Universidad técnica particular de loja la universidad Técnica Particular de Loja

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preliminary pages …..………………………………………………. i – v
Abstract ……………………………………………………………………. 1
Introduction ………………………………………………………….….. 2
Methodology ……………………………………………………………… 5
Results ……………………………………………………………………. 7
Discussion ………………………………………………………………. 17
Theoretical Background ……………………………………..………. 17
Description and analysis of results ………………………….. 50
Comparative analysis ………………………………………..…. 71
Conclusions ………………………………………………………. 74
Proposal …………………………………………………………………… 77
Bibliography …………………………………………………………..... 93
Annexes
………………………………………………………………… 98

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ABSTRACT
“Native language interference in learning English as a foreign 
language: an analysis of written material produced by Spanish speaking 
students in senior high school classes” aims at finding out how, why 
and where language interference occurs and also at finding out the most 
common types of errors due to language interference that Spanish 
students make when they are writing in English by carrying out an 
investigation about the main theme. This research took place in a 
Guayaquil’s high school named “Unidad Educativa Canadiense”. 
The sample consisted of a group of sixteen-seventeen years old 
senior year High School students. They were told to execute some 
writing exercises to obtain data in order to analyze the causes and 
effects of language interference. Obtained data consist of all the errors 
that students made when writing in English. Generally, it is said that 
language interference occurs when students try to fill English gaps with 
their native language knowledge. After establishing all the factors 
involving this research we created a proposal which intends to reduce 
the level of language interference and increase the level of language 
competence.

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