The notion that acquisition of a second language may be influenced by transfer of typological features from the first language is discussed, focusing on the role of topic-prominence in the interlanguage stages of a native Cantonese-speaker learning English. First, the topic-prominent surface structure manifestations in oral Cantonese are examined. A theoretical basis for this type of transfer is then outlined, noting the conditions required in each language, and the situation of marked variants is discussed. Subsequently, a small study using 50 mature, high proficiency students as subjects is described. In it, topicalized structures in English were elicited in a brief writing assignment and analyzed for topic-prominent structures, discourse accent, topic- and theme-driven discourse structure, and patterns in given-new information. Observations are made in each area. A number of areas for further research are identified. A brief bibliography is included. (MSE)