Issues regarding object modification

[bigboibrady]

To practice creating generic methods and generic data structures, i created a method to combine two lists as in the case of how the LinkedList collection functionality works. Basically to test it out, I took two lists of strings, where the first (listA) contains a set of individual words to form the sentence, "Hello World! ", then the next (listB) contains a set of words to form the sentence, "How are you? ". While I could successfully get the lists to combine into a complete two-sentence string, the first list is modified despite how i attempt to make a copy of it to prevent it's modification. I know with assigning primitive data type variables there is a right to left associativity the variable on the right does not change if the variable on the left undergoes subsequent changes in further lines of code. However, this does not seem to be the case with the listA object which is modified when my newly created newList becomes modified in subsequent lines of code. I also tried using the .clone() method on listA (for this, I made the class implement the Cloneable interface), but I got the same exact issue.

Here's the portion of the code in question:

public List combineList(List<T> listA, List<T> listB){
		//My attempt to generate a new list to make a copy of listA so that it would not be modified, epic fail ensues.
                List<T> newList = new List<T>();
		newList = listA;

		//makes the loop recognize the current node of the list to be added as the first node of the second
		currNode=listB.firstNode;
                
                //Adds each node of the second list one by one
		while(currNode!=null){
			newList.insertAtBack(currNode.data);
			currNode = currNode.nextNode;
		}

		return newList;
}

If I printed out the three lists, this is what would show up:

list1: Hello World! How are you?
list 2: How are you?
list 3: Hello World! How are you?

Have I been overlooking some silly basic aspect of computer science this whole time I've been programming that I never had to bother with before?

[Norm]

Is there a question or problem here?

Are you confusing variables that are references to objects and the objects?

[bigboibrady]

Are you confusing variables that are references to objects and the objects?

I suppose that's the mistake I'm making.

However, what I am trying to do is make a copy of the object, listA, that I can modify via the method in question. I tried implementing the Cloneable interface, and using newList = listA.clone() instead of newList = listA, but I was getting the same exact issue.

What I am trying to do is make a combined list, but retain the original separate lists in addition. The problem I am having is regarding the latter.

[Norm]

Can you post the code that shows the problem?
Remember that a list contains references to other objects.