The impact of L1 on L2 in academic english writing: A multilingual dilemma of Pakistani students

Pakistan is a multilingual country where Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, and Urdu are dominant languages, among other 22 pocket languages. The speakers of these languages have an urge to learn English as a second language (L2) to compete with the rest of the world in the field of science and technology. Most of the Pakistani students know three languages which include mother tongue, national language (L1) and English language (L2). The mother tongue and national language have an impact on academic English writing of Pakistani students because they have different verb-subject ordersand rules and regulations from the English language (SVO). Students living in this multi-lingual environment make a lot of mistakes while writing in English. They do not have sufficient vocabulary in L2, make spelling mistakes, use the wrong tense, incorrect sentence structure, and their writing is devoid of cohesion and coherence due to L1 interference.The learners' knowledge of their mother tongue and national language impedes them from writing correct English, and this is the main reason they make mistakes while writing in L2 (English). The rules and regulations of L1 overshadow the rules and regulations of L2 and students commit mistakes.This research is an investigation of how L1 influences L2 in learning academic English writingIt is also under examination that what mistakes Pakistani graduate students make the most in academic English writing? This study is limited to the graduate students of 1st semester in selected universities of Pakistan. The data has been collected from test papers of the students and interviews of the teachers.