Cross-linguistic Influence in Lexical Acquisition among Third Language (Malay) Beginners in China

Abstract

In China, the main groups participating in third language acquisition (TLA) include university students majoring in English and those majoring in less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). When they learn a third language (L3), they are invariably influenced by their previously acquired first language (L1) and second language (L2). Most Chinese learners of Malay have backgrounds in Chinese as their L1 and English as their L2. This study aims to explore the main factors triggering cross-linguistic influence (CLI) in the process of Malay lexical acquisition by Chinese students. A qualitative research design was adopted in this study, with purposive sampling selecting 23 second semester Malay majors from a university in province of Guangxi, China as participants. Their language learning sequence is: Chinese (L1) → English (L2) → Malay (L3), with both English and Malay learned through full-time formal education in school. The research instruments included semi-structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that psychological language distance is the main factor triggering cross-linguistic influence in the process of Malay lexical acquisition among Chinese students. The findings of this study can provide teaching insights for Malay language instructors, aiming to enhance the efficiency of students' Malay lexical acquisition.