Second Language Reading: Reading Ability or Language Proficiency?

The extent to which reading in a second language is a function of the transfer of first language reading abilities or of language proficiency in the second language has been a matter of debate for some time (Clarke 1979, 1980; Alderson 1984). Although studies of this question have been carried out, a major problem in the design of these studies has been their failure to gather sufficient information. What has been missing is sufficient information on reading ability in the first language, reading ability in the foreign or second language, and information about the foreign or second language proficiency of the same individuals (Alderson 1984:21). The study reported in this article investigated the first and second language reading comprehension of adult native speakers of Spanish and English who were foreign or second language learners of the other language at differentproficiency levels. Results, reported in terms of second language reading as a function of first language reading ability, and second language proficiency, show both to be statistically significant factors. Of particular interest is the difference in the relative importance of each factor for each group of readers.