How do typology and proficiency affect cross-linguistic influence in three unrelated languages? A study on L1 Turkish learners, with L2 English, in the acquisition of L3 Spanish as a foreign language.

Abstract

The present paper reports the findings on the effect of typology and proficiency in the realm of three unrelated languages; Turkish, English, and Spanish. The participants (N=34) were university students in Turkey, all having L1 Turkish, L2 English, and acquiring L3 Spanish. The participants were divided based on Spanish proficiency; levels 2, 3, and 4. Productions were elicited orally using a story-telling task consisting of six panels. Data were then analyzed for cross-linguistic influence in lexis, syntax, and morphology. Results suggest that L2 is often used lexically, while L1 is preferred in morpho-syntactic transfer. Trends varied as to the role of TL proficiency, depending on transfer type.