Language dominance

In sociolinguistics, interference is investigated in terms of language dominance and as part of language contact (Nelde, 1995). The dominant language can be either the mother tongue or any other foreign language often learned poorly (Odlin, 1997).

Kroll (2008) considers interference to be the result of foreign language immersion (Kroll et al, 2018). The explanation can be psychological, the language we are exposed to is perceived as the most important (Hoffmann, 2001, p. 4) so we subconsciously rely on it when learning or using the target language.

What can you do about it?

How to immerse in a foreign language:

• 23 Ways to Immerse Yourself In a Language Without Going Anywhere
• 9 Tips for Language Immersion at Home
• How to Immerse Yourself in a Language (Even at Home)
• Immersion language learning: The best way to learn a new language
• 52 Effective Language Immersion Hacks (You Can Do at Home)

Tandem learning:

• Faculté des lettres. Programme Tandem – Pratiquer une langue étrangère en interaction
• Advice and Tips on Organizing a Tandem Partnership

References for further reading:

1. Hoffmann, Ch. (2001). Towards a description of trilingual competence. International Journal of Bilingualism. 5. 10.1177/13670069010050010101.
2. Kroll, J.F., Bobb, S.C., Misra, M., Guo, T. (2008). Language selection in bilingual speech: evidence for inhibitory processes. Acta Psychol (Amst), 416-30. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.02.001. Epub 2008 Mar 20. PMID: 18358449; PMCID: PMC2585366.
3. Kroll, J., Dussias, P., Bajo, M. (2018). Language use across international contexts: shaping the minds of L2 speakers. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 38, 60-79. doi:10.1017/S0267190518000119.
4. Nelde, P. H. (1995). Language contact. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 15, 81-90.
5. Odlin T. (1997). Bilingualism and substrate influence: A look at clefts and reflexives. In J. Kallen (Ed.), Focus on Ireland (pp. 35– 50). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

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