Chapter2-Learner-errors-and-error-analysis

Chapter2Learnererrorsanderroranalysis•OutlineI.CollectionofasampleoflearnerlanguageII.IdentificationoferrorsIII.DescriptionoferrorsIV.ExplanationoferrorsV.EvaluationoferrorsVI.ThelimitationsofEAI.Collectionofasampleoflearnerlanguage•ThreetypesofEAaccordingtothesizeofthesample•(1)Amassivesample(involvescollectingseveralsamplesoflanguageusefromalargenumberoflearnersinordertocompileacomprehensivelistoferrors,representativeoftheentirepopulation)•(2)Aspecificsample(consistsofonesampleoflanguageusecollectedfromalimitednumberoflearners)•(3)Anincidentalsample(involvesonlyonesampleoflanguageuseproducedbyasinglelearner)FactorstoconsiderwhencollectingsamplesoflearnerlanguageA.Language(1)Medium(learnerproductioncanbeoralorwritten)(2)Genre(learnerproductioncantaketheformofaconversation,alecture,anessay,aletter,etc.)(3)Content(thetopicthelearneriscommunicatingabout)B.Learner(1)Level(elementary,intermediate,oradvanced)(2)Mothertongue(thelearner’sL1)(3)Languagelearningexperience(classroomornaturalisticoramixtureofthetwo)II.Identificationoferrors•Anerrorcanbedefinedasadeviationfromthenormsofthetargetlanguage.Thisdefinitionraisesanumberofquestions:•Whichvarietyofthetargetlanguageshouldserveasthenorm?•Asecondquestionconcernsthedistinctionbetweenerrorsandmistakes(Anerrortakesplacewhenthedeviationarisesasaresultoflackofknowledge,alackofcompetence.Amistakeoccurswhenlearnersfailtoperformtheircompetence)•Istheerrorovertorcovert?(Anoverterroriseasytoidentifybecausethereisacleardeviationinform,whileacoverterroroccursinutterancesthataresuperficiallywell-formedbutwhichdonotmeanwantthelearnerintendedthemtomean)•Shouldtheanalysisexamineonlydeviationsincorrectnessoralsoinappropriateness?(Theformerinvolvesrulesofusageandthelatterinvolvesrulesoflanguageuse)•Toovercomethesedistinctions,Corderproposesanelaborateprocedureforidentifyingerrors(p53).Thisprocedureacknowledgestheimportanceofinterpretationanddistinguishesthreetypes:normal,authoritative,andplausible.(52)III.Descriptionoferrors•Asurfacestrategytaxonomyoferrors:Category(1)Omissions(theabsenceofanitemthatmustappearinawell-formedutterance,e.g.Shesleeping)(2)Additions(thepresenceofanitemthatmustnotappearinwell-formedutterances,e.g.Wedidn'twentthere)(3)Misinformations(theuseofthewrongformofthemorphemeorstructure,e.g.Thedogatedthechicken.)(4)Misorderings(theincorrectplacementofamorphemeorgroupofmorphemesinanutterance,e.g.Whatdaddyisdoing?)•Threetypesoferroraccordingtotheirsystematicity:(1)Presystematicerrors(occurwhenthelearnerisunawareoftheexistenceofaparticularruleinthetargetlanguage.Thesearerandom.)(2)Systematicerrors(occurwhenthelearnerhasdiscoveredarulebutitisthewrongone)(3)Postsystematicerrors(occurwhenthelearnerknowsthecorrecttargetlanguagebutusesitinconsistently,i.e.makesamistake)IV.Explanationoferrors•Explanationconcernswithestablishingthesourceoftheerror,i.e.accountingforwhyitwasmade.Theerrorsourcemaybepsycholinguistic,sociolingustic,epistemic,ormayresideinthediscoursestructure.SLresearchhasattendedonlytothefirstofthese.•Psycholinguisticsourcesoferrors:(1)competence((errors---transfer,intralingual(e.g.overgeneralization,transitionalcompetence)andunique(e.g.induced))(2)performance(mistakes---processingproblems,communicationstrategies)•Transfererrorscanbefurtherdivided:(1)overextensionofanalogy,(2)transferofstructure,(3)interlingual/intralingualerrors•Intralingualerrorsarealsooftenfurthersubdivided:(1)overgeneralizationerrors,(2)ignoranceofrulerestrictions,(3)incompleteapplicationofrules,(4)falseconceptshypothesized.V.Evaluationoferrors•Errorevaluationinvolvesaconsiderationoftheeffectthaterrorshaveontheperson(s)addressed.•Thedesignoferrorevaluationstudiesinvolvesdecisionsonwhotheaddressees(i.e.thejudges)willbe,whaterrorstheywillbeaskedtojudge,andhowtheywillbeaskedtojudgethem.•Threemainresearchquestionsthaterrorevaluationstudieshaveaddressed:(1)Aresomeerrorsjudgedtobemoreproblematicthanothers?(2)AretheredifferencesintheevaluationsmadebyNSandNNS?(3)Whatcriteriadojudgesuseinevaluatinglearners’errors?•NSjudgestendtojudgelexicalerrorsasmoreseriousthangrammaticalerrors,andglobalgrammaticalerrorsasmorelikelytointerferewithcomprehensionthanlocalerrors.NNSjudgesseemtobeespeciallyhardonmorphologicalandfunctorerrorsincomparisontoNSjudgeswhotendtoevaluatelexicalandglobalerrorslessseverelythanNSjudges.VI.Thelimitationsoferroranalysis•TherehavebeenanumberofcritiquesofEA.BellgoessofarastocallEAa“pseudoprocedure”.Thecriticismsfallintotwomaincategories:(1)weaknessesinmethodologicalprocedures,and(2)limitationsinscope.•AfrequentlymentionedlimitationisthatEAfailstoprovideacompletepictureoflearnerlanguage.•Mostofthestudiesarecross-sectionalinnature,affordingonlyaverystaticviewofL2acquisition.Inmanycaseslittlehasbeentakentoseparateouttheerrorsmadebylearnersatdifferentstagesofdevelopment.•Learnersmayresorttoavoidanceiftheyfindastricturedifficult,andEA,focusingexclusivelyonwhatlearnersdo,hasnowayofinvestigatingavoidanceandis,therefore,seriouslylimited.Chapter3Developmentalpatterns:orderandsequenceinsecond