LINGUISTICS ERROR ANALYSIS IN WRITING RECOUNT

TEXT OF STUDENTS IN THE THIRD GRADE OF

SMP. NEGERI 6 MAKASSAR

BY GROUP 3 :
NURHIKMAYANTI (1652041011)
ANGGUN PRATAMA (1652042011)
WANDAH PUTRI BAHRAENI (1652041011)
ZAHRATUL AINI GANI (1652041011)
DIAN RAMADHANI (1652041011)

CLASS B OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITEARATURE
2018
 ABSTRACT

Abstract: This research was intended to (1) find out the student’s errors in writing recount
text and determining the types of error based on linguistics category taxonomy, and to (2)
investigate the students’ reason for making the errors. The subjects of this research were 90
students from IX BI2, D, and H at SMP.NEG.6 Makassar of 2017/2018 academic year. The
method used in this research was descriptive qualitative. The instruments of this research
were a survey and writing task. The result showed that based on linguistics category
taxonomy, mostly students made morphological errors in simple past tense meanwhile in
syntactical errors, mostly students made errors in the use if pronoun. The errors made by the
students happened because of the students’ lack of knowledge of English grammar and also
the influence of their first language.

Keywords: recount text, students’ error, writing

 BAB. I
INTRODUCTION

The four basic English language skills are divided into two categories such as receptive
skills and productive skills. Reading and listening are considered receptive skills whereas
speaking and writing are known as productive skills. Writing is one of the four basic skills.
The students start learning to communicate through written form as they begin to interact
with others at school level. The writing skill is more complicated than that of other language
skills. Even sometimes a native speaker of the English language may experience
complication in a tricky situation. Basically the writing skill requires a well-structured way of
the presentation of thoughts in an organized and planned way (Braine & Yorozu, 1998).
Advanced writing skill is one of the basic requirements for better academic
performance as well as other activities related to writing presentation (National Assessment
of Educational Progress, 2002). As a skill in English, writing has become an important skill
for future life because it is required in various aspects such as science, technology, and
others. Writing should become familiar in students’ daily life, because they do writing in
order to complete many tasks of their studies. Writing practice can help the students to
improve their vocabulary and of course increase their ability in grammar.
According to KTSP curriculum, the students at the third grade of junior high school are
expected to be able to write recount text. Recount text is one of the text genres that the
students learn. This text is written with the purpose to inform the readers or people about
something that happens in the past. It can be experiences and events. In fact, many students
find difficulty in writing. They are confused to use the correct grammar. They tend to ignore
the grammatical rules in writing.
According to Batston (1994) grammar is a structure and regularity that lies in a
language. This implies that each language has a certain rule to form a sentence. In addition,
Hornby (1995:517) states that grammar is rules in a language for changing the form of words
and combining them into sentences. In this study, grammar means the rules in a language for
changing the form of words and combining them into sentences in English. Therefore if a
person wants to master English, he/she must learn the grammar and how to use it properly.
Mary and Water (1995:90) as cited in Setiawan (2009) state that writing is complex
process since it is made of a large number of skills, not only one element that is used but also
all of language elements need to be considered such as: spelling, grammar, diction,
punctuation, etc. The ESL teachers include writing skills in the syllabus because this is an
essential element for students' academic success. (Kellogg, 2008) because writing helps to i)
reinforce the grammatical structure, ii) enhance the students’ vocabulary, iii) and assist other
language skills such as reading, listening and speaking.
All language learners tend to make errors when they learn a language. Language
learning and language error cannot be separated each other. Language errors frequently
happen in the language learning process. Even native speakers feel difficulty in showing a
good command of writing. (Johnstone, Ashbaugh,& Warfield, 2002).
Based on the explanation stated above, the researcher wanted to know the students’
errors in writing of recount text especially focuses on students’ linguistics errors and the
reasons why they made errors. The researcher conducted this research at the third grade of
Students at SMPN.6 Makassar.

Literature Review
The ability to write something in a productive way is an indicator of success during
the learning process (Geiser & Studly, 2001). Academic achievement is considered as a token
of a good indicator in language learning process (Benjamin & Chun, 2003). The productive
writing skill is considered a cognitive challenge, because it helps to assess language
competency, recalling capability and thinking ability. It demands to recall information from
long-term memory (Kellogg, Olive, & Pilot, 2001). Moreover, the ability of productive
writing requires sound ability of thinking on comprehensible matters (Nickerson, Perkins, &
Smith, 1985).
Carney (1990) found that 95% high school English teachers opine writing as an
important but only 19% assign it as an unimportant task because the process of assessment is
time consuming especially for lengthy assignments. At college and university level, marking
of students writing is both laborious and too little rewarded and appreciated by the
administration. According to Bok (2006), the writing skill of the students has been declining
even in American students. The cognitive domain has focused more on reading skill and
numeracy than that of writing skill (Levy, & Ransdell, 1995; Hayes & Flower, 1986;
Rijlaarsdam et al.,2005).
However Garcia (2008) designed Waking Minds Writing (WMW) as web-based
supplemental writing program that can assist the English Language Learners in developing
their exposure and ability in writing. WMW helps to devise a plan to teach the students well
in all genres of writing. This program provides instruction to improve grammatical structure
and syntax. It also provides the guidelines for solid assessment and evaluation.
 The process of mature writing requires a well organized planning (Hayes &
Flower,1980; Levy & Ransdell, 1995), the writer is involved in content problem and
rhetorical problem. Furthermore, an adequate memory helps to accelerate this process
(Bereiter & Scardamalia 1987; Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1991). The command over
handwriting and spelling is also an essential element for writing. It assists the students to
make their writing skill more meaningful and communicative (McCutchen, 1996; Graham,
Berninger, Abbot, Abbot, & Whitaker, 1997; Graham & Harris, 2000).
According to Grace (2007: 30) recount text is a text that tells the reader or listener what
happen in the past through a sequence of events. The generic structures of recount text are
orientation, event, and re-orientation. It is one kind of text that had been learnt by students
when they were in junior high school. It means that students had known about recount text
because it had studied in some meetings and they had good comprehend about recount text.
Actually, there are three types of recount text namely, personal recount, factual recount,
and imaginative recount, but in this research the researcher focus on personal recount text.
Personal recount text is a recount text that exposes an event in which the writer or the author
got involved in or acted in the event himself (Amiruddin: 2004).
All language learners tend to make errors when they learn a language. Language
learning and language error cannot be separated each other. Language errors frequently
happen in the language learning process. Foster (2005:87) states that an error is an individual
language user's deviations from standard language norms in grammar, syntax, pronunciation,
and punctuation. Moreover, Dulay, et.al, (1982:5) states error is something incorrectly done
through ignorance or carelessness. Errors occur in every situation such as the grammatical
errors.
People cannot learn language without first systematically committing errors.
Considering that there are many errors that students made, it is important for the teacher to
analyze the students’ errors in students’ writing. Error analysis is an activity to identify,
classify and interpret or describe the errors made by a person in speaking or in writing and it
is carried out to obtain information on common difficulties faced by him/her in speaking or in
writing English sentences.
Meanwhile, McKeating (1981:212-213) states that error analysis involves collecting
errors, studying them, classifying them in various ways and suggesting possible causes. Error
are studied in order to find out something about the learning process and about the strategies
employed by human beings learning another language.
In Indonesia, English is taught as a compulsory subject from junior high school up to
graduation level. English is not the mother tongue, it is a second language for them. That’s
why they feel it difficult to learn. The majority of the students think are handicapped and feel
an inferiority complex due to the lack of competency in the subject of English. Acquiring
facility in English gaining popularity in Indonesia in all walks of life day by day and has
become a status symbol and key to success. Therefore, this study is an attempt to find out the
students’ errors in writing especially in recount text and to investigate the students’ reason for
making the errors in order to formulate the effective strategy/method in teaching English for
enhancing students writing skills.

Objectives of The Study

The major objectives of the study were bifurcated into following categories:
(1) To find out the student’s errors in writing recount text and determining the types of error
based on linguistics category taxonomy
(2) To investigate the students’ reason for making the errors.
 BAB. II
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Research Instrument
In this research, the researcher used descriptive qualitative method. Leedy (1974) states
that a descriptive method simply looks with intense accuracy at the phenomenon of the
moment and then describes precisely what the researcher has seen. Widoyoko (2012) says that
qualitative research describes the way things were which was based on facts and stated in
statement or words form. In this result, it was useful and giving beneficial effect to investigate
and the variety of educational cases.
According to Arikunto (2010:173) population is a set or collection of all elements
processing one or more attributes of interest. In this case, the researcher interested to take the
population of the research was the third grades students of SMP.NEG 6 Makassar academic year
2017/ 2018. The total population of the research was 82 students : 30 students of class IX Bi 26
students of class IX D and 26 students of class IX H at SMPN.6 Makassar the 2017/2018
academic year.
The instrument was made by the researcher which directed students to complete their
writing task of recount text about holiday in 45 minutes with the minimum number of words
is 160. The instrument contains the instruction for students to write about their holiday
experience that must include the introduction, the events, and the personal comment about
what did they think/feel about that experience as the conclusion.
Data collection and Analysis
Techniques used in this research were a survey and writing task. Firstly, the researcher
gave the survey form to students in IX-E class about the topic they prefer to write in recount
text as the representative of all the students in the third grade. Then, after doing the survey,
the researcher asked the students to write a recount text about the topic they prefer to write
based on the result of the survey given before. The classes were selected to do the task is t
students from IX-Bi2, IX-D), and IX-H class. Then, after giving writing task to the students,
the researcher analyzed the data by using four steps 1) collecting the data from the students’
work 2) identifying students’ errors 3) classifying errors 4) calculating the percentage of
students’ errors with this formula:
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑠
𝑥 100% = ⋯ %
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠
(Nation, 1981:58)
 The researcher present the error classification based on the linguistic category
taxonomy from R.Politzer and Ramirez. It is divided into two categories they are morphology
and syntax as the following table.
 BAB.III
RESULT AND DISCUSSION

As previously stated, this study is intended to find out the students’ errors in their
recount writings based on the linguistic category taxonomy at the third grade of SMP.NEG 6
Makassar in academic year 2018.
LINGUISTIC CATEGORY TAXONOMY
Morphological Error Type Example
1. Simple past tense incorrect Irreguler past tense We go home
2. Possessive case incorrect Omission of ‘s My grandmother house
Syntax Error Type Example
 Use of me as subject Me and my cousins
1. Use of pronouns  Alternating use of pronoun to
possessive Its such a
 Omission of to be I very happy
2. Omission of verb
 Omission of be We looking at
 Subsitution of singulars for Many strawberry
3. Number plurals
 Regularization of plural I see beautiful fishes
Misformation of the next verbal
4. Modals I can to visit
word
5. Misorder part Verb before Subject Can I see

After collecting and analyzing the data, the researcher found that there were errors 625
of 12960 total words or 4.82% in morphological and there were errors 374 of 1572 total
sentences or 23,79% in syntactical. The highest frequency of errors based on morphological
in Linguistic Category Taxonomy was simple past tense incorrect with total frequency errors
565 or 90,4% and in terms of possessive incorrect especially omission of’s, there were errors
60 or 9,6%. Meanwhile, the highest errors frequency found based on the syntactical errors in
Linguistic Category Taxonomy was the use of pronoun with total frequency 298 or 79,67%.
The second place that was omission of verb 65 or 17,37%. Then, after omission of verb there
was number on the third place, 8 errors or 2,13%. Next, modals consists of two errors or
0,53% and the last, misorder part only has one error or 0,26%. These following chart provide
the result of the data analysis above.

Morphological errors
9.60%

Simple past tense

Possessive case
90.40%

Syntactical Errors
2.30% 0.53% 0.26%
17.37% Use of Pronouns
Omission of verb
79.67% Number
Modals
Misorder part

Based on the result of the research, the predominant morphological errors were only in
simple past tense incorrect. Syntactically, the most predominant type is the use of pronoun.
Whereas simple past tense formation constitutes the most predominant type of errors. This
case was caused by insufficient students’ knowledge about tenses. The students’ knowledge
extremely influences the students’ ability in making sentences. The insufficient knowledge on
it made the students unable to decide the correct tenses they should use.
In addition, Setiadi (2006) says that language learners whose mother tongue has no
tenses tend to have more difficulty in learning a target language which has tenses. As the
result, some of students got difficulties to change the verb because in Bahasa Indonesia there
is no verb changing in constructing sentences. It can be seen from their writing tasks that they
made, the students still used the verb go instead of went.
 Most of students omitted some grammatical items, such as to be (was/were) function as
copula in the sentences. Some of students used wrong preposition in their writings. Some of
students were also confused to use morpheme-s to indicate plural or singular. The errors
occurred because the students did not know which word should be arranged to construct
sentence. They were still confused in arranging sentences which have different tenses in
separate times. In line with Dulay, et.al, (1982:5) errors occur in every situation such as the
grammatical errors.
The errors which students made in this research are frequently caused by the lack of
knowledge of English and also the first language’s influences that influence their ability in
writing. However, that condition is still understandable because it serves beneficial
improvement for teachers and for the students, as it is supported by Dulay, et.al, (1982:138)
that errors are the flawed side of learner’s speech or writing.
People cannot learn language without first systematically committing errors. Moreover,
Hornby (1987) states that errors are considered as something natural and play an important
part in learning process. It can be concluded that the students make errors as the process of
learning. From the errors student can learn then make some improvements in learning process
and the teacher should facilitate them in improving English mastery, so that the target of
language learning can be achieved.
 BAB. IV
CONCLUSION

After conducting the research, doing the analysis, and presenting the result, the
conclusion and suggestion of this study is also presented. 1) Based on linguistics category
taxonomy morphologically and syntactically, the highest frequency of morphological errors
was simple past tense incorrect with percentage 90.4% meanwhile in syntactical errors the
highest frequency was the use of pronoun with percentage 79.67% 2) Those errors happened
because the students had difficulty in arranging sentences into grammatical correct form, the
influences of their first language, Bahasa Indonesia, and their lack of knowledge of English
grammar.

Suggestion
After presenting the research finding, the researcher gives some suggestions to English
teachers, students, and the next researcher who concern about teaching English writing to the
students in Senior High School level as explain below:
1. Suggestion for the English teacher should be aware of the essence of the application of
suitable teaching strategies in relation to improve students’ skill in writing and make
variation in teaching and learning process.
2. Suggestion for the students to keep improving their English writing especially in writing
recount text through having good knowledge about the components of recount text. And
also students need to increase their English grammatical rules and structure. By having
good understanding about the component of writing, the students can achieve better
English skill in the future.
3. Suggestion for the next researcher who interested in carrying out the research in similar
topic discussion it will be a reference and valuable source. The researcher also expects that
this research can be guidance for the next researcher who carries out a correlation in term
of the way analyzing their data in statistical design in the future.
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