Some discussions on Spatial Concepts in Typology Studies of Chinese and Czech in the Process of Second Language Learning

Abstract

During the process of L2 learning, it is very likely for speakers to have conflict with their existing commitments to certain aspects of reality brought about by their first language: L2 categories and concepts may not fit well with speakers’ reality, making it difficult for them to understand the proper meaning and use of a form. In other words, a conventional treatment of the world found in L1 has been given an ontological status. This language fits with the speakers’ world precisely because the world has been represented according to the language itself. Nevertheless, it may be interesting to investigate the influence from L1 such as transfer and interference vis-a-vis the ontological commitment of L1 during the process of L2 learning and understanding. This approach shall make it possible to understand and to reexamine how concepts and categories in L1 are constructed, and also present assimilates and differences between L1 and L2. The main goal of this paper is to make some discussions on Taiwanese students’ acquisition of spatial expression in Czech, and to investigate transfer and interference from their L1.