University, No.1 Jalan Menara Gading, UCSI Heights, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Approximately one-third of the students of the English Language and Communication
(ELC) Department at UCSI University come from mainland China. As English is the
medium of instruction in almost all courses in the university, these students are exposed
to various situations where the English language is used. They do not encounter major
difculties with the spoken language, but problems emerge when they write paragraphs,
reports, or term papers. This study aims to investigate the common errors in the paragraphs
written by ELC Chinese students and suggest ways to address this problem. Paragraphs
written by the 30 Chinese students who registered between January and May semesters
2015 were analyzed and categorized into types of errors. Moreover, 10 students (from the
May semester) were interviewed to solicit their ideas on what aspects of writing in English
they found difcult, and how these problems could be solved. The results showed that the
most common errors were on word choice and word form, spelling, tenses, use of articles
and determiners, number, and agreement of subject and verb. The interview further revealed
that students were aware of the interference of their rst language (L1) on their writing in
English, and of their tendency to translate from their L1 to English when writing in English.
Keywords: Writing errors, LI interference, mother tongue, L2, Chinese students
INTRODUCTION
Each year, students from various parts of
China come to Malaysia to pursue their
degrees from various tertiary institutions
in the country. Many of them enroll in
private higher education institutions like
UCSI University. As English is the medium
of instruction in almost all courses in the
Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
university, these students are exposed to
various situations where the English language
is used. Class discussions, presentations,
written and oral reports, assignments, and
term/project papers, to mention a few, are
all conducted in the English language.
Generally, Chinese students handle fairly
well the oral communication activities in
English. However, problems emerge when
they write in English. One of the common
complaints among writing teachers is the
number of errors students make when they
write in English. Moreover, they tend to
commit the same mistakes repeatedly. Very
often they use the rules and structures of
Mandarin Chinese or their dialect in their
communication in English (Timina, 2013).
This automatic transfer, due to ingrained
linguistic habits, of the surface structure
of the mother tongue onto the surface
structure of the target language is dened
by Dulay et.al (1982) as the mother tongue
(L1) interference. This interference results
in ungrammatical or broken English. The
errors caused by the inuence of the L1
are referred to as L1 interference or L1
transfer errors. The term L1 interference is
not new in L2 acquisition; however, it is an
important factor to be considered in English
instruction, particularly in the case when
the instructor’s knowledge of the students’
native language is limited or insufcient.
Although English language is a required
foreign language in China, students rarely
use it outside the classrooms. According
to Ye (2013), Chinese traditional English
teaching methods put emphasis primarily
on grammar, vocabulary and reading
skills. English writing is either ignored
or given less emphasis. In language
learning classrooms, most often the focus
is on memorizing grammatical rules and
vocabulary, translating texts from Chinese
to English, and doing textbook exercises
(Ye, 2013). The emphasis of the L2 activities
is not on using the English language in
communication but in mastering the English
language forms and functions. Students lack
the experience of using the English language
in real life communication situations outside
the classroom, where the memorized phrases
and expressions may not be applicable at all.
Various studies on the writing of
Chinese students have argued that there is
an interference or transfer of their L1 to their
writing in L2 and revealed that grammatical,
lexical, syntactic and semantic errors appear
in their writings in English (Wang & Wen,
2002; Liu, 2008; Wang, P., 2008; Darus &
Ching, 2009; Darus & Subramaniam, 2009;
Smerdov, 2011; Wang, H., 2011; Timina,
2013; Ye, 2013; Zou, 2013).
Making errors is inevitable in second
language acquisition, and, according
to Dulay et al. (1982), these errors are
analyzable by comparing the language
systems between L1 and L2. Corder (1983)
dened language transfer as a term referring
to speakers’ or writers’ application of
knowledge from their L1 to the L2. Odlin
(1989) explained that language transfer
occurs due partly to the similarities and/
or differences between the L2 and any L1
that the learner has previously acquired.
He further stressed that language transfer
impacts on the writing of L2 learners.
L1 Inuence on Writing in L2 among UCSI Chinese Students
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
This small qualitative case study aims
to (1) identify the common errors found
in the paragraphs written by ELC Chinese
students, (2) examine what aspects of the
English language they nd difcult, and (3)
explore possible strategies to help students
improve their writing.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Studies on the interference of the L1 on
the L2 acquisition have pointed out that
the more dissimilarities there are between
the L1 and L2 structures the more learning
difculties would appear for the learner to
handle (Timina, 2013). Hence, when the
learner is in a quandary when writing in L2
s/he would resort to his/her L1 forms and
structures for help. Dechert (1983, cited
in Timina, 2013) states that the greater the
structural differences between the L1 and
L2, the greater the number of transfer errors
made in L2 by the learner.
Liu (2008) reviewed the development
of the use and effect of L1 in L2 writing
from three areas: traditions of Chinese and
English writing, language switch in the
writing process and language transfer. Liu
explained that in Chinese writing traditions,
“rhetorical indirectness” is the “goal to
maintain harmony and avoid impoliteness
so that their L2 writing appears vague and
indirect to create solidarity between the
speaker and the hearer” (p, 50). According
to Timina (2013), the traditional English
writing structure is different from the
Chinese writing style. In Chinese writing,
the writer “leaves it to readers to interpret
the content, understand the deeper meanings
and appreciate the artistic beauty” of the
composition (Timina, 2013, p.3). Moreover,
the level of originality and creativity
of many Chinese learners of English is
minimal as they often borrow patterns from
textbooks and express few opinions in the
compositions (Smerdov, 2011). Chinese
writers tend to use proverbs, maxims and
fixed expressions in their writing while
English writers tend to use their own words
and ideas (Chen, 2006, cited in Timina,
2013)
It is needless to say that the Chinese
students have already developed a systematic
L1 knowledge before they begin to learn
English, and that they most often use
and apply their L1 knowledge (language
rules, word forms, sentence structures and
habits) in their writing. Wang and Wen’s
(2002) study on the effects of L1 literacy
capabilities on L2 writing ability of Chinese
EFL learners revealed that Chinese writers
are more likely to rely on their L1 when they
are managing their writing processes.
L2 writers switch to L1 frequently in the
process of writing, which is a fairly common
strategy among L2 writers. Numerous
studies of L2 other than English (Ecuadorian
Spanish, Arabic, Thai, Tamil, Amharic) have
revealed that L2 learners used their L1 and
L2 for various purposes while composing
in L2 (Bhela, 1999; Bennui, 2008; Hussein
& Mohammad, 2011; Watcharapunyawong
& Usaha, 2013; Yigzaw, 2013; Solano et.
al, 2014)
In the same way, various studies showed
that Chinese students utilize their L1when
they write in English (Wang & Wen, 2002;
Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
Lo & Hyland, 2007; Liu, 2008; Wang,
P., 2008; Darus & Ching, 2009; Darus
& Subramaniam, 2009; Wang, H., 2011;
Timina, 2013; Ye, 2013; Zou, 2013).
Zhang (2003, cited in Ye, 2013) stated
that linguistic errors in China’s college
students’ L2 writing arise from the mother
tongue interference, while Jiang (2001,
cited in Ye, 2013) pointed out that the L1
negative transfer does not only occur in
such aspects as grammar and vocabulary
but also “in culture and thinking modes”
(p, 36). These researchers investigated
the specic types of mistakes in Chinese
students’ English writing caused by the
mother tongue culture. Ye (2013) who did
a survey of 200 English compositions found
that 73% of the mistakes in the students’
compositions are linked to the inuence of
their native culture. Ye divided the mistakes
caused by the inuence of the mother culture
into four categories: poor diction; Chinese
thinking patterns; mixture of sentence
structures; incoherence in statements.
Timina (2013), on the other hand, explored
two aspects of the interference of Chinese
language elements in students’ writing in
English including the rhetorical patterns and
grammatical and lexical usage.
When students whose L1 is Mandarin
Chinese (or any of the Chinese dialects) write
in English, a lot of their L1 characteristics
are revealed due to direct translation from
Chinese into English. The result is the
so-called Chinglish, a mixture of Chinese
and English, which is ungrammatical and
unintelligible to foreign teachers (Timina,
2013).
METHODOLOGY
Questionnaire and interview were the
methods employed to collect the data
for this small qualitative case study. The
questionnaire was used to collect socio-
demographic information while the one-
on-one interview was used to solicit the
students’ thoughts on why they found
writing in English difcult and how their
writing teacher could help them improve
their writing. The discussion was based
on the analysis of the students written
paragraphs and on their answers to the
interview questions.
The 30 ELC students from mainland
China who registered between January and
May semesters 2015 were asked to complete
the questionnaire which contained two parts:
Part 1 asked personal information questions
and Part 2 was the paragraph writing. In
Part 2, they were asked to write a 150-word
paragraph on the topic ‘My experiences
while studying at UCSI University’. They
were allowed to take the questionnaire
home and to return it within a week. The
paragraphs were analyzed for lexical,
grammatical and syntactic errors.
Furthermore, 10 students from the
May semester were interviewed to solicit
their opinions on what aspects of writing in
English they found difcult or challenging,
and how they thought these problems could
be solved. These 10 student-interviewees
were conveniently selected from the 30
Chinese ELC students. Year 1 students
were purposely not chosen because of
their timidity and shyness in sharing their
thoughts. The questions asked during the
L1 Inuence on Writing in L2 among UCSI Chinese Students
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
interview were 1) Do you nd writing in
English easy or difcult, and why?, 2)Which
aspects of the writing in English do you nd
easy or difcult, grammar, vocabulary, or
mechanics, and why?, 3) How can the ELC
writing teachers help you improve your
writing in English?
Table 1
Interviewees’ Prole
Age Below
25 years old
Above
25 years old
8 2
Gender Male Female
2 8
Marital Status Single Married
9 1
Year Level 2nd Year 3rd Year
2 8
Table 1 shows the profile of the 10
interviewees selected from the 30 Chinese
ELC students from mainland China. Year
1 Chinese students were purposely not
selected as they were still adjusting to
their university life and being asked to be
interviewed would be an additional stress to
them. The majority of the interviewees were
female and in their 3rd year in the university.
Table 2 shows that the L1 of 9 out the
10 students is not Mandarin (or Mandarin
Chinese) but their dialect. This somehow
adds pressure on the students who have to
organize their ideas in their L1 and then, if
necessary, translate them rst to Mandarin
before writing in English.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
The analysis of the 30 paragraphs revealed
errors that included wrong tenses, wrong
word choice and form, no agreement
between subject and verb, absence or wrong
use of articles and determiners, misspellings,
fragmented structures and run-on and/or
comma spliced sentences, among others.
Grammatical and Lexical Errors
The analysis revealed that most often there
were multiple errors in a sentence. For
instance, errors in tense, word form, and
spelling may all appear in a sentence, like
in the following examples:
If I haven’t study in Malaysia, may I
will never know and respeat it.
Errors: tense; spelling
I need to make more different
countries people
Errors: word choice; word form; number
Table 2
Linguistic Repertoire of the 10 Interviewees
1st Language (L1) 2nd Language (L2) 3rd Language (L3)
Mandarin/Chinese 190
Chinese Dialect 901
English/French 019
TOTAL 10 10 10
Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
my writing skills is still depends on
the teacher taught me in high school
Errors: subject-verb agreement; verb
tense; word choice and form
language logical are quite difference
with my mother tongue; vocabulary
using different
Errors: word choice and form; missing
words; subject-verb agreement
Table 3 shows some of the errors found
in the compositions of the 30 ELC students.
The errors include wrong use of verb tense
and form of verb, wrong word choice and
word form, no agreement between subject
and verb, wrong use or absence of articles/
determiners, and misspelling.
Tense. The most common error is in
tense and this reects the most signicant
difference between the Chinese and English
language systems. The system of English
Table 3
Some Examples of Grammatical and Lexical Errors according to Types
Grammatical and Lexical
Errors
Some examples from the students’ paragraphs
Tense (including double
verbs, omission of the verb
‘be’, voice)
it was really taught me a lot
I must to meet my head of department
I’m really feel our teachers’ kindly heart
all of the people willing to contribute money
my words were confuse listeners
there wasn’t allow the dogs swimming in the beach
I can feel guilty
my writing skills is still depends
Choice of Words (including
missing words and word
forms)
[She] is very kindly
I need to make more different countries people
they also dedication towards their work
my lonely life oversea
your speaking is giving to better
but can learning more knowledge
I entered my course
I am interesting in it
it is not means that my English has improvement
money let me very touched
Agreement between subject
and Verb
That’s are all experiences
One of the most precious thing is
It make me feel good
my writing skills is still depends on the teacher taught me in high school
Number:
Plural/ Singular Forms of
Nouns/Pronouns
one of my dog
Interesting lecturer, not much students
for a Chinese students who doesn’t read or write English
for Chinese student
Absence/Use of Articles and
Determiners
I have studyed in here
make a exhibition area
A Malaysia people
Spelling and Capitalization relationslips; indepence; english; eign country; studied; begining
L1 Inuence on Writing in L2 among UCSI Chinese Students
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
verb tenses seems to be one of the biggest
problems for Chinese students. This is
probably due to the fact that there are no
verb tenses in the Chinese language. In the
Chinese language system, time adverbs
inserted in phrases are used to represent the
action. So, irrespective of whether the action
takes place in the past, present or future
time, the Chinese base form of the verb is the
same. Thus, one can argue that the students’
L1 habit in tense choice and use interferes
with their choice and use of tense when they
write in L2. Brown (2006) claimed that the
difculties for students with L1 to learn L2
depend to a large extent on the differences
between L1 and L2. As stated earlier, the
more differences there are between the two
languages, the more the L1 would interfere
in the L2 learning. Thus, the errors in tense
that the students committed can be the
result of the differences in structures and
forms between their L1 (Chinese) and L2
(English).
Word Choice and Word Form. Another
typical error is wrong word choice and
wrong use of word form (parts of speech).
Students are possibly not aware that the
English word and its Chinese equivalent
may not share the same semantic denotation.
Also, in the Chinese language, parts of
speech are not marked explicitly (Timina,
2013; Zou, 2013). One word can be used
as different parts of speech in different
contexts. There is no morphological marker
to differentiate between nouns and verbs,
nouns and adjectives, or adjectives and
adverbs. Errors in word form intertwine
with errors in choice of word (and spelling).
Due to limited vocabulary, the choice of
appropriate word (and its form and spelling)
becomes a big challenge to them.
Number. Another common error is
the number of the noun or verb. In English
language system, number relates to the
notion of singularity and plurality of nouns
or verbs. The students’ sentences reveal
errors of the use (or not use) of plural nouns,
despite the presence of modiers that require
them. In the Chinese language system,
nouns are not pluralized, and morphemes
–s or -es are not added after nouns; instead,
the use of numerals is the way to denote
plural number. The Chinese language does
not use inections to mark the number and
person of a noun or verb. It does not use
inectional morphemes to mark the plurality
of a noun or the singularity of a verb. Thus,
most students do not add the morpheme
(–s) in the plural forms of nouns and in the
singular forms of verbs in the 3rd person
singular simple present tense. Darus and
Ching (2009) who analysed the common
errors made by Chinese students in the
English essay identied errors in tenses and
errors in word forms as the two of the four
most common errors found in the essays
they analyzed.
Subject-Verb Agreement. Closely
linked to the error in number is the error
in the agreement between subject and
verb. In English, the subject and verb must
agree in number. That is, if the subject of
the sentence is singular then the verb must
take the singular form, with –s or –es, and
if the subject is plural then the verb form
must not have an –s or –es. However, in the
Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
Chinese language, there are no inectional
morphemes such as -s or -es to indicate the
singularity of a verb or the plurality of a
subject, so there are no singular or plural
subjects (or nouns) in the Chinese language.
In this instance, the L1 interference may
be the reason for the errors found in the
students’ sentences.
Articles/ Determiners. In English
grammar, articles (indenite article ‘a’ and
‘an’; indenite article ‘the’) and determiners
(possessive pronouns; demonstratives) are
obligatory elements in a noun phrase. The
analysis showed that the students have a
problem in identifying and deciding what
and when to use articles and/or determiners.
This is probably because in the Chinese
language bank, there are some article
characters like 一只，一个, which have
the same functions as articles in the English
language (Zou, 2013). The Chinese articles
can be used in front of any singular nouns,
which is quite different from the English
articles (‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’) whose usage
depends on the number of the noun and on
whether the noun’s rst sound is a consonant
or a vowel.
Syntactic and Structural Errors
Furthermore, not only grammatical and
lexical mistakes but also syntactic and
structural errors were found in the paragraphs.
There were fragmented structures, comma
splices, and run-on sentences. Below are
some examples.
When writing, the worst mistake students
could commit is to produce fragmented and
comma spliced or run-on sentences. Table 4
shows that the fragments are prepositional
phrases, dependent or subordinate clauses
or v-ing phrases. In English, a subject-verb
pair is a must in all sentences, whereas the
Chinese writing system does not require a
subject-verb combination in every Chinese
sentence (Timina, 2013). In a number of
instances, students treat the fragments as
independent clauses and put a period after
them. In addition, some students use a
comma to splice two independent clauses
instead of using conjunctions, while others
string together a series of independent
clauses using conjunctions resulting in run-
on or “kilometre-long” sentences.
The analysis further revealed that
L1 interference errors were caused by
the differences in the linguistic and
organizational structures between the two
languages. Lo and Hyland’s study (2007),
reveals that numerous expressions in
students’ essays are direct and inappropriate
translations from Chinese to English.
Likewise, a study of EFL Chinese students
composing in L2 conducted by Wang and
Wen (2002) revealed that L1 influences
were very crucial in L2 writing: when the
students had both their L1 and L2 at their
disposal when composing they relied more
on L1 “when undertaking task-examining
and text-generating activities” (p, 231). The
errors are like indicators or signals; they
show which aspects in L2 the students may
struggle with in their writing and therefore,
writing teachers have to pay more attention
to these aspects.
L1 Inuence on Writing in L2 among UCSI Chinese Students
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
Students’ Views and Suggestions
When asked whether they found writing in
English difcult, all the ten students replied
“yes”. As to the reasons why it is difcult,
some of their answers are:
When I was writing in English, I had
to organize the structure in Chinese,
and then translate it to English, it[‘]s
complex for me.
Because, for Chinese student[s], we
often mix Chinese grammar with English
grammar together. But, the rule of
English is different with Chinese, it will
[result in] grammatical mistake[s].
[Because of] lack of vocabulary, when
express[ing] the meaning [I] always
use the same expression. The Chinese
thinking affect[s] my expression in
English.
[When] writing in English [we] need to
consider grammar, vocabulary, and other
aspects; that is a complex process.
[When] writing in English [we] must
consider the tense, like future tense, past
tense. Besides, I have to get the initial
Chinese sentence in mind then translate
[it] into English then write [it] down.
In addition, [I have to] pay attention to
word spelling.
Table 4
Some Examples of Syntactic and Structural Errors according to Types
Types of Error Some examples extracted from the students’ paragraphs
Fragments In every grateful them.
When I rst time went to eign country.
Doing more assignments, listening lecturier, etc.
No matter speaking or writing.
Because we are limited by our vocabulary and speaking skills.
because the metophor will caus reader be confused.
First, which is group(s) work sometimes.
So sad and disappointed.
Comma Splice and/or
Run-On Sentences
I remember clearly that we introduce the object is Nick Vujicic, and the topic is
“life without lamb”, we hand made the publicity board, and we have collected
a serious of his information and picture on the internet hand made brochure,
we also applied for a donation, we get all of the money will be sent to an
organization that can help the disabled people, and all donations will get a
free chocolate cake which we handmade, and nally we get 322 RM of money,
I think it’s a meaningful event, although the money was not much, but all of the
people willing to contribute money let me very touched.
It’s not only enough that you just know how to speak English, but also you must
know how to talk to others with skills, this means that you need to know how to
get along with different people and deal with contradictions with them.
We study in different majors, we get busy for doing our assignments, we get
busy for our university life.
But, one day, when I bring my article to meet my supervisor, she said she can’t
understand what I am talking about, and what is my point and meaning.
At the beginning, I used to think and speak in my L1, then my words were
confuse listeners, I was experienced hard time to communicate with others.
Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
Indeed, the Chinese students used
“the mode of thinking and reasoning
process” based on their L1 habits and thus
produce Chinese-style sentences that were
understandable to them but not to their
writing teachers.
The interview also revealed that
students were aware of the interference of
their rst language (L1) on their writing in
English, and of their tendency to translate
from their rst language to English when
writing in English. Faced with the daunting
job of writing in a foreign language whose
linguistic and syntactic structures differ
from their first language, they resort to
depending on the structures available in their
L1 and “transfer” them to the L2.
When asked whether they think that
their mother tongue interferes in their
writing in English, all the ten students
answered “yes”. When students were asked
to comment on what aspect of the English
language they found difficult, all except
one identied grammar as the most difcult
aspect of the English language that would
affect their writing as seen in Table 5.
Table 5
Aspects of the English Language Interviewees found
Difcult or Easy
Grammar Vocabulary Mechanics
Easy 1 5 5
Difcult 9 4 3
Both 0 1 2
TOTAL 10 10 10
When asked how their writing teachers
could help them improve their writing in
English, they gave a number of suggestions,
which could be categorized into four
‘requests’:
1. Increase their vocabulary by assigning
them to read excellent articles /journals
/reading materials with follow up
activities on vocabulary building.
2. Improve their grammar through tasks,
exercises and extra classes focusing on
the differences between their L1 and L2
structures.
3. Improve their writing by teaching them
how to write “in a professional way”,
by giving them excellent examples
which they can imitate, by teaching
them useful writing skills, by giving
extra lectures to students who want
to improve their writing (one-on-one
tutorials).
4. Point out their mistakes and provide
valuable suggestions on how to correct
these mistakes.
Interestingly, one student’s request
is patience and understanding from the
teachers:
“[Teachers] should respect
students’ writing. Don’t tease or
laugh at students’ mistakes [even if]
these mistakes look very fool[ish]
in the opinion of [the teachers].
Most of [the] Chinese students from
China fear English writing, and
they are afraid of making mistakes
and being criticized by lecturers.
Lecturers should be patient and
encourage them to practice more.”
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CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
The analysis revealed that the most
common errors were in word choice and
form, spelling, tenses, use of articles and
determiners, number and agreement of
subject and verb. These errors are due in part
to students’ unfamiliarity with the various
grammatical rules and syntactic structures
of the English language, which differ from
their L1. During the interview, they stressed
that being taught the correct grammar rules
in English is an important step towards
improving their writing in English. The
implication is that writing teachers should
also correct grammar errors in their students’
writing (e.g. identifying and correcting
subject-verb errors in the paragraphs).
Another possible reason for these
errors is the interference of linguistic habits
from their L1 (either Mandarin Chinese
or their regional dialect). To address this
L1 interference, teachers should try to
engage students in classroom activities
that integrate writing with other language
skills (e.g. storytelling using various tenses,
debating or dialoguing with emphasis on
subject-verb agreement, describing using
prepositions and determiners, etc.). More
importantly, teachers must put their heart
into it: assume multiple roles for these
students as teacher, tutor, editor and adviser
with no expectations of pay increase or
praise from colleagues.
Writing teachers should also urge and
cultivate in the students an awareness of
English culture, explain the differences
between English and Chinese thinking
patterns and organizing process habits, and
stress avoiding the interference of L1 in
their L2 writing by thinking in English. Ye
(2013) stressed:
It is important to help our Chinese
students to develop a sense of
the nature of writing assignment,
raising their awareness of English
language and culture, to overcome
the negative inuence or negative
transfer of Chinese language and
culture in their writing in English.
(p. 37)
Grammatical and lexical structures
when writing in English are greatly
inuenced by their L1, so it is imperative
that English writing teachers be aware of
the difculties students face in the process
of writing in order to help them overcome
these difculties and make progress in their
learning of the English language.
It is hoped that this qualitative case
study would help fellow writing teachers in
English in some small way to be aware of
the most frequently occurring errors in our
Chinese students’ writings and the reasons
why those errors are committed, and to help
them decide on what appropriate teaching
strategies to adopt to assist Chinese students
to improve their writing in our classes.
The major limitation of the study is
its small sample size. Future studies may
include all the Chinese students across the
seven faculties of the university. With a
larger sample, a clearer and more reliable
conclusion on language errors and L1
interference among Chinese students from
mainland China can be drawn.
Dipolog-Ubanan, G. F.
1852
Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (4): 1841 - 1853 (2016)
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