Learner-error-and-error-analysis

Learnererrorsanderroranalysis(EA)Outline•Partone:AnIntroductionoflearnererrors•Parttwo:EAresearch•Partthree:ReflectionsconcerningEAPartone:IntroductionoflearnererrorsAdefinitionoferrorLearnererrorsincomprehension&productionL1learnererrorsvs.L2learnererrorsSignificanceoferrorWhatisanerror?(Inthespeechorwritingofasecondorforeignlanguagelearner)theuseofalinguisticiteminawaywhichafluentornativespeakerofthelanguageregardsasshowingfaultyorincompletelearning.Inthestudyofsecondandforeignlanguagelearning,errorshavebeenstudiedtodiscovertheprocesseslearnersmakeuseofinlearningandusingalanguage.(LongmanDictionaryofLanguageTeaching＆AppliedLinguistics,1998.P237).LearnererrorsinComprehension&ProductionComprehensionerror﹡“Passmethepaper”→“Passmethepepper”/ei/→/e/Productionerror﹡MyfatherliveinNewYork.(=MyfatherlivesinNewYork.)L1LearnerErrorsvs.L2LearnerErrorsL1learnererrorsChildrenlearningtheirfirstlanguage﹡IgoesseeAuntieMay.(=IwenttoseeAuntieMay.)﹡Eatingicecream.(=Iwanttoeatanicecream.)﹡Nowritinginbook.(=Don’twriteinthebook.)Adultnativespeaker﹡MyfatherliveinManchester.(=MyfatherlivesinManchester.)→Children’s‘errors’areseenas‘transitionalforms’andadultnativespeakers’errorsas‘slipofthetongue’,whereasL2learners’errorsaregenerallyviewedas‘unwantedforms’(George,1972).SignificanceofErrorCordernotedthaterrorscouldbesignificantinthreeways:(1)theyprovidedtheteacherwithinformationabouthowmuchthelearnerhaslearnt,(2)theyprovidedtheresearcherwithevidenceofhowlanguagewaslearnt,(3)theyservedasdevicesbywhichthelearnerdiscoveredtherulesofthetargetlanguage.Whereas(1)reflectsthetraditionalroleofEA,(2)providedanewrolethatisofprimaryinteresttotheL2researcherbecauseitcouldshedlighton(3)-----theprocessofL2acquisition.AdefinitionofEAThehistoricaldevelopmentofEAContrastiveAnalysisvs.ErrorAnalysisAfullsetofsuccessivestepsinEAresearchParttwo:EAresearchErrorAnalysisErrorAnalysis(EA)isdefinedas“thestudyandanalysisoftheerrorsmadebysecondlanguagelearners”.EAdevelopedasabranchofappliedlinguisticsinthe1960s,andsetouttodemonstratethatmanylearnererrorswerenotduetothelearner’smothertonguebutreflecteduniversallearningstrategies.EAwasthereforeofferedasanalternativetoCA.Attemptsweremadetodevelopclassificationsfordifferenttypesoferrorsonthebasisofthedifferentprocessesthatwereassumedtoaccountforthem.(LongmanDictionaryofLanguageTeaching＆AppliedLinguistics,1998P237-238).ThehistoricaldevelopmentofEATraditionallyTheanalysisoflearnererrorshadlongbeenapartoflanguagepedagogy.Theultimategoalsofresearchstudiesaretoputtheteacherinabetterpositiontodecidehowteachingtimeshouldbespent.Untilthe1970s,EAbecamearecognizedpartofappliedlinguistics,adevelopmentthatownedmuchtotheworkofCorder.ContrastiveAnalysisvs.ErrorAnalysisThestudyoferrorsiscarriedoutbymeansofErrorAnalysis.Inthe1970s,EAsupplantedCA.TheunderlyingassumptionofCAwasthaterrorsoccurredprimarilyasaresultofinterferencewhenthelearnertransferrednativelanguage‘habits’intotheL2.CAgavewaytoEA.→CAlookedatonlythelearner’snativeandtargetlanguage(i.e.fully-formedlanguages),EAprovidedamethodologyforinvestigatinglearnerlanguage.AfullsetofsuccessivestepsinEAresearchCorder(1974)suggeststhefollowingstepsinEAresearch.1.Collectionofasampleoflearnerlanguage2.Identificationoferrors3.Descriptionoferrors4.Explanationoferrors5.EvaluationoferrorsTheFirststepThefirststep:CollectionofasampleoflearnerlanguageThreebroadtypesofEAaccordingtothesizeofthesample:Amassivesampleinvolvescollectingseveralsamplesoflanguageusefromalargenumberoflearnersinordertocompileacomprehensivelistoferrors,representativeoftheentirepopulation.Aspecificsampleconsistsofonesampleoflanguageusecollectedfromalimitednumberoflearners.Anincidentalsampleinvolvesonlyonesamplelanguageuseproducedbyasinglelearner.MostpublishedEAshaveadoptedspecificorincidentalsamples.ThreeissuesconcerningcollectingsamplesTheerrorsthatlearnersmakecanbeinfluencedbyalargenumberoffactors.Unfortunately,manyEAstudieshavenotpaidsufficientattentiontothesefactors.FactorsDescriptionALanguageMediumGenreContentLearnerproductioncanbeoralorwrittenLearnerproductionmaytaketheformofaconversationThetopicthelearneriscommunicatingaboutBLearnerLevelMothertongueLanguagelearningexperienceElementary,intermediate,oradvancedThelearner’sL1ThismaybeclassroomornaturalisticoramixtureofthetwoSeveralfactorstoconsiderwhencollectingsamplesoflearnerlanguagearelistedbelow.Decisionsalsoneedtobemaderegardingthemannerinwhichthesamplesaretobecollected.Animportantdistinctioniswhetherthelearnerlanguagereflectsnatural,spontaneouslanguageuse,oriselicitedinsomeway.Naturalsamplesaregenerallypreferred.Adrawbackisthatlearnersoftendonotproducemuchspontaneousdata.Elicitationisnottobeconfusedwithtesting.Twokindsofelicitation:Clinicalelicitationinvolvesgettingtheinformanttoproducedataofanysort.Experimentalmethodsinvolvetheuseofspecialinstrumentsdesignedtoelicitdatacontainingthelinguisticfeatureswhichtheresearcherwishestoinvestigate.Anotherissueiswhetherthesamplesoflearnerlanguagearecollectedcross-sectionally(i.e.atasinglepointinti