First and Target Language Conflict and Compromise



Interference and Facilitating




English Sentence: I want the red car
Spanish with English rules: Yo quiero el rojo coche
Correct Spanish Version: Yo quiero el coche rojo



Helping with Interference and Facilitating






3 thoughts on “First and Target Language Conflict and Compromise

  1. Pingback: First and Target Language Conflict and Compromi...

  2. Pingback: First and Target Language Conflict and Compromise — educational research techniques | So, You Think You Can Teach ESL?

  3. Arkady Zilberman

    You may be interested in another approach to the First (L1) and Target (L2) language conflict that is described in my eBook
    The negative impact of using the mother tongue in creating the second language system is associated with cross-translation. It does not mean that we should avoid L1 (the learner’s first language) completely. In Active Learning of English skills, described in this book, support in L1 is necessary, but it should be organized in a new way: the lesson context is shown in L1 but is never pronounced or spoken aloud. We use L1 to create a visual representation of the new text in L2 (the new language), and then redirect all efforts to working exclusively in L2.

    Most adults, when learning a foreign language, subconsciously revert to cross-translation to and from their mother tongue. Cross-translation is the main barrier most teachers ignore. When you cross-translate, you think in your native language while trying to speak in a foreign language.
    According to N. Doidge, psychiatrist and author of The Brain That Changes Itself: “Learning a second language, after the critical period for language learning has ended, is more difficult because, as we age, the longer we use our native language, the further it comes to dominating our linguistic map space. Because plasticity is competitive, it is so hard to learn a new language and end the tyranny of the mother tongue.”

    Adults must work harder than a child to master a new language because the brain protects the authority of its native language. Most teachers of EFL feel that when learners fall back on their mother tongue to help create the second language system, that is not a mistake, but a necessity. Detailed scrutiny of how the mother tongue is used in learning reveals the negative impact of this seemingly natural process: bilingual information is more difficult to memorize.

    You write about encouraging direct thinking in the target language. Unfortunately, all known methods don’t teach how to think in the target language. You may achieve this goal by using the patented method of Active Learning of English skills that offers a special tool for automatically turning off the innate habit of thinking in the mother tongue. You will find more details on my website



Leave a Reply


You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Connecting to %s
