Sarcouncil Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

Abstract: Vietnamese serves as the national language and the common language used in social communication, public administration, and education in Vietnam. However, for the majority of ethnic minority students, Vietnamese is not their mother tongue but is learned as a second language. This situation gives rise to distinctive characteristics in the process of learning Vietnamese and leads to language transfer phenomena from the mother tongue to Vietnamese. This study employs a document analysis approach to synthesize findings from both domestic and international research on the influence of the mother tongue on ethnic minority students’ acquisition of Vietnamese. The findings indicate that the mother tongue exerts a dual influence on the acquisition process. On the one hand, differences in phonology, vocabulary, grammar, and language-use environments may create challenges in the development of Vietnamese listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. On the other hand, the mother tongue serves as a cognitive foundation that supports concept formation, cognitive development, and the acquisition of a second language. Based on these findings, the study advocates a shift from viewing the mother tongue as a barrier to recognizing and leveraging the advantages of bilingualism in the education of ethnic minority students.