It has been noted that Chinese shows both satellite- and verb-framed properties (Beavers, Levin, & Tham, 2010; Slobin, 2004), a fact that offers the opportunity to explore the typological influence of learners' dominant language because they can choose either option to describe the same motion events and be grammatically correct. This study comprehensively examined the impact of factors including the dominant language's thinking for speaking (TFS) (Slobin, 1987, 1996, 2003), as well as proficiency and degree of socialization with the target language. It examined oral narratives produced by 80 learners of Chinese representing two proficiency levels (low vs. high) and two linguistic backgrounds (heritage language vs. foreign language), as compared to two baseline groups of 40 Chinese native speakers (NSs) and 40 English NSs. Analysis of the motion verbs and motion constructions showed a limited role of the dominant TFS. While the more proficient learners were more capable of producing task-relevant motion expressions regardless of their language background, only advanced heritage learners demonstrated target-like TFS. Comparison of heritage and foreign language learners at the same proficiency level suggests that degree of language socialization plays a crucial role in facilitating development of TFS in the target language.