Error Analysis of the Written English Essays of Pakistani Undergraduate Students: A Case Study docx

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Error Analysis of the Written English Essays of Pakistani Undergraduate Students: A Case Study docx

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Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 29 Error Analysis of the Written English Essays of Pakistani Undergraduate Students: A Case Study Summaira Sarfraz, Assistant Professor, Email sumaira.sarfraz@nu.edu.pk Department of Sciences and Humanities FAST-National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences Lahore Campus, Pakistan Abstract The study aims to examine the errors in a corpus of 50 English essays written by 50 participants (undergraduate Pakistani students). These participants are non native speakers of English language and hail from Intermediate background with weak English writing skills. The instrument used for the study is students‟ written essays in English language. I followed Rod Ellis‟s (1994) procedural analysis of errors; collection of sample of learner language, identification of errors, description of errors, explanation of errors, and evaluation of errors in analyzing 50 English essays. The occurrences of two types of errors; Interlanguage errors and mother tongue (MT) interference errors have been compared and the results show that the percentage of the occurrences of Interlanguage errors is higher than those of errors resulting from the interference of mother tongue (MT). The study has provided an insight into language learning problems which occur when L2 learners internalize the rules of target language (TL) in its production at a particular point resulting into errors in an unknown and a more natural way. These errors serve as a useful guide for English teachers to design an effective curriculum for teaching and learning of English as a second language. Keywords: Non-native English speakers‟ essays, Rod Ellis‟s procedural analysis of errors, inter-language, target language, mother tongue, learning and teaching curriculum. 1. Introduction There is no known research conducted on the error analysis of English writing of Pakistani undergraduate students. This area holds significant importance to English language teachers for providing students‟ learning feedback along with the learning complexities that manifest the developmental process of L2. Therefore, the study examines the common errors that students commit in their English writing. Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 30 Writing is a highly complex task and writing in second language makes the task further complicated as it requires sufficient command over the second language to fulfill all the formalities; composing, developing logical ideas, which are essential for a written text to be comprehensible. While writing, a writer engages into the cognitive process of formulating ideas in MT and then translating them into TL. The current curriculum of English courses being taught at Pakistani schools and colleges are inadequate to equip students with the proficiency to write comprehensible, error free English language texts. Students writing in a second language are also faced with challenges related to second language acquisition such as language proficiency in TL and competence which underlies the ability to write in the L2. The English text books which are followed at our schools and colleges are mostly literature based and lack activities which can develop the linguistic competence of L2 learners. Since occurring of errors is a natural phenomenon which can occur in even L1 production, but it is more easily corrected by L1 user as he/she can quickly identify it as an error and knows its correction. Unlike L1 situation of error correction, L2 learner needs an effective feedback about his/her errors along with the appropriate remedial process to correct the errors and monitor the recurring process as a conscious process to minimize errors. English carries the status of L2 in our schools and colleges. Despite having spent 14-16 years in these education institutions, the level of English language proficiency of our students is far from satisfactory. The teaching emphasis of English courses in these institutions is more on imparting literature based knowledge, and that also of a literature of L2, rather developing four basic skills namely listening, speaking, reading and writing, therefore, the standard of English among Pakistani students of these institutions is on the decline. The students being weak in English, especially in their writing skills, commit multiple errors as they have been inadequately exposed to learning of L2. Committing errors is a reflection of a cognitive activity of a learner and tells us a great deal about the internalize process of language production. Therefore, error Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 31 analysis has given a positive dimension to examine errors, as “all language learning is based on continual exposure, hypothesizing and, even with the correct hypothesis, testing and reinforcing the ideas behind them” (Bartholomae, 1980: 97)[8]. 2. Literature Review Error Analysis(EA) is one of the most influential theories of second language acquisition (SLA) which replaced the Contrastive Analysis(CA) theory, whose major concern was “the comparison of two or more languages or subsystems of languages in order to determine both the differences and similarities between them” (Fisiak, 1981, p. 1) in 1970. CA regarded the influence of mother tongue (MT) on all the levels language; phonological, morphological, lexical and syntactic, in second language acquisition. Due to the weaknesses of CA in its pedagogical implications, EA emerged as a more effective tool for in the study of second language acquisition. According to James, EA is “the study of linguistic ignorance, the investigation of what people do not know and how they attempt to cope with their ignorance” (James, 2001, p. 62) [14]. The advocates of EA considered it important to draw a distinction between mistake and error, which are “technically two very different phenomena” (Brown, 1994, p. 205). Corder (1967) [7] took notion of Chomsky‟s “competence versus performance” distinction relating errors to failures in competence and mistakes to failures in performance. According to this notion a mistake occurs not because of lack of competence but because of processing limitations which indicates learner‟s inability in utilizing knowledge of TL. An error results an infringement of the rules of TL language and hence experience deviation in grammaticality of TL. Errors arise because of lack of competence. Native speaker can recognize and correct mistakes, but l2 learner need the linguistic competency in TL to identify errors and correct them accordingly. Error analysis focuses on the errors learners make by drawing a comparison between the errors made in (TL) and that TL itself. Pit Corder in his article, “The significance of Learner Errors” (1967) [17] has given Error Analysis a new dimension by answering to the question of L1 and L2 acquisition process being the same or not. Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 32 Corder‟s Proposal: “The same process is used for L1 and L2 acquisition:  Humans are born with an innate predisposition to acquire language  If we don‟t use the mechanism by puberty (Lenneberg), we lose the ability  If we do use the mechanism for L1 acquisition, it will be available for L2 acquisition  Main difference is one of motivation “I propose therefore as a working hypothesis that some at least of the strategies adopted by the learner of a second language are substantially the same as those by which a first language is acquired. Such a proposal does not imply that the course or sequence of learning is the same in both cases.” (p.166) Being exposed to TL, L2 learners get into a gradual process of trial and error in achieving the native like command over TL. In this process a learner gets into a language system which is independent of both MT and TL. Corder (1967) introduced the notion of Interlanguage (IL) which refers to the intermediate state of language learning as having a third language system based on its own unique grammar; lexicon morphology, syntax and so on. According to Interlanguage theory the intermediate learning state is a platform where a learner integrates the new knowledge (TL) systematically with the previous knowledge (MT) and restructure and reorganize the 2. Researchers have been suggesting alternative terms while referring to IL. Corder (1971) suggested the notions of “idiosyncratic dialects” (also see Ellis, 1985, p. 47 [10]; Brown, 1994, pp. 203-204; Freeman & Long, 1994, pp. 60-61) to determine if the language of a learner is eccentric and “transitional competence” to ascertain the dynamic nature of the developing system of the learners. (Selinker, 1972) [24] Considered IL as an adaptive strategy which uses simplification, reduction, overgeneralization, transfer, formulaic language, omissions, substitutions and restructurings. Learners follow these procedures which Corder (1967) called the learner‟s “built-in syllabus” (i.e. the interlanguage continuum) as they move from their MT to TL to achieve the required level of proficiency in TL. Nemser (1971) [19] gave the notion of “approximative system”, through which learner moves in the acquisition of TL. Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 33 In 1972, Selinker (in Richards, 1974, p. 37) [24] put forward the following five sources of errors: 1. Language transfer 2. Transfer of training 3. Strategies of second language learning 4. Strategies of second language communication, and 5. Overgeneralization of TL linguistic material. Researchers have been attaching a great importance to the social and cognitive factors in the studies of sources of errors. Investigating social factors provide evidence as to why some learners have better writing ability than the others and vise versa. This puts emphasis on the motivational aspect on language learning. The goals, attitude and motivation can why some learners prefer practice in their oral skills more than developing writing skills. “Gardner‟s (1985) [11] socio-educational model is designed to account for the role of social factors in language acquisition. It interrelates four aspects of L2 learning: the social and cultural milieu (which determines beliefs about language and culture), individual learner differences (related to motivation and language aptitude), the setting (formal and/or informal learning contexts), and learning outcomes.” (Myles, 2002) The model emphasized that the motivational factors “probably do not make much difference on their own, but they can create a more positive context in which language learning is likely to flourish" (Bialystok & Hakuta, 1994, p. 140). Information processing, in language acquisition, is essentially a cognitive activity. Perceiving, input of new information, formulating, reorganizing, all become a part of information processing. One of the important cognitive factors in second language acquisition is language transfer. Myles in her article “Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Student Texts” gave the following views of different researchers on the Language Transfer: “Transfer is defined as the influence resulting from similarities and differences between the target language and any other language that has been previously acquired (Odlin, 1989). Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 34 “The study of transfer involves the study of errors (negative transfer), facilitation (positive transfer), avoidance of target language forms, and their over-use (Ellis, 1994).” “Behaviorist accounts claim that transfer is the cause of errors, whereas from a cognitive perspective, transfer is seen as a resource that the learner actively draws upon in interlanguage development (Selinker, 1972).” [3] “In other words, "the L1 can have a direct effect on interlanguage development by influencing the hypotheses that learners construct" (Ellis, 1994, p. 342). “According to McLaughlin, transfer errors can occur because: [L]earners lack the necessary information in the second language or the attentional capacity to activate the appropriate second-language routine. But such an account says little about why certain linguistic forms transfer and others do not. (1988, p. 50).” Efforts are being made by non native English language teachers to study the patterns in the writing errors of non native speakers of English language to investigate the learning problems so to design an effective teaching material. Darus and Subramaniam (2009) in “Error Analysis of the Written English Essays of Secondary School Students in Malaysia: A Case Study,” made an attempt to “identify, describe, categorize, and diagnose the errors in English essay writing of the Arabic speaking Brevet students,” and concluded that “only one-third of the second language learner‟s errors can be attributed to NL language transfer, this is what this study came up with. Most of the errors are caused by an over application of L2. We do need to incite our students to speak English at home and with their friends in order to reduce the number of mistakes due to Negative L1 transfer, but we also need to try to teach more effectively the rules and conventions of writing.” 3. Methodology The procedural analysis of Ellis (1994) of Error Analysis is followed in the study. The procedure has the following steps: 1. Collection of sample of learner language: Written sample essays 2. Identification of errors: Actual 3. Description of errors 4. Evaluation of errors. 3.1. Participants Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 35 The participants of the study are the 50 undergraduate students of FAST National University. They are registered in the English Writing Composition course which is the second semester course of their Computer Science degree program. They have taken the Basic English language course in their first semester, which has a seven week of English writing module. All the participants come from the Intermediate background where English is taught as a subject course, hence their weak English language proficiency. 3.2. Instrument The instrument used in the study is essays written by 50 participants. The topic given in the essays was general but argumentative in nature. The participants were required to narrow it down to more specific one in order to develop the argument in 300-350 words. It was a guided activity as the participants were to follow the proper structure of an essay; interesting opening, thesis statement, logically coherent main body and relevant conclusion. The composition and expression of ideas were expected to be grammatically correct along with correct spellings. I checked all the 50 essays and collected the errors for the study. 3.3. Data of Errors I organized the data of errors according to the following steps: 1. Collection of sample of learner language: English essays written by non native undergraduate students. 2. Identification of errors: Actual errors 3. Description of errors: Categorization of errors based on their specific nature 4. Evaluation of errors: Affecting intelligibility of social acceptability. Table1. Error Analysis of 50 Essays (Annexure I) Identification Description Explanation Evaluation We people Literal translation We or we as a nation Exp: Literal translation of the words “hum log” from the Urdu language Error does not affects intelligibility and social acceptability Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 36 Very worse Grammar Worse Exp: Use of very with worse which itself shows comparative degree Error does not affects intelligibility and social acceptability From the starting Word usage From the beginning Exp: The word beginning will substitute starting. Although both have the same meaning but the art of using the appropriate word is a thing apart Error does not affects intelligibility and social acceptability 4. Results Results show that 61 out of 76 errors which were collected from the essays, resulted from learners‟ Interlanguage process and 15 errors were those which resulted from mother tongue (MT) interference (Table 2). Therefore, the percentage (Annexure II) of Interlanguage errors is 46.36% and the percentage of errors based on MT interference is 11.4%. The results show a significant difference between these two types of error occurrences. Table 2. Comparison between Mother Tongue Interference Errors and Interlanguage Errors (Annexure II) Items Mother Tongue Interference Errors Items Interlanguage Errors 1 We people 1 From the starting 2 Gradually gradually 2 Unsincere 3 4 5 Definately Philosiphy Critaria 3 4 5 6 Year‟s (years), Leader‟s (leaders) Effect‟s (effects) Politic‟s (politics) 5. Discussion In order to understand the errors committed by the participants, it is important to first discuss the errors which resulted from mother tongue interference first. In the course of L2 production in the essays, the learners who committed errors of MT interference seemed to have transferred some of the L1 structures into L2 but error occurred when there was no corresponding structures in the L2 e.g. the learner used “gradually, gradually,” which is a direct translation of a common Urdu phrase “ahista, ahista,” instead of „slowly and gradually.‟ Since the learner did not find a corresponding counterpart in TL, therefore, he/she transferred inappropriate properties of L1 into L2. In the case of some of the misspelled words, learners experienced phonological MT influence e.g. in the case Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 37 of “definately” the L2 learner spelt the word as spoken in day to day conversation with influence of [ eI] sound of MT instead of [I] sound of the underlined phone : def-i- nite-ly. The Interlanguage errors in the study have provided evidence of the inner working of the language learning process, and the language in use having an intermediate status between the mother tongue (MT) and the target language (TL). The application of the transitional rules has resulted into the systematic deviation from the TL. The participants‟ previous experience of exposure to English language was mostly confined to classroom only where the English was taught through grammar translation method. The participants were taught the rules of grammar first and were provided with insufficient learning environment to practice those rules. The participants feel a huge gap between the knowledge of L2 that they have and its relevant application. The errors which show redundancy e.g. “Poor people are becoming poor and more poor,” and affect intelligibility indicate lack of vocabulary and the overgeneralization of rules of TL. In the absence of sufficient practice, the learners produce the language system which deviates from the system of TL. There are some errors which, although, are errors by all technical definition but still they neither affect the intelligibility nor the social acceptability of an addressee in our culture. For example, “we people,” is an error which is very common among L2 learners as it occurs mostly because of MT (Urdu) interference, but the occurrences of such errors are so common in our culture that they tend to be overlooked. This tendency of overlooking an error which becomes acceptable due to its ability of being able to convey the intended meaning in a particular culture, can lead to fossilization. Fossilized errors in writing become ingrained and despite correction and remediation they reappear. Among the errors collected from the essays, one unique error has been indentified which will likely to open new areas of research in error analysis of English writing of non native speakers. One of the participants wrote “lyfe,” and “fite,” in the essay and later on in the same essay these misspelled words appeared with the correct spellings; “life,” and “fight.” These days, the reduced spelled words are heavily used in short Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 38 message service (SMS) and online chat. This shows the negative influence of theses technologies especially on L2 learners who are committing unwanted errors despite having the right understanding of otherwise a limited knowledge of rules of TL. Conclusion The results of the study show that majority of errors are grammatical resulting from Interlanguage process. Though, the participants were taught grammatical rules of TL previously but the lack of practice and positive feedback hindered the development of their proficiency in TL. Errors projecting redundancy show the lack of TL lexicon. Some of the errors indicate participants‟ carelessness in the writing which shows lack of motivation for TL. This is a very common phenomenon that L2 learner often feels demotivated and develop negative attitude towards the target language. It results from teachers‟ traditional role of overly correcting the errors and treating them as an object of undesirability. Another reason for demoralization is that since acquisition of a language is a cognitive activity, often L2 learners in our culture feel a psychological distance between them and the target culture. In Pakistan, language community of non- native speakers of English language, people mostly ignore the repeated errors, rather due to lack of linguistic competence, they are sometime unable to identify them as errors. This frequently leads to the social acceptance of an error. These errors can initiate further research into the error studies about the possibility of fossilization of such errors or at one point of being ceased to be considered as errors at all in the Pakistani English language context. Another area for potential research is to examine the errors caused by the influence of internet communication and SMS technology and propose mechanism for addressing the issue. Error Analysis can help the English language teachers to identify the problematic areas of language learning by providing a deep insight into learner‟s second language acquisition process. By studying the changes that occur in the errors of L2 learners in their continuous learning process, the teachers can predict the likely errors and can prepare their instructional material accordingly. [...]... implications for teaching System, 15, [6] James, C (1988) Errors in language 465-477 learning and use: Exploring error analysis [14] James, C 2001 Errors in language Harlow, learning and use: Exploring error analysis Essex: Addison Wesley Longman Limited Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press July 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 39 Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS... „ahista ahista and „rafta rafta‟ Repetition of this word, putting them together, is correct in the Urdu language but incorrect in English Suppose ones first language is Urdu but one is putting down that idea in English the error points towards not only lack of command over the second language but literal translation of the word or the phrase Spend a few million Exp: With the use of a few‟ the plural... form of the word million is by no means suitable Socrates Exp: Since the name sounds almost the way it has been spelt here in the Urdu language, this mistake can take place when one is not only unfamiliar with the correct spelling and pronunciation but the sound of „e‟ in Greek A lot of people came to the party The peoples of England Exp: Most of the people are altogether ignorant of the fact that „peoples‟... language attitude and motivation London: Edward in the context of Brunei Darulsalam In Arnold A. M [12] Richards, J C 1971 A Non-contrastive [5] Noor et al (eds.) Strategising teaching approach and Language Teaching Journal, 25, 204-219 learning in the 21st century Lee, to I error analysis (1997) ESL English Proceedings of the [13] Learners' European Journal of Social Sciences – performance in error. .. Exp: There is absolutely no need to use these two Error affects intelligibility and social acceptability Error affects intelligibility and social acceptability Error affects intelligibility and social acceptability Error affects intelligibility Error affects intelligibility Error affects intelligibility ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 46 Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291)... talking about a certain disease even if the name has not been mentioned in that particular clause it is understood that it points towards something significant hence needs to be preceded by the not a Pakistan Exp: All proper nouns begin with a capital letter Pakistan is the name of a country and a proper noun so the same rule applies here Beautiful Exp: The word full is a common word in the English language... is written in Urdu there is no Error affects intelligibility Error affects intelligibility and social acceptability Error affects intelligibility Error affects intelligibility ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 48 Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 Found/founded Differentiation Gradually gradually Literal translation Spend a few millions Grammar... vowel that might have been used in the word and that can easily lead to confusion and ambiguity resulting in such errors Catastrophe Exp: The word has been spelt the way it sounds Since there are many Greek words in the English language the rules should be made clear Rubbish/nonsense Exp: Although it is used in colloquial language rather frequently the word is not appropriate as far as formal writing is... singular whereas the verb used is one that should have been used with a plural noun as a result of which the subject and the verb convey different ideas and are not in harmony Do not Exp: Spacing is required because do and not are two separate words that come together to form a new word but they are still written as two separate words The latter merely succeeds Error affects intelligibility and social acceptability... intelligibility Error affects intelligibility Error affects intelligibility Error affects ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 42 Asian Transactions on Basic & Applied Sciences (ATBAS ISSN: 2221-4291) Volume 01 Issue 03 Quaid-e-azam/Punjab Article Dont Punctuation Does‟nt Punctuation Negetive Spelling mistake Catastrophi Spelling mistake Crap Use of slang Affect/effect Differentiation Ambission Spelling mistake Commiting . of Pakistani Undergraduate Students: A Case Study Summaira Sarfraz, Assistant Professor, Email sumaira.sarfraz@nu.edu.pk Department of Sciences and Humanities FAST-National University of. Computer and Emerging Sciences Lahore Campus, Pakistan Abstract The study aims to examine the errors in a corpus of 50 English essays written by 50 participants (undergraduate Pakistani students) 2011 ATBAS-10124032©Asian-Transactions 34 The study of transfer involves the study of errors (negative transfer), facilitation (positive transfer), avoidance of target language forms, and their

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