THE ROLE OF PSYCHOTYPOLOGY IN CROSS-LINGUISTIC INFLUENCE:A STUDYOF PASHTUN MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS

Abstract

The study examines the influence of Psychotypology on Cross-Linguistics Influence (CLI) among Pashtun multilingual learners. CLI  refers to how one’s proficiency in one language affects their ability to recognize, understand, process, store, and produce words in another language. While CLI has fascinated researchers studying second and third language acquisition, its unique role in Pashtun multilingual learners, particularly the learner’s subjective sense of the linguistics distance between their (L1) Pashto, (L2) Urdu and the target language (L3) English, remains unexplored. This research study makes use of Kellerman’s (1986) concept of Psychotypology  to determine the individual perception of Pashtun Multilingual learners about the linguistic distance between their background languages Pashto (L1), Urdu (L2) and the target language (L3). Furthermore, it attempts to determine which of the two background languages are considered closer to English and which one is the potential source language of transfer in the production of L3 English. A quantitative descriptive method is mainly used, along with some qualitative insights from open ended responses. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 60 Pashtun multilingual learners from the department of English. Findings reveal a mixed perception of closeness between the three languages. Urdu is considered closer to English in grammar, vocabulary and morphology, while Pashto is deemed closer to English in Phonetics and Phonology. Concerning transfer, findings reveal that Pashto language is used for conceptual thinking and initial idea formulation, while learners rely on Urdu for lexical retrieval and grammatical structuring during English production. Some learners’ responses also showed inclinations towards code-switching and language mixing during English comprehension and production. Understanding learner’s psychotypology is helpful in determining language transfer and improving language acquisition.