The Influence of Portuguese Syntax on the Learning of English as a Foreign Language: The Case of Null Subject

Abstract

This research deals with the influence of Portuguese syntax on the learning of English as a Foreign Language, specifically the null subject parameter. This paper aims at seeing the influence of Portuguese syntax on the learning of English, mainly the influence of Portuguese phonological null subjects in the pupils’ formulation of English sentences. An additional goal is to verify whether Portuguese syntax, especially the null Portuguese Subject had an influence on the 11th-graders’ formulation of the English sentences. In this respect, it was hypothesized that if there is L1 possibility of null subject transfer in the formulation of English sentences, then 11th-graders will often drop the English subject; It is expected that 11th-graders of “Class B8” outperform those of “Class B7” as far as the English subject is concerned. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted. On the other hand, the statistical tests used in this research in order to verify the invalidation or validation of hypotheses are the t-test and the matched t-test. From the investigation conducted in this research, it was found that all the eleventh-graders to whom the test was subjected omitted the subject in their formulation of the English sentences.