Which concept states that knowledge from the first language can transfer to other languages?

Which concept states that knowledge from the first language can transfer to other languages?

• A. Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP)
• B. Silent Period
• C. Morpheme Acquisition Order
• D. Fossilization

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that there is a shared knowledge base between languages, so skills in the first language can support learning in a second language. This shared foundation is called Common Underlying Proficiency. Because cognitive and literacy skills like understanding meaning, organizing ideas, and applying general reading and writing strategies are developed in the home language, students can transfer those abilities when they learn English. For example, a student who can structure an argument or infer meaning in their native language can apply that same thinking and organization to English, even as they pick up new vocabulary and grammar. The other concepts don’t describe this cross-language transfer. The Silent Period refers to a time when learners listen more than they speak, not how knowledge moves from L1 to L2. Morpheme Acquisition Order is about the sequence in which grammar features are learned in the second language, not transfer from the first language. Fossilization describes how errors become entrenched over time, which is about eventual accuracy rather than the transfer of knowledge between languages.

The idea being tested is that there is a shared knowledge base between languages, so skills in the first language can support learning in a second language. This shared foundation is called Common Underlying Proficiency. Because cognitive and literacy skills like understanding meaning, organizing ideas, and applying general reading and writing strategies are developed in the home language, students can transfer those abilities when they learn English. For example, a student who can structure an argument or infer meaning in their native language can apply that same thinking and organization to English, even as they pick up new vocabulary and grammar.

The other concepts don’t describe this cross-language transfer. The Silent Period refers to a time when learners listen more than they speak, not how knowledge moves from L1 to L2. Morpheme Acquisition Order is about the sequence in which grammar features are learned in the second language, not transfer from the first language. Fossilization describes how errors become entrenched over time, which is about eventual accuracy rather than the transfer of knowledge between languages.