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Error Analysis

This document discusses error analysis (EA) in second language acquisition. It defines EA as a methodology that identifies and explains errors made by language learners. EA analyzes multiple sources of errors, including interlingual transfer from the first language, intralingual transfer within the second language, and factors related to the learning context. The document outlines the emergence of EA in the 1960s as an alternative to contrastive analysis. It also describes the difference between contrastive analysis and EA, and lists the typical steps involved in analyzing learner errors, including collecting samples, identifying errors, classifying errors, explaining error sources, and evaluating error seriousness.

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ong Sakura
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245 views

Error Analysis

This document discusses error analysis (EA) in second language acquisition. It defines EA as a methodology that identifies and explains errors made by language learners. EA analyzes multiple sources of errors, including interlingual transfer from the first language, intralingual transfer within the second language, and factors related to the learning context. The document outlines the emergence of EA in the 1960s as an alternative to contrastive analysis. It also describes the difference between contrastive analysis and EA, and lists the typical steps involved in analyzing learner errors, including collecting samples, identifying errors, classifying errors, explaining error sources, and evaluating error seriousness.

Uploaded by

ong Sakura
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Error Analysis “EA”

1. Definition of the Term “Error”:


Present researchers use the term “Error” to refer to a systematic deviation from accuracy, or
correctness. In other words, a deviation from accepted rules of a language made by a learner of L2.

2. Difference between “Error” & “Mistake”:


In linguistics is very important to distinguish Error from Mistake, this table summarizes the difference
between the two terms:

3. Sources of Errors:
Under the influence of CA hypothesis, the sole source of errors was the transfer from L1, but with EA,
different sources were counted, among them:

3.1 Interlingual Transfer:


Interlingual errors are caused by the influence of the learner’s mother tongue (L1), these errors are
very frequent at the initial stages of L2 learning since the L1 is the only linguistic system the learner
knows, negative transfer takes place ( Eg: thinking in Arabic).

PS: The linguist “Douglas Brown” argues that when one is learning L3 & L4, transfer takes place
from all the previously learnt, but the degree is variable.

3.2 Interalingual Transfer:


Errors that results from L2 itself, there are different types of Interalingual errors, among them:

1- Overgeneralization:

Example: He eated apples yesterday  (the learner knows the rule of “ed” in past tense and he
generalizes it on all verbs).
2- False Analogy:

Example: Learner knows that “Dogs” is the plural form of “Dog”, so he/she assumes that “Sheeps” is
the plural of “Sheep”.

3.3 Context of Learning:


The setting where a language is learnt like in classroom or in social situations learners can make
errors due to a misleading explanation from the teacher.

3.4 Communication Strategies Used by Learners:


Learners use some communication strategies to get their message across to the hearer, among those
strategies:

➢ Avoidness: learner avoids certain items because he feels unsure about it in order to make his
communication easier.
➢ Prefabricated Patterns: is about the memorized sentences as in Tourists Survivals, the
learner memorizes the phrases without understanding the component.
➢ Language Switch: learners while trying to communicate use terms from L1 to replace the
unknown terms in L2.

4. Types of Errors:
Global Errors:
Violate rules involving the overall structure of a sentence; they make an utterance difficult to
understand. For example wrong words order in sentences.

Local Errors:
Those errors do not hinder communication & understanding the meaning of an utterance. For
example the use of articles & propositions …

5. Classification of Errors:
6. Definition of EA:
Error Analysis is a branch of Applied Linguistics, it is a methodology attempting to identify and
explain errors.

“The process of determining the incidence, nature, causes, and consequences of an unsuccessful
language” -James Carl 1998-

7. Emergence of Errors Analysis:


The field of “Error Analysis” in second language acquisition emerged in the 1960’s by “Stephen Pit
Corder” who is considered the father of EA. It was “promoted as an alternative-and superior-
approach to constructive analysis for understanding language learning” ( Ellis & Brakhuizen, 2005).

EA replaced CA which was abandoned by linguists due to its unreliability. Corder has shifted
researchers’ attention from the teaching perspective to the learning perspective and therefore from
CA, behaviorism and structuralism towards cognitive psychology and communicative approach. By
the late 1970’s EA was merely contributing to brooder second language acquisition theory and
research, as it still does today.

8. Difference between CA & EA:

Constructive Analysis “CA”:

• Focused more on errors of transfer.


• Analytical comparison/contrast between two languages in order to find out their similarities
and differences.

Error Analysis “EA”:

• Analyses multiple types of errors.


• Analyses the student’s errors in learning second language in order to find out the
reason/causes of the errors.

9. Steps of Analyzing Errors:

1. Collection of a sample of language’s learners (it can be oral or written).


2. Identification of error.
3. Description of errors (classifying errors into categories)
4. Explaining errors (explain why the error occurs & establishing its source).
5. Evaluating errors (how serious are errors and do they cause a lack of understanding).
10. Importance of Error Analysis:

• Provides the teacher with information about how far learners have progressed.
• Provides researchers with evidences of how language was learned.
• Provides opportunities for learners to learn and test hypothesis about the language.

11. Criticism of EA:


• Fails to provide a complete picture of learning language.
• "Schechter” criticizes that EA do not take into consideration the strategy of avoidance
(learner avoids what is difficult).
• Errors alone cannot provide details on what the learner actually know.

Presented by:
o NOUR Firdaws.
o MIHOUBI Sabrine.
o BAADJI Chaima.
o LAMICHE Abir.
Group : 06.

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