Questionnaires were developed by the researcher for ESL teachers and ESL learners. Another factor that was important was the lack of training on the structure of English as a subject.
Introduction
Corder (ibid), argues that "what has come to be known as error analysis is concerned with investigating the language of second language learners". One of the main purposes of error analysis is to help teachers. In the article entitled, "The Significance of Learner's Errors" Corder, (1967) noted that error analysis (EA) took a new turn.
Statement of the problem
What error analysis is…
In this respect, it is methodologically similar to the study of mother tongue acquisition. It gives us an idea of a student's language development and can give us clues about the learning process.
Why error analysis is done
Candling (ibid.) adds that L2 learners' errors are potentially important for understanding SLA processes. Mitchell and Myles (2004) argue that errors, if examined, could reveal the learner's developing L2 language system, and this system is dynamic and open to change and resetting of parameters.
Models for error analysis
Some of the rules in the interlanguage system may be the result of transfer from the learner's first language. This means that the learner's mother tongue influences the learning of the target second language.
The sources and causes errors
- Mother tongue interference
- Selinker’s sources of errors
The objectives of the study
Definition of Terms used in the study
According to Corder in Ellis (1994), an error occurs when the deviation arises as a result of a lack of knowledge. Corder says an error occurs when learners fail to perform their competency, that is, it is the result of processing difficulties that prevent learners from accessing their knowledge of a target language rule and causing them to fall back on an alternative, non-standard rule which they find easily accessible (Pit Corder in Ellis, 1994).
Hypotheses
Ethical considerations
Significance of the study
Limitations
The second language speaker's language is a product of a linguistic system that is different from the first language and the target language. The term interlanguage refers to the second language of the learner's language at a particular time as well as to the developmental aspects of the language. Second, EA studies focus on only a small portion of the production data (i.e., the error) rather than all of the learning language produced (Alexander, 1979; Corder, 1975; Schachter and Celce-Murchia, 1977).
The seventy-two (72) essays were marked according to the requirement of the study, that is, the identification of the errors committed by the learners. It also emerged from the findings that most of the rural schools did not have libraries. Interlanguage is not a state of mind: An evaluation of the construct for second language acquisition.
I would be grateful if you could write it in class, if possible, in the presence of the teacher. I would be grateful if you could write it in class, if possible, in the presence of the teacher.
Organisation of chapters of the thesis…
Interlanguage theory
General principles of interlanguage
Difficulties may arise due to the transitional nature of the system, the presence of idiosyncratic rules and the importance of first language (LI) consideration, Jagtman and Bongaerts, (1994). In addition, Corder (1981) suggests that the analysis must be based on inferences about the intended meaning of the learner before conclusions can be reached about the presence or
In support of this view, Douglas and Selinker state that “primary cross-linguistic data are always ambiguous; at a minimum, access to the interlinguistic goal must be gained' and that the learner's perspective must remain at the forefront of any analysis. Hobson (ibid.) goes on to say that, given the above caution, it is clear that consideration of context is a very important aspect of analysis.
Error analysis procedures
Problems with error analysis procedures
Description and definition of interlanguage
The term was used by Selinker (1972), who called it the learner's intermediate language system. Barnard argues that intermediate language is the internalized result of a learner's creative attempts to produce a second language.
Adjemian’s definition of interlanguage
Appel and Muysken argue against Selinker's view that an interlanguage is a language somewhere between a first and a second language with structural features from both. Larsen-Freeman and Long argue that the learner's interlanguage is systematic, that is, it is governed by rules, and all learners go through a stage of interlanguage development.
Tarone’s definition of interlanguage
The property of mutual intelligibility cannot therefore be considered one of the properties that distinguish intermediate languages from other languages. Mutual intelligibility is an inherent property of interlanguages due to their being members of possible human languages.
Nemser’s definition of interlanguage
Maree et al., (2007) say that sampling refers to the process used to select a portion of the population for research. This chapter summarizes the findings, conclusions and recommendations that have been reached in the course of the study. With regard to training in the structure of English, the findings indicated that 75% of teachers were not trained in the structure of English.
A Linguistic Analysis of the Nominal Group Grammatical and Lexical Errors Found in the Written English of Syrian University Students.
Corder’s definition of error analysis
The influence of mother tongue
Interlanguage is based on the data and information to which the learner is exposed and has characteristics of both the native language and the target language. The phenomenon that arises when second language learners use elements of one language (mother tongue) when using another language (target language) is called language transfer. Positive transfer makes learning easier and can occur when both the native language and the target language have the same form.
Negative transfer or interference refers to the use of "a pattern or rule of the native language that leads to an error or inappropriate form in the target language" Richards et al.
Fossilisation as an important element of an interlanguage
He goes on to say that it covers features of the second language learner's interlanguage that deviate from the native language norm and do not develop further, or deviant features such as - although. Krashen argues that most second language acquirers fossilize, that is, they stop reaching the level of native speakers of their second language. In response to the question of whether second language theory can explain fossilization, Krashen suggests several possible causes of fossilization.
The final cause of fossilization is the acquisition of deviant forms by the original acquirers, who are 'exposed almost exclusively to imperfect versions of the second language' (Krashen, 1985:46).
Research findings
Krashen (1985:46) also hypothesizes that the factors responsible for establishing and maintaining the output filter are precisely those responsible for the output or affective filter. Due to the scarcity of teachers with the required level of second language skills, language labs, tape recorders, films and books can be used to provide comprehensible input. The study categorizes errors, gives possible reasons for their occurrence and counts the frequency of the different categories.
The results revealed that Black students' English in college has distinctive features that were not eradicated by two years of instruction by non-native teachers.
Criticism of error analysis
This means that some 'errors' do not appear to be errors because they appear to be well-formed, although from a pragmatic point of view they may be malformed (Zydatiss cited in Alexander, 1979. Furthermore, learners may avoid some of the TL constructions because they do not know how to produce them or because certain structures are perceived as difficult and more likely to cause errors (Alexander, 1979; Kleinmann 1977; Schachter 1974).Analysts do not always correctly understand the L1 influence on the learner's language not identified, as different L1s may influence the source of the error.
In some cases, an error can create additional errors in a text, and it can be difficult to decide how to quantify these error forms.
Error versus mistake
The first step is the presence of errors that the learner does not recognize as errors, and the second step is the presence of errors that the learner recognizes as errors, but which he or she cannot correct. Error, where the learner is able to correct the incorrect form, can be a third step. An additional criterion is that errors lack speaker intent; otherwise they might be.
This negative view of errors may be held by many teachers, but many second language learning theorists tend to view errors in a more positive way, seeing them as signs of creative hypothesis construction and testing (Hobson, 1999).
Summary
- Research design
- Advantages of the questionnaire
- Disadvantages of the questionnaire
- Sampling Techniques
- The study population
- Sampling
- Data collection procedure
- Summary
According to Maree et al. (2007), when designing a questionnaire, the researcher must pay attention to the following: .. a) the appearance of the questionnaire b) the sequence of questions. Mulder defines a sample as "a group that is selected from the population while remaining as representative as possible." The selected subjects represented the entire population. One set was collected from the English teachers of the study respondents from four different schools to find out their level of education and their syntactic knowledge.
In this chapter, the researcher has tried to give details about the research methods used in conducting this study.
Learner questionnaires
Teacher questionnaires
Identified learner errors
A common mistake students make when using articles is using the wrong articles and using the article unnecessarily. This is confirmed by Buthelezi (1983:28) when he says that no black language spoken in South Africa uses the article system. 4.4.5 Errors in Articles. With these errors, the students seemed to have mastered the formation of the past tense, but the use of auxiliaries after the verbs showed that they had not.
They initially used this form of writing deliberately to create more space in the mobile phones, probably knowing the correct spelling.
Summary
Findings and conclusions
- Findings with regard to educators
- Findings with regard to learners
Recommendations
