Can Studying an L3 Make Meaningful Impact on the Acquisition of an L2? A Primary Analysis of Students Studying Third Languages at Tohoku University
- BULLETIN OF THE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION TOHOKU UNIVERSITY , 6 : 79-87
Résumé
A number of studies have suggested that L3 acquisition can be aided by transferred knowledge from either the L1 or the L2. However, less attention has been given to the effects of studying an L3 on L2 acquisition. Therefore, this paper sought to make an initial investigation on how learning an L3 can affect L2 learning by looking at Tohoku University students who studied an L3 for one year after entering university and had studied English as a foreign language for several years. We examined whether or not L3 type, motivation towards learning the L3, or awareness of similarity between the L2 and L3 had any impact on students’ TOEFL scores or their reported improvement on the TOEFL test. The results of both quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that awareness of L2 and L3 similarities was associated with a greater likelihood of improving on the TOEFL test, but not with final scores. However, L3 type and motivation towards learning the L3 were not associated with either final TOEFL scores or reported improvement.
Mots-clés
Third language acquisition and learning, second language acquisition, effects of learning foreign languages, Japanese students