ROLE OF L1 AND L2 IN THE ACQUISITION OF BAHASA INDONESIA AS A THIRD LANGUAGE

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the role of L1 and L2 in the Bahasa Indonesia acquisition as L3. The participants of this study were Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing (BIPA) students from Universitas Negeri Surabaya. Data were collected when participants carried out conversations using Bahasa Indonesia and described pictures shown to them. The participants’ speech was analysed for language transfer and the participants’ tendencies to use L1 or L2. The results show that L1 influences the phonological shift in L3 articulation. This happens to participants’ whose L1 typology is close to L3. L1 also plays a dominant role in helping participants to master L3 vocabulary when the typology is close to L3. If the L1 typology is far from L3, L2 is the main supplier in mastering L3 vocabulary. Typology is the dominant factor in L3 acquisition. In addition, other factors, such as L2 status, working memory, and memory, influence the role of L1 and L2 but are less dominant than typology.

Keywords

• third language acquisition; cross-linguistic influence; the role of language backgrounds; multilingualism