How Can the Mother Tongue Interfere in Learning a Foreign Language?

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1.0 Introduction

The archipelago of Cape Verde is an isolated country situated in the middle of the

Atlantic Ocean. Because of its strategic location, in particular its being a geographical

link between continental Africa and Europe, it is influenced by many cultures. Although

an independent nation, its history and mixed culture contain many vestiges of a global

society which are expressed in the daily habits of the Cape Verdean people, including

its language. Therefore, many Cape Verdeans find themselves either harmonizing or

torn between their two widely spoken languages- Creole and Portuguese.

Since childhood, I myself fall into the latter category, and at best have demonstrated a

weak commitment to learning the Portuguese language. Whether this is a result of the

language´s intricate lexical structures or the painful colonial history it harbors, I, like

many have struggled with earnestly learning the language.

It is in this perspective that I decided to write about this subject to show how difficult is

learning Portuguese, a language that seems very easy, but actually requires a lot of

attention. Parents must cultivate in their children the love for the Portuguese language,

as well as the teacher, especially basic education, which I witnessed personally

teaching, using the Creole, discarding entirely the use of the Portuguese language that is

still to this day where it is spoken in all Cape Verdean public institutions.

Why not talk to the authorities? As much as the family and the teacher encourage

students to try to work out the Portuguese, the ministry of education should be closer to

the schools. The ministry must create ways to encourage students to practice this

language as a way to make it spoken in Cape Verde as creole is.

Making a return to the past, close to Cape Verdean independence in 1975, to say that

before taking independence, due to Portuguese hegemony, all Cape Verdeans were

required to speak Portuguese even though poor. It was a Portuguese without a good

joint or even poorly written and spoken; Perhaps this is the main reason of Cape

Verdeans do not want to practice the English language as a way to show authority and

not feel more "on the wings" of Portuguese, and as a proof, we see every day

Portuguese’s writing and pronunciation with a high Creole accent.

The problem of the influence of Creole on the Portuguese language requires a lot of

effort to try to overcome the barrier that exists between these two languages.

The interference of Creole in learning Portuguese

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As such, it is extremely important to know how to answer some questions that may

contain one way or other possible solutions. So it is important to study the Portuguese

as a second language in Cape Verde and the main aspects that entails difficulties /

challenges in learning it, also know where the interference is positive and negative,

showing some recommendations for minimizing.

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2.0 Learning Portuguese as a second language

2.1 Portuguese as official language in Cape Verde

As well known, Portuguese is the official language here in Cape Verde, where co-exist

two languages, the Creole as mother tongue and Portuguese as the official or second

language. Portuguese is a language that has been used since the beginning of Cape

Verde’s discovery and continues until now being spoken wherever we go. If we take a

look in the old texts leaved by the old writers, we can see that in that time, only the

natives (from Portugal), and some Cape Verdeans who were born in a rich family had

ability to write a good Portuguese.

The first articles written in Portuguese here in Cape Verde was a periodical journal, “O

Independente- The independent”, which its first edition was published in 1877. In that

time, writers should only write things relating to Portugal, but never ever telling

something that could affect the Portuguese.

For instance, the themes approached, were related to the exuberant nature, beauties, the

big shapes, women beauty, Portugal as the fatherland glory, it means that, all the texts

were turned up to Portuguese’ thematic.

Although everybody was forbidden to write anything against the Portuguese, Eugénio

de Paula Tavares, a Cape Verdean journalist, Writer and musician, from Brava Island,

ignored that statement and wrote many bad things about the Portuguese in order to open

up The Cape Verdeans’ eyes.

In that time, Cape Verde already had some writers who were nativists, and always

denied the idea of writing just Portuguese’ themes; was in this context that Eugénio de

Paula Tavares wrote, although had some who wrote themes that could show a deep

relationship between them and Portugal:

“Portugal, dear fatherland

On you, then, my lays

Sorrowful and ardent lays

Hail, then, legend fatherland,


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That I vote my deep love!

You are one of the nations of the world,

The illustrious nation”

José Lopes, 1927

2.2 Why and when do we use Portuguese?

According to what we have already learned, Portuguese is the language that should be

used in every social place. It is the language used for business, teaching and many

others activities.

The use of Portuguese here in Cape Verde is not a matter of being in a diplomacy stage.

Speaking Portuguese, students will be showing that they have abilities to learn it

effectively and do more than they can imagine. We do not speak Portuguese just

because we need to be understood, but because it is a language that everyone should be

familiarized with in order to communicate effectively wherever we go.

If we wait just for an occasion to speak Portuguese, it would never be a well spoken

language, even if we do it regularly, because it needs practice to be dominated as we do

to dominate another language. Dominate Portuguese is very easy, but it requires a lot of

practice and time in order to flow how we want it to.

Sometimes, in my class, when I was 9th grade, I used to ask my teacher, “Why speak

Portuguese if when I leave class I would speak creole with hi and my colleagues?” he

told me that speak Portuguese is not a matter of obligation, but a question of

determinism, he meant that we must speak Portuguese in class because it is a scholar

standard, but if we want to speak it when we are out of school, it is up to us, because

there is no rule that can force people to speak Portuguese all the time.

With his appointment, I could see that if we want to pursue doing something, we must

go ahead until get it, or if we do not do want we want we are just loosing.

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2.3 When and where Portuguese is learned/ studied

As an easy language to speak and to understand, Portuguese can be taught in school

using a program from where teachers follow the steps necessaries to make a big base or

even at home, where speak Portuguese is quite obliged.

Referring to places, I would say that every place is favorable to speak Portuguese, even

though we do not take profit of this advantage, but there are places where is

fundamental the use of Portuguese, as the governmental institutions.

For instance, if a person goes to the Portuguese embassy, he/ she, is obliged to speak

Portuguese, because as we step in the door, we are considered as we are in Portugal.

In Cape Verde, Portuguese language is thought since the primary school, in order to

cultivate the habit to speak it everywhere or every time. This reality never showed up

because there is not a policy which can make put students speaking the second language

all the time, and this may be is the instrument that is missing, but too late to implement

because once a free country, we cannot be never more dominated by Portuguese in

order to oblige us to speak their language.

Gomes, 2008, pg. 48, said that “the process of learning Portuguese is from a long time

since the educational Cape Verdean story. Portuguese language started to be taught

since the beginning, after Cape Verde discovery, in the middle of the 15 th century, and

its success was all the time compromised due to many factors, such a teaching target,

resources available, formation of teachers, students’ engagement, as well as the

methodology in use”.

In school, the only instrument used to teach is the oral communication. In my point of

view, should be introduced new instruments as singing in Portuguese, movies, as in

other language that we learn using these instruments. These tools would help a lot

because students would feel the class more attractive and enjoyable.

Giving a practical example, in many schools where English is thought, they use music,

movies, dramatizations, among other instruments to call students attention and make

them practice English and become fluent as they are with their mother tongue. As a

result of that, when students leave the class, we can see that they are enjoying the class

and are also speaking English outside the class, so is essential have methods to teach.


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3.0 Challenges in learning Portuguese as a second language

3.1 Compatibility to the 1st language (creole)

Cape Verde as a colonized country, by Portuguese, is vulnerable in therms of language.

The creole spoken in Cape Verde has some likeness with Portuguese and these

likenesses are enough to make a speaker to have a bad accent in Portuguese due to their

proximities.

For instance, there are many words in Portuguese that in Creole are the same and this is

the big problem because in this case, the accent is different which makes the works to

be wrong in therms of Portuguese pronunciation.

Some authors believe that Portuguese should be a provisory instrument of schools, and

Dulce Almada Duarte found that “… day by day, the use of Portuguese as a school

language is being more difficult to the Cape Verdean students. This is due a big

difficulty in learning this language and a resistance too; as prove, the bunch of

interferences on the way Creole/ Portuguese and that the only solution is make

Portuguese a provisory instrument schooling. Therefore, is necessary to work hard the

only instrument that should serve as instrument and expression of the cultural identity:

the Creole.”

If we start looking to the proximities, we can see that there are many words/ expressions

in Portuguese that in Creole are the same in terms of writing and spelling. This is

something understandable because, as known, Cape Verde was colonized by Portuguese

and they implement, using their power, the use of Portuguese here.

Is not just because our archipelago was colonized that we have this proximities, but also

because we are situated in a strategic point where we can have every kind of influences

of lusophone’ countries such as Brazil, Angola, St. Tomé and other from the CPLP , and

mingling these influences, we close to the Portuguese spoken in Portugal. As a result,

our Portuguese become rich in therms of new expressions but the problem is that we

cannot dominate them in order to employ them when is required.

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3.2 When and where spoken?

There is not a law that impedes people to speak Portuguese wherever they are. As our

official language, we can use it all the time and this continuous practice can be a push to

the beginning of the Portuguese language domination.

There are many families that encourage their children to speak Portuguese since the

beginning and this is a very important strategy to cultivate the habit of speaking

Portuguese. In school also is a good place to speak the second language, but it is so

limited because there is not a rule established that can force students to do it all the

time.

In a global context, looking for some specifics circumstances that this language can be

used, I found a table that can provide some idea of places/ circumstances where

Portuguese can be used (place, circumstances) and what are the specific business can be

treated in each category(can be oral or writing).

ORAL MODE WRITING MODE

Personal Dialogue between two

friends

A friend writes a letter to

another

Non- personal Professor giving class A journalist writing a new f

Institutional Police questioning a

suspect

Manager writing a business

letter to a client

Prescriptive The fiancé doing promises

to her fiancée

Someone writing a

procuration

Fictional An actor representing to a

public

A poet writing his poems

Media Someone doing

simultaneous translation to

someone

Someone translated a text

to another person

Private Someone talking to

him/herself

Someone writing his/her

plans in a daily paper

Table#1

As we can see, there are many situations where we can use Portuguese. If we consider

the personal situation, we can see that it is the spontaneous situation where everyone


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should take profit, because there are no rules to fix while talking. Specifying, it means

that in taking turn while talking, depends on the speaker. Here speakers are free to speak

and also a good strategy to improve any language.

3.3 Specific problems in: pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar

The habit of speaking just Portuguese in Cape Verde is far to be realized. While people

are talking, we can see that they are all the time mingling the two languages. For

instance, there are many words that in therms of appearance, they are very close to each

other, but when they are spelled, everything change because the pronunciation is not the

same, and for better understanding, bellow is a table containing some examples of

words (Creole) that have approach with Portuguese but not well pronounced.

Portuguese Creole pronunciation

Educação

Que

Não

Educason

Qui

Non

**Table#2

As we can see, there are many problems in Portuguese pronunciation principally when

we are not doing our homework in order to improve it, and the major problems is the

changing form “E” to “I”.

This consistent mingle comes from the use in abundance of creole and not practice of

Portuguese.

In terms of grammar, I would like to say that it is a good instrument to help students to

improve their skills.

Inês Duarte found that “it was conceived as an instrument of double purposes in a

tradition that remount the grammarians that is normally the behavior linguistic of the

speakers, and to premise them a totally comprehension. Being grammar the detent of the

keys for a good linguistic understanding, we should familiarize to the study of grammar,

the learning of a determined language”. So, in this case, Portuguese language in the

context of Cape Verde is quite zero because we are not doing something to increase our

skills on grammar.

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Going through oral communication, to say that, in the majority of the cases, teachers are

the main responsible for the weakness of speaking Portuguese by the students due to a

lack of actualization and dominance of Portuguese language, weak or none competence

to work a program given and also a deficient coordination and use of inappropriate

methods to teach this language. This weakness derived from the fact that teachers are

using the mother tongue to teach Portuguese.

4.0 Interferences

Cape Verde as a lusophone country, must dominate the Portuguese as its mother tongue.

Looking into the context of lusophony, Cape Verde cannot accept a Portuguese

language full of interferences from creole.

Is the Portuguese language that Cape Verdeans use to express wherever they go,

because as an official language, it must be known everywhere, otherwise Creole should

be used.

The majority of interferences, from Creole under Portuguese, are real consequences

from the lack of practice of Portuguese. It is possible to be removed or minimized if

students or the entire Creole’ speakers start to give a special attention to.

Sometimes we perceive that people do not care about to speak a good Portuguese when

in reality, they have enough skills to be fluent speaking it as well as they speak creole.

But, to end this problem, people must be conscious and try to do their best in order to

flow the Portuguese and show that they are able to pursue the challenge: speaking

Creole and Portuguese with the same fluency.

Inês Duarte pointed out that “the uses of certain languages are conditioned because

some have been practiced just in social situations. This statement may show that the

problem of Portuguese being all time interfered by Creole, drift from this kind of

situation, since we just speak English just when we are facing in a social event that

requires the use of Portuguese”.

For instance, every day, in my academic life, I can see that even students, who are

studying Portuguese as their area, are all the time speaking Portuguese outside of the

class, but why? Should not they practice Portuguese as much as they can? This is

another circumstance that can drive the interferences to Portuguese, because students


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are interested in speak Portuguese just during class and forget about it when they leave

out.

As shown in the table#2, the influences can be oral and in writing. It is oral because the

tongue have not the habit of spelling Portuguese’ words, and whenever a speaker try to

spell a word in Portuguese, he/ she will find problems during the spelling. As a result of

it, the speaker will continue being with a poor capacity of speaking another idiom.

Because of the problems in oral Communication already mentioned, another problem

that is derived from it is in writing. The problem in writing shows up when our spelling

is not accurate, it means that the writing depends, in majority of the cases, from how a

speaker spells a word.

Oral communication here in Cape Verde, using Portuguese, is still a problem. Whenever

we go, sometimes we listen people talking Portuguese, or trying to, but in many of these

situations, we can see that the velocity of the speech is so fast that the listener might be

lost at certain time because he/ she is not getting anything the speaker is saying. Some

authors defend that this velocity, is a strategy to disguise their problems in grammar and

in pronunciation because of the lack of practice.

In this case, the Creole helps a lot in speaking fast once that we are familiarized whit

our mother tongue.

In order to minimize or even avoid it, I will leave some recommendation along this

paper to work out.

5.0 Recommendations

Due to my own experience in learning Portuguese as a second Cape Verdean language

and as our official language, I could see that even though we find many obstruction

dealing with it, is crucial to learn it as well as we know Creole. Nowadays we depend a

lot on this language, not just because it is the language used in all of the institution but

also because it helps to educate our spelling when need.

Our spelling cannot be effective because Portuguese is not Cape Verdean language, but

we should work it out as copious as we can to make it flow as we are speaking Creole.

But for it to become true, each one should be conscious on the main problems as

referred before and treat them in order to be in a good level.

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To be more specific, I would like to show some slopes that should be working out in

order to elevate the Portuguese to another level.

For instance, all students who are dealing with Portuguese, just care about to speak

creole when they are in front of the teacher; They do this because they want to talk just

the mother tongue which they are more fluent. To avoid or to minimize this situation

and start to appreciate Portuguese, I would advise to speak Portuguese wherever we are

because there are so many places that creole does not enter, which means that if we do

not speak Portuguese we cannot go or be in these places.


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Conclusion

In knack of conclusion, I would say that this was a difficult work to write about because

the lack of documents about the issue, but in the same time it was grateful because I

could read some books that showed me many things that I had no ideas that could exist.

Speaking about this issue, in first person, as a primary research, would be easy because

I already had the questions in mind, and I would be more creative and straight to what

people want to read, listen and see about this problem.

Speak certain language side by side with the mother tongue is not an easy task because

once we are habituated with our mother tongue, the second language will appear as an

intrusive. It would be vanished from our mind and keep speaking just that we had

familiarized with, the mother tongue. Sometimes, when I stop to think about this issue, I

can see that it is possible to speak it as well as we do with another language, English in

this case, but is missing the encouragement to do it even though we know that we can

do it. I think that it is a problem to be solved. As a commercial strategic point, Cape

Verdeans should be in dominance of all the language, principally Portuguese as our

official language.

The government and its ministry should sit and think about this issue not just a business

problem, but also as a scholar problem. Cape Verde must have instruments enough to

encourage students to learn and practice the use of Portuguese and be successful with it.

I think that as English is becoming an influent language in Cape Verde, Portuguese

should be in the same way, because it was the first language implemented here and

more important, it is the official language, so, why is English more fluent in Cape Verde

then Portuguese?

The answer is clear as water. English’ professors are using specific methods to teach it

while Portuguese’ professors are not doing the essential to make their subject elevate

the level, and this is a reality that cannot be hided because it is so clear that even the

blinded can see it.

English’ professors are using movies, music, and dramatizations to make students fall in

love to English and Portuguese’ professors are just reading in class and asking students

to write about something.

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Bibliography

Explorations in applied linguistics 2- H: G. Widdowson

Baljit Bhela, 1991, Native language interference in learning a second

language: Exploratory case studies of native language

interference with target language usage

Inês Duarte, Língua Portuguesa, Instrumentos de análise

International journal of Bilingual education and bilingualism-vol 4:1, 2001

Education

How Can the Mother Tongue Interfere in Learning a Foreign Language?