the classification of learners' errors

presented by: Najah A. Albelazi

Outline

What is an error ?

The distiction between errors and mistakes.

The classification of errors.

Global errors and local errors.

References

What is an error?

Errors are defined as a learner language form that deviates form , or violates, a target language rule.

"Errors are considered to be evedince of the learners'

developing competence in the foreign language. For example, they may indicate that learners are appling rules from their own firt language to the use of English, or that they are appling rules which they have internalised but which are in some way intermediate between their own first languages and the language they are learning". (Parrot, 1993).

What is an error?

"A learner’s errors are significant in (that) they provide to the researcher evidence of how language is learned or acquired, what strategies or procedures the learner is employing in the discovery of the language." (Corder, 1974)

The difference between errors and mistakes

An error cannot be self-corrected, while mistakes can be self-corrected if the deviation is pointed out to the speaker.

A mistake refers to a performance error that is either a random guess or a “slip” in that it is a failure to utilise a known system correctly....An error is a noticeable deviation from the grammar of a native speaker, reflects the competence of the learner.

Continued

Mistakes are what researchers have referred to as performance errors (the learner knows the system but fails to use it) while the errors are a result of one’s systematic competence (the learner’s system is incorrect).

The classification of errors

Linguistic-based classificationLinguistic-based classification: (keshavarz, 2012) classified the errors into four categories:

1. Orthographic errors:

a)sound / letter mismatch(as in; school, chair).

b) same spelling/different pronunciation (as in; read /ri:d/ in past - read

/rɪd/ in past participle)

c)similar spelling/different pronunciation (as in; mine- determine)

d)ignorance of spelling rules (as in; unhappy- univercity)

continued

2. Phonological errors:

a) lack of certain L2 phonemes of the learners’L1. ( Arabic lacks to the phoneme /p/

in its alphabets).

b) differences in syllable structure between the mother language and second

language(Arabic does not allow initial consonant clusters, so that Arabic speakers

have difficulties pronouncing English words beginning with two or three

consonants, such as sky and street)

c) spelling pronunciation of words( the learners tend to pronounce words as they are

spelled. Examples include top /top/, flood /flud/, watched /waʧɪd/).

d) the problem of silent letters ( as in half, know, eight,.....etc).

continued

3. Lexico-semantic errors: They are related to the semantic properties of lexical

items as in: *I am working 24 o’clock every week and *English

is alive language by which every one can convey his ideas.

continued

4. Morphological-syntactic errors: a)wrong use of plural morpheme as in *mouses,

*wifes. b)wrong use of tenses as in * he want a cup of tea. c)wrong word order as in *this is flower beautiful. d)wrong use of prepositions as in *I am afraid from

dogs. e)errors in the use of articles as in * I have a lesson in

morning.

Continued

Process-based classificationProcess-based classification of errorsof errors means the processes through which language learners make errors. Four main processes have been cited in the literature (Brown, 2002):

• Omission: leaving out some required linguistic elements * My father is doctor. * I am learn English well. * I bought three book yesterday.

• Addition: redundant use of certain elements in a sentence * They always discuss about different matters. * Please answer to my letter soon. * He was going to home when I saw him.

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• Substitution: replacement of incorrect elements for correct ones * I am not afraid from dogs. * His bigger brother is a teacher. * I always do many mistakes in spelling.

• Permutation: incorrect word order * We last night went to the cinema. * I don’t know why is he late. * My brother is a driver careful.

Continued

Corder (1974) also classified the errors into three types:I. Presystematic errors occur when the learner is

unaware of the existence of a particular rule in the target language. These are random. the learner cannot give any account of why a particular form is chosen.

II. Systematic errors occur when the learner has discovered a rule but it is the wrong one. the learner is unable to correct the errors but can explain the mistaken rule used and type.

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III.postsystimatic errors occur when the learners knows the correct target language but uses it inconsistently “makes a mistake”(e.g. The learner can explain the target language rule that is normally used).

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• Richards (1971), following Corder's classification distinguishes three types of errors with respect to their sources:

• 1-Interlingual errors: • Transfer of phonological elements of L1 as in /p/

and /b/.• Transfer of morphological elements, as in ‘*There are

three clever student in our class”.

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• Transfer of grammatical elements ,as in ‘*I’m going to school at 8 o’clock everyday’.

• Transfer of lexico-semantic elements, as in *We will arrive back to London after 5 o’clock/watch .

• Transfer of stylistic and cultural elements, as in ‘*Dr. Ali is he great doctor’.

Continued

• 2-Intralingual and developmental errors: • Overgeneralization, as in ‘*He comed

yesterday”.

• Ignorance of rule restriction: as in ‘ *There are many fishes in the lake’.

• False analogy: as in ‘*He thinks most woman should remain home and grow up children’.

Continued

• Hyperextension: as in ‘*The apples smelled freshly’.

• Hypercorrection: as in ‘*He doesn’t afraid of anything’.

• Faulty categorization: as in ‘*I enjoy to swim’.

Continued

3-Errors which are caused by faulty teaching techniques, and also called transfer of training errors, as in ‘*I am liking to continue my studies’.

Global errors and local errors Global error is one which involves the overall structure of a

sentence, for example; "I like take taxi but my friend said so not that we should be late

for school"

Local error is one which affects a particular constituent, for example;

"If I heard from him I will let you know"

References

Parrott, M. (1993). Tasks for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Keshavarz, M.(2012). Contrastive Analysis and Error Analysis, (2nd ed). Tehran: Rahmmana Press.

Brown, D.(2002). Teaching by Principles: An Intractive Approach to Language Pedagogy, (2nd ed). London;Longman.

Corder, S. P. (1974). Interducing Applied Linguistics. Harmondsworth: Penguin Book Ltd.

Richard, J. (1971). Error Analysis: Perspective on Second Language Acquisition. London: Longman.

Touchie,Y. H. (1998). Second Language Learning Errors: Their types, causes and Treatment. JALT Journalist. 8(1), 75-80.

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