Chapter 3 The Description

of Learner Language

Preliminaries:

(1) Error Analysis (EA)

1) the change of attitudes toward errors
before late 1960s, seen as signs of learning failure;
in late 60s & early 70s, no longer seen as signs of
learning failure, but as the evidence for the learners
developing language system and can offer insights
into how learners process the language data. Thus
comes the study of learners errors --- EA

2) EA: its purpose

not only for improving LT, but for probing the
psychological/mental process of LL.
3) errors vs. mistakes
How to judge?
Should teachers pay much attention to students
mistakes?

4) EA: major steps

1.collecting errors
2.identifying errors
(to decide whether the learners ungrammatical
form is an error or not)
3.describing errors
(to classify errors)
4.explaining errors
(to find the source of the errors)
5.evaluating errors
(to evaluate which errors are more serious and
require more attention)

Step 3: describing errors

1. Corders classification of errors:
presystematic errors
systematic ~
postsystematic ~
2. intralingual errors
interlingual ~

Step 4: explaining errors

learning strategies:
interlingual t~
1. transfer
intralingual t~
2. overgeneralization
3. simplification
communication strategies
1. avoidance
2. language switch
errors resulting from LT: textbook E.

Step 5: evaluating errors

1. global errors (e.g. There has a book)
local errors (e.g. Im student)
2. criteria for evaluating errors:
a. intelligibility
b. acceptability
c. irritation

5)What attitudes should we hold toward students

errors?
Questions:
a. Should we correct students errors whenever they
occur?
b. Should all of students errors be corrected?
Assignment:
Identify language errors of your own or of others
and find out their sources.

6)
Comments on EA
1. contributions:
the first deep study of learner language
no longer regards errors as signs of non-learning;
regards errors as evidence of learners language
development
2. weakness
only focuses on learners errors, ignores learners
correct performance, therefore cannot give a full
picture of LL;
mostly cross-sectional study, few longitudinal
study, therefore provides us little information about
how learners language develops over time.

(2) developmental pattern in learners language

1) developmental pattern in L2A
silent period
l
formulaic speech

1. routines: expressions which are learnt as

unanalysed wholes.
e.g. How do you do?
I dont know.
2.patterns: expressions that are only partially
unanalysed and have one or more open slots
e.g. Can I have a ___________?
Would you like to __________?
*the role of formulae
syntactic and semantic simplification

2) natural route in language development

1.
morpheme study
2.
sequence of acquisition
3.
L1=L2 hypothesis

(3) Variability of leaner language

1) Selinker first put forward the term
interlanguage (IL);
2) definition (IL): learners systematic knowledge
of an L2 that is independent of both his target
language and L1.
NL

TL
IL

IL

3) learner language

3) variability of learner lg.

1. Systematic variability
event: He arrived yesterday.
linguistic context activity: He swimming yesterday.
state: He seems unhappy yesterday.
formal: My child is really troublesome.
situational context
informal: My kids a real pain.
planned speech: less mistakes
psychological context
unplanned speech: more mistakes

2. free variation
e.g. No look my card.
Dont look my card.
3. (Tarone)
vernacular style: like a cup of tea?
careful style: Would you like a cup of tea?

5)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Characteristics of IL:
systematic
permeable
transitional
variable
likely to fossilize (backsliding)

(4) pragmatic aspects of learner language

the study of speech acts in leaner language:
1.requests
2.apologies
3.refusals
Assignment:
Ques. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5