English in Professional Contexts :The Impact of Language Interference. The case of First year Medical Students at the Faculty of Medicine – Kasdi Merbah University – Ouargla -Algeria

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of language interference on the syntactic and lexical production of first-year medical students at the University of Kasdi Merbah, Ouargla. Employing a quantitative and qualitative research design, the study analyzes the errors identified through a multi-task elicitation instrument consisting of oral recordings and written tasks, applying the taxonomies of Dulay et al. (1982) and Swan and Smith (2001).” The findings reveal a high prevalence of both interlingual interference; specifically syntactic omissions such as copula deletion and intralingual developmental errors. Furthermore, the analysis highlights significant "Acronym Interference" arising from the students’ prior exposure to French medical terminology. These results suggest that while interference is a natural stage of language acquisition, it requires targeted pedagogical intervention. The study concludes with recommendations for ESP (English for Specific Purposes) curriculum adjustments that address these specific linguistic transfer patterns to facilitate a more effective transition into the medical academic field.