2. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
What is an error??????
According to Corder(1973) “An error is a breach of
code.”
“The systematic study of deviations from target-language
norms in the course of second-language
acquisition, especially in terms of the learner's develop
ing interlanguage.(Dictionary.com)
3. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Errors are classified according to:
Modality (i.e., level of proficiency in speaking, reading
writing and listening)
Linguistic levels (i.e., pronunciation,
grammar,vocabulary,style
Form (e.g., omission, insertion, substitution)
Type (systematic errors/errors in competence vs.
occasional errors/errors in performance)
Cause (e.g., interference, interlanguage)
Norm vs. system
4. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Error analysis in SLA was established in the 1960s by SP
Corder and colleagues.
Error analysis (EA) was an alternative to contrastive
analysis(CA)
CA, An approach influenced by behaviourism.
Through CA Applied linguists sought to use the formal
distinctions between the learners' first and second
languages to predict errors.
Error analysis (EA) showed that contrastive analysis was
unable to predict a great majority of errors,
A key finding of error analysis (EA) has been that many
learner errors are produced by learners making faulty
inferences about the rules of the new language.
5. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
The advocates of EA draw a distinction between
“Error” and “Mistake”
“Technically two differenet phenomena”
Brown1994, Corder1967.
They took notion of Chomsky’s “Competence versus
Performance”.
Mistake as the failure in performance(Learner’s
inability is using knowledge of TL)
Error as failure in Competence.(An infringement of
the rule of TL language).
6. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Selinker (1972) in Richards (1974,p.37) reported Five sources of
errors.
i. Language transfer(also known as L1 interference, linguistic
interference, and crossmeaning) refers to speaker’s or writers
applying knowledge from their native language to a second language.
When the relevant unit or structure of both languages is the same,
linguistic interference can result in correct language production
called positive transfer.
Negative transfer occurs when speakers and writers transfer items
and structures that are not the same in both languages.
Men don't have babies, do they?
Often people answer:
"Yes" if we mean "yes, men don't have"
However, the correct answer for this question is "No"
7. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
ii. Transfer of training
Transfer of training refers to the effect that knowledge or abilities acquired in
one area have no problem in solving or knowledge acquisition in other areas.
Transfer of training is based on the theory of transfer of learning.
There are three types of transfer of training:
Positive Transfer
This is when prior learning or training facilitates acquiring a new skill or
reaching the solution to a new problem. In this situation the individual
performs better than he would have without the prior training.
Negative Transfer
This is when prior learning or training hinders acquiring a new skill or reaching
the solution to a new problem. In this situation the individual performs worse
than that he would have had he not been exposed to the prior training.
Zero Transfer
In this situation, past experience or training neither enhances nor hinders
acquiring a new skill or reaching the solution of a new problem.
8. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
iii. Strategies of second language learning
The term strategies, in the second-language-learning
sense, has come to be applied to the conscious moves made
by second-language speakers intended to be useful in
either learning or using the second language. Strategies can
be very different in nature, ranging from planning the
organisation of one’s learning (a metacognitive learning
strategy) through using mnemonic devices to learn
vocabulary (cognitive learning strategies) and rehearsing
what one expects to say (a performance strategy) to
bolstering one’s self-confidence for a language task by
means of “self-talk” (an affective strategy)
.
9. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Strategies of second language communication.
The use of the term "strategy" in second language communication is discussed,
and a typology of communication strategies is presented.
Communication strategies are those systematic devices a second language
learner uses in attempting to express precise meaning in the target language.
Definitions of learning strategies and communication strategies found in the
literature in this field are presented.
It is suggested that a second language learner, in theory, adopts either of two
principal communication strategies.
The learner may avoid difficult words or grammatical constructions by
producing something different than was intended or may omit the difficult
words.
This has been called a "risk-avoiding" strategy. In the opposite case, when the
learner adopts a "risk-taking" strategy, he uses all linguistic resources to express
his intended meaning.
These resources include paraphrasing, invention of new words, guessing, and
borrowing from other languages.
10. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Overgeneralization of TL/ linguistic material
The term overgeneralization is most often used in
connection with language acquisition by children. For
example, a young child may say "foots" instead of
"feet," overgeneralizing in making plural nouns.
"'If I knowed the last bug I eated would be the last bug
I eated, Phil said sadly.
The wrong use of the verbs “ know and eat”
11. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Some other causes of errors.
Ignorance of rule restriction.
Takes place becaus of the ignorance of the rule
restriction e.g Omission of third person singular s as
in. He want.
False concept hypothesized.
Some learners think that is is marker of present tense,
so the produce. He is talk to the teacher. Or was is the
past tense. It was happened last night.
Incomplete application of rules
12. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Fossilization
Some errors persist for long and become difficult to get rid
of.
An example of fossilized error is the lack of distinction
between the /p/ and /b/ sound in Arab ESL learners. We
hear them saying pird and brison instead of bird and prison
Error due to the effect of teaching
Faulty teaching can be the result of errors. Faulty teaching
material is another cause.
Some teachers are influenced by their pupil’s errors.
13. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Hyper-corrections.
Also called “induced error”. The teachers’ insistence
that Arab learners always make /p/ and /b/ sound
mistake make them realise that they cant correct
themselves.
14. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Language learning errors involove all language
components.e.g
Phonological
Morphological
Syntactic
lexical
15. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Researchers distinguish between two types of erros.
Local Errors
Do not hinder the process of communication and
understanding the meaning of an utterance.
Global Errors
More serious. Interfere with communication and
disrupt the meaning of an utterance
16. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Phonological
An example of phonological error for example is the
lack of distinction between the /p/ and /b/ sound in
Arab ESL learners. We hear them saying pird and
brison instead of bird and prison.
Morphological
Production of such errors as
Womans, sheeps and furnitures
17. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Lexical
Involves inappropriate direct translation e.g
This is the home that my father built.
The clock is now ten.
Syntactic
Errors in word orders, subject verb agreement.
The boys that I saw him is called Ali.
18. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
Guideline in correcting second language learning
errors.
Teachers should correct error affecting intelligibility.
The focus should be on Global errors rather than on
local erros.
High frequency and generality errors should be
corrected. E.g the omission of third person singular s
is high frequency and generality. The use of second
form after did is also of the same kind.
19. Nature and Purpose of Error
Analysis
The teachers should focus on errors affecting large
percentage of their students.
The focus should be on a specific topic. E.g the teacher
teaching present perfect tense should not discuss
about articles, preposition etc. this distracts attention.
