Cross-Linguistic Influence in English Usage among Vietnamese EFL Learners: A Cross-Domain Analysis

Abstract

In the context of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) in Vietnam, learners’ language production is significantly affected by cross-linguistic influence (CLI) from their first language (L1). While previous studies have often examined semantic, pragmatic, and phonological transfer in isolation, there remains a lack of integrated qualitative research focusing on high school Vietnamese EFL learners in under-resourced learning contexts. This study investigates the L1 interference phenomenon by examining how Vietnamese learners transfer different linguistic features from Vietnamese to English across semantic, pragmatic, and phonological domains. Based on Transfer Theory and Error Analysis, the study analyzes the language production data collected from classroom-based tasks completed by grade 11 students (n=20) at a local language center. The study identifies three primary categories of transfer: semantic, pragmatic, and phonological, demonstrating that these transfer-related patterns systematically affect communicative effectiveness rather than constituting isolated learner errors. In addition, this study contributes to SLA research by highlighting the interdependence of semantic, pragmatic, and phonological transfer in high school Vietnamese EFL learners’ interlanguage development.  Furthermore, the paper discusses evidence-based pedagogical measures that can be used to avoid negative transfer and improve the communicative competence of Vietnamese EFL learners.