Errer Analysis: Errer Analysis


Grammatical Errors: Grammatical Errors I live in Milan for three years I am the responsible of the European market Before to pass to the last point …


Phonological Errors: It isn’t /ne’ses?ri/ We need better /e’k?pm?nt/ Please sit over there Phonological Errors


Errors of Word Order: In our division we introduced this year a very important system This year were introduced two new systems I go often to London Errors of Word Order


Lexical Errors: I want to remember you that … I forgot my umbrella at home We think that sales will surely rise. Do you want black or white tea? Lexical Errors


And in writing … Speling and, punctuation: I am responsible for developping software During my work, I often speak english I have lost a little, brown, dog And in writing … Speling and, punctuation


Errors of appropriacy: Good morning, dear colleagues … Go straight on and then turn left please (Manager to client) Please sit over there Errors of appropriacy


In written English …: In written English … (From an essay on the industrial revolution) Anyway, working in a factory was really uncomfortable The advantages and disadvantages of flying It has several disadvantages. Firstly, ….


Why might students make the errors in the following groups?: Why might students make the errors in the following groups? I am agree with you (Italian learner) He is the man who I saw him yesterday (Arabic learner) I have seen a good film last Friday (French learner) I watched television when they arrived (Finnish learner) He took off glasses and brushed hair. (Japanese learner) She good teacher (Russian)


1940s on - L1 interference: 1940s on - L1 interference Behaviourism : Learning occurs as a result of developing associative links between a given stimulus and a given response – ie learning is habit formation The L2 learner already has an established set of linguistic habits – his/her L1. These habits will interfere with production of the correct forms of the L2


Contrastive analysis – some quotes: Contrastive analysis – some quotes From the 40s to the 60s, CA was seen as : … a way of comparing languages in order to determine potential errors for the ultimate purpose of isolating what needs to be learned and what does not need to be learned in a second language learning situation.. Gass & Selinker (2001) Writers of the time claimed : The most efficient materials are those that are based upon a scientific description of the language to be learned, carefully compared with a parallel description of the native language of the learner. Fries (1945) ...those elements that are similar to his native language will be simple for (the learner), and those elements that are different will be difficult. Lado (1957)


Contrastive Analysis -Assumptions: Contrastive Analysis -Assumptions Language learning = habit formation L1 is the major source of error in L2 Errors can be explained by considering the differences between L1 and L2 The greater the differences, the more errors will occur Teaching should focus on dissimilarities; similarities require little new learning Difficulties in and ease of learning can be predicted by the differences and similarities between L1 and L2


Late 1960s on …: Late 1960s on … Interest in cognitive processes Researchers (eg Pit Corder 1967) started questioning whether L1 interference could explain all errors. (Also pointed out that it could be positive – suggested the word transfer rather than interference)


Overgeneralisation: Yesterday I goed to the shops and I buyed some apples He had no words to express his gratefulness Do you can play tennis? She works very hardly Overgeneralisation


Ignorance of Rule Restrictions: Ignorance of Rule Restrictions My sister is elder than I am He has much money Aberdeen is far from London


Simplification: (Intermediate students during a warm-up discussion in pairs) I saw a nice sweater and I buy it My brother live in Turin (See Richards 1985 for a discussion of these and other reasons for error) Simplification


Errors and Mistakes: Errors and Mistakes Errors occur when the learners do not know the rules. May be because : they have never encountered the rule they have encountered the rule but forgotten about it they have encountered the rule but misunderstood it Errors will be systematic and cannot be self corrected by the learner.


Errors and Mistakes: Errors and Mistakes Mistakes are a performance slip. May be caused by anxiety, tiredness, the challenge/stress of the communicative situation etc. Will be non-systematic and can be self-corrected by the learner


Teacher Induced Inaccuracy: T : Ask Aleksei where Pia lives. S : Where Pia lives? T : What’s he reading? S : He reading a newspaper. T : Do you read much? S : Yes, I read much. Teacher Induced Inaccuracy


Interlanguage (1): Interlanguage (1) Any learner, at any moment in the learning process, will have a specific L2 competence which may reflect NS competence to a greater or lesser extent. This L2 competence (interlanguage) is subject to change. Learners add, delete or change rules as the learning process progresses.


Interlanguage (2): Interlanguage (2) If this change no longer takes place, the learner's competence may fossilise. Fossilisation occurs when a learner stops learning while the internalised grammar contains rules which are still different from those of the target system.


1980s – SLA Theory: 1980s – SLA Theory Research into child L1 acquisition had shown that bound morphemes are acquired in a similar order by children learning English. Eg : the -ing marker on verbs signalling the present progressive form appears early. Sentences like Mommy sleeping will be common, with the auxiliary is (Mommy is sleeping) appearing much later. This, and other similar results, led researchers to posit the existence of a natural order of morpheme acquisition


A natural order of L1 morpheme acquisition?: A natural order of L1 morpheme acquisition? 1. Present progressive (-ing) 2/3. Preposition in/on 4. Plural (-s) 5. Past irregular 6. Possessive (-’s) 7. Uncontracted copula (is, am, were) 8. Articles (a, the) 9. Past regular (-ed) 10. Third person regular (-s) 11. Third person irregular


A natural order of L1 morpheme acquisition?: A natural order of L1 morpheme acquisition? Stage 1 : Rising intonation He work today? Stage 2 : Intonation Yes/no questions: You like this? Wh questions: Why you catch it? Stage 3 : Beginning of inversion Can I go? Is that mine? But Why you don’t have one? Stage 4 : Inversion Do you like ice cream? do in yes/no but not wh-questions Stage 5 : Inversion with wh-question - Why can he go out? But - Why he can’t go out? No inversion with negative Stage 6 : Overgeneralization of inversion I don’t know why can’t he go out.


SLA Research: SLA Research Posited and claimed to find a similar fixed order of morpheme acquisition in L2 learners as in the child language acquisition research Interpreted as evidence for a "natural order" in SLA.


Creative construction theory: Creative construction theory “...the subconscious process by which language learners gradually organize the language they hear, according to the rules they construct to understand and generate sentences.” (Ellis, 1994, p 698)


Creative construction theory: Creative construction theory Rules of target language worked out (subconsciously) by cognitive processes like generalization Similar to L1 acquisition process (e.g. similar acquisition orders) Creates forms not found in target language (she goed to school) L1 not important "Natural" development route


And so …?: And so …? What do we do about inaccuracy? Is there any point doing anything? Can feedback be effective?