KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERFERENCE IN THE STUDY OF GERMAN: THE ROLE OF ENGLISH AS A REFERENCE LANGUAGE

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the study of the role of the English language as a support language in learning German and the impact of interlingual interference on the learning process. The relevance of the research is driven by the increasing need to optimize foreign language teaching methods in the context of globalization, which requires effective use of interlingual parallels to improve learning outcomes. Special attention is given to lexical, grammatical, and phonetic parallels between the two languages, which can facilitate material acquisition but may also cause errors due to differences in language systems. The main issue is the negative impact of interference, particularly due to differences in grammatical structures (case system, use of articles, the presence of false cognates). The aim of the research is to explore ways of using the English language as a linguistic support in learning German, as well as to determine the mechanisms and types of interference arising in the learning process. The article also discusses the use of contrastive analysis methods to minimize the negative effects of interference, using the example of the grammatical topic «Präpositionen – Prepositions» The results show that the correct use of contrastive analysis and an understanding of lexical and grammatical parallels can enhance the effectiveness of learning German. The article also emphasizes the importance of considering students' level of proficiency in English as a support language, which helps avoid errors related to interlingual interference in the process of learning German. The article introduces novelty in comparing foreign language teaching methods, emphasizing the importance of interlingual interaction and the development of multilingual competence through the use of linguistic support. It also broadens the understanding of interference as a phenomenon, particularly in the context of the interaction between English and German.