Polish in writings of Czech-speaking learners on basis of learner corpus Polish in writings of Czech-speaking learners on basis of learner corpus PoLKo
Abstract
Acquiring a foreign language, learners tend to apply structures from their mother tongue to a target language. Especially, it is the case of genetically close languages such as Polish and Czech where a mutual interference is high.
Czech learners benefit from a positive transfer while using common structures for both languages. They acquire the Polish language system much faster than non-Slavic learners.
However, they also get into a trap using structures seemingly common for both languages caused by a negative transfer. As a result, the production of Czech learners in the Polish language is characterised by a unique set of language errors, which is typical for this group of learners.
Since previous studies did not pay enough attention to this type of errors, our research aims to fill the gap. Using data from a Polish learner corpus PoLKo, this pilot study analyses the most prominent errors in the area of valency, syntax, spelling, lexis, etc.
Our observations deliver a suitable source for learners and their teachers that might be used for the preparation of tailor-made study materials. This approach undoubtedly has a chance to improve the teaching methods of Polish as a foreign language among Czech-speaking learners.