Error Analysis with Examples and Details

1. By: Syeda Uzma Paiam

2. Outline
• Objectives
• Introduction To Error Analysis
• Difference between error and mistake
• Types Of Errors In Linguistics
• Forms Of Errors
• Sources/Causes Of Errors
• Steps In Error Analysis
• Conclusion

3. Objectives
At the end of this presentation students will be
able to:
• Define error and error analysis
• Identify the different types of errors
• Explain the sources of errors
• Describe the process of error analysis

4. What is an error?
• An error is a systematic deviation from the rules
of the target language
• Errors occur when learner deviates from the
norms of the language being learned.
• An error is the use of a word, speech or
grammatical items in such a way it seems
imperfect and indicates an incomplete learning.

5. Difference Between Error And Mistake
Error Mistake
Error is systematic deviation Mistake is random deviation
Error cannot be self corrected Mistake can be self corrected
Errors occur due to incomplete
learning
Mistakes occur due to
carelessness

6. Error analysis
• Error analysis, a branch of “applied linguistic”
developed by Pit Corder in 1960s.
• Error analysis is the study of errors made by the
second and foreign language learners.”
• It is the process to observe, analyze, and classify
the deviations of the rules of the second

7. Why Error Analysis Is Done?
1. To find out the level of language proficiency
the learner has reached.
2. To obtain information about common
difficulties in language learning.
3. To find out how people learn a language.

8. Types of errors
There are two types of errors
1. Interlingual errors
2. Intralingual errors

9. 1. Interlingual Errors
• Errors that occur due to the negative influence
the mother tongue on the performance of target
language are interlingual errors.
• It depends on linguistic differences between
the first language and the target language.

10. Interlingual Errors
tree”
ship”
• Examples
• Substitution of words like “ three
• Shortening of long vowels like “sheep
, “meet mit”
• Transfer of the morphological elements of L1
Two pig took the role of leader (pigs)

11. 2. Intralingual Errors
• Intralingual error is an error that takes place due
to a misuse of a particular rule of the target
language
• Intralingual errors occur due to the faulty or
partial learning of target language.
• it is, in fact, quite the opposite of Interlingual
error, it puts the target language into focus.

12. Intralingual Errors
• Examples:
• Overgeneralization when a learner uses the
regular past tense verb ending -ed like “I
walked” to produce sentences like “I
goed” or “I rided” because he thinks that “ed”
rule can be applied to every verb.
• Faulty categorization she wants to lives in
Paris (live)

13. Forms Of Errors
• Omission
Leaving out some required linguistic elements.
Example: My father is doctor (instead of My father is a doctor)
• Addition
Unnecessary use of certain elements in sentences
Example: Please answer to my letter soon.
• Substitution
Replacement of incorrect elements for correct ones
Example: I am not afraid from dogs.

14. Sources/Causes Of
Errors

15. Sources/Causes Of Errors
1. Overgeneralization
2. Incomplete application of rules
3. Transfer error
4. The teaching style
5. The materials
6. Literal Translation
7. Communication strategies.
8. Carelessness and lack of motivation can also be a
source of error

16. Steps In Error Analysis
Collection of
Data
Identificationof
Data
Description
of Errors
Explanation of
Errors
Correction of
Errors

17. 1. Collection of Errors
• The first stage of error analysis is ‘collection of error’.
In this stage We have to collect the relevant data that
contains errors committed by the language learners.
Data may be written or spoken, general or specific

18. 2. Identification of Errors
• In second stage, existing errors in data are
identified. It means distinguishing errors. For
this, errors are distinguished from mistakes in
general.
• Errors are distinguished from mistakes on the
basis of their occurring frequency.

19. 3. Description of Errors
• Description of the errors is a comparative process
between the learner’s incorrect sentence and correct
statement to show where the learner has committed
the error.
• The description of errors follows the categorization
of errors such as grammatical errors which includes.
Omission, Addition, Substitution ,wrong
transformation, wrong plural formation and use of
wrong verb forms etc

20. 4. Explanation of Errors
• The explanation of errors is concerned with
accounting for why and how errors come
about.
• The explanation of errors is an investigation
into the reasons as to why the learner has
deviated from the rules of the target
language.
• In other words we can say that explanation of
error means determining the causes of error.

21. Correction of Errors
• In the correction of errors, the teachers
correct the errors or the learners correct
themselves under the guidance of the teacher.
It is not the actual stage of error analysis but
goal of error analysis.

22. Conclusion
• Error analysis is a useful technique to define the learner’s
errors of second language.
• It is beneficial to the learner and the teacher both
because it gives valuable feedback to both teachers and
learners regarding strategies and progress.
• It is compulsory to evaluate the current status of the
learner. It also indicates the problem areas and the
solutions of them.