The influence of Algerian arabic variety on RP english language: a review article of Algerian students' negative transfer

Abstract EN

Communication competence is a necessary language skill for improving learners' language proficiency.

Most Algerian learners of English may find it hard to be communicatively competent since they often fail to know what and when to say in certain contexts to start a conversation or write something academically.

It is because opportunities for much practice are fewer than what is required.

Learners are sometimes unable to understand English if it is spoken at its natural and normal speed as the natives do.

They usually have trouble in understanding topics of different types of speech events, responding to different types of speech acts, such as requests, apologies and using language appropriately.

Therefore, learners are expected to know what to say and how to say it to the right person at the right time in order to avoid misunderstanding.

However, they often fail to do so because the language they attempt to produce in L2 (the foreign language) is based on the system of L1 (the mother/ native language).

In this study, theories of negative language transfer are discussed, definitions of errors and mistakes are highlighted, sources of errors are stated, and different taxonomies of types of errors made by Arab students learning English are listed.

This is for the purpose to contribute in finding suitable pedagogical strategies and techniques to overcome the transfer errors students still make.

In the end, some recommendations are stated for the same purpose.