What feature of an entering-level ELL's home language supports literacy skill transfer to English?

The feature that most effectively supports literacy skill transfer from a home language to English for an entering-level English Language Learner (ELL) is when the writing system is alphabetic. An alphabetic writing system means that the language represents sounds through letters, similar to how English does. This allows students to leverage their understanding of phonetic sounds and letters from their home language as they begin to learn to read and write in English.

When students are already familiar with the concept of using an alphabet to form words, they can more easily apply those skills to their learning of English literacy. This familiarity provides a foundational understanding of decoding and encoding words, which is crucial for reading and writing proficiency.

The other options, while potentially beneficial in certain contexts, do not universally provide the same level of support for literacy transfer. For instance, sharing cognates with English can aid vocabulary acquisition but does not directly tie to literacy skills like reading and writing. Similarly, having similar phonemes or syntax may help with spoken language skills but does not primarily influence the ability to read and write. Thus, the alphabetic nature of the writing system is the strongest supportive feature for literacy skill transfer.