Name : Weni Ratnasari

Class : Rombel 3

Language Acquisition

Learner Errors and Error Analysis

Introduction
Learners make errors in both comprehension and production. Also, even adult native
speakers sometimes make errors. The study of errors is carried out by means of Error
Analysis (EA). In the 1970s, EA supplanted Contransive Contrastive Analysis (CA), which
sought to predict the errors that learners make by identifying the linguistic differences
between their L1 And target language.

Collection of a sample of learner language

The starting point in EA is deciding what samples of learner language to use for the
analysis and how to collect these samples. We can identify three broad types of EA according
to the size of the sample. A massive sample involves collecting several samples of language
use from a large number of learners in order to compile a comprehensive list of error,
representative of the entire population. The errors that learner make can be influenced by a
variety of factors. Decisions also need to be made regarding the manner in which the samples
are to be colllected. An important destinction is whether the learner language reflects natural,
spontaneous language use, or is elicited in some way.

Identification of Errors
Aa error can be defined as a deviation from the norms of the terget language. This
definition raises a number of questions, however, first,there is the question regarding which
variety of the target language should serve as the norm. A second question concerns the
distinction between errors and mistakes. An error takes place when the deviation arises as a
result of lack of competence. A mistake occurs when learners fail to perform their
competence. A third question concerns whether the error is overt or cover. An overt error is
easy to identify because there is a clear deviation in form. A covert error occurs in utterances
that are superficially well-formed but which do not mean what the learner intended them to
mean. A fourth question concerns whether the analysis should examine only deviations in
correctness or also deviations in appropriateness.

Name : Weni Ratnasari

Class : Rombel 3

Language Acquisition

Description of Errors
The description of learner errors involves a comparison of the learners idio-syncratic
utterances with a reconstruction of those utterances in the target language. It requires,
attention to the surface properties of the learners utterances. Perhapps the simplest type of
descriptive taxonomy is one based on linguistic categories. This type is closely associated
with a traditional EA under taken for pedagogic purposes, as the linguistic categories can be
chosen to correspond closely to those found in structural syllabuses and language text books.
An alternative to a linguistic classification of errors is to use a surface strategy taxonomy.
This highlights the ways surface structures are altered by means of such operations as
omissions, additions and regularizations. In order to identify these different kinds of errors,
however, it is necessary to interview the learner. The description of errors, like their
identifiction, is problematic. Even if the occur itself can be easily identified, it is often
problematic to determine what the error consists of.

Explanation of Errors
Explanation is concerned with establishing the source of the error, i.e accounting for
why it was made. This stage is the most important for SLA research as it involves an attempt
to establish the processes responsible for L2 acquisition. As Taylor points out, the error
source may be psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, epistemic, or may reside in the discourse
structure. Psycholinguistic sources involve such matters as the learners ability adjust their
language in accordance with the social context. Epistemic sources concern the learners lack
of world knowledge, while discourse sources involve problems in the organization of
information into a coherent text.
The distinction between errors and mistakes, which has already been discussed
with regard to the identification stage of EA, is also relevant in explaining deviatins
demonstrating the interdepence of these two steps in EA. Any deviation from target-language
norms may reflect either a problem in performance or in competence. It is customary to
distinguish another general source of errors. Induced errors occur when learners are led to
make errors by the nature of the instruction they have received.

Name : Weni Ratnasari

Class : Rombel 3

Language Acquisition

Evaluating Errors
Whereas all the preceding stages of EA have involved an examination of errors from
the point of view of the learner who makes them, error evaluation involves a consideration of
the effect that errors have on the person addressed. The design of error evaluation studies
involves decisions on who the adressees will be, what errors they will be asked to judge, and
how they will be asked to judge them. The judges can vary according to whether they are
native speakers or non-native speakers, and also according to whether they are expert or
non-expert.

The Limitations of Error Analysis

A frequently mentioned limitation is that EA fails to provide a complete picture of
learner language. We need to know what learners do correctly as well as what thay do
wrongly. EA is limited in a second way. Most of the studies are cross-sectional in nature,
affording only a very static view of L2 acquisition. As a result, EA has not proved very
effective in helping us understand how learners develop a knowledge of an L2 over time.

Summary
Error analysis (EA) was one of the first methods used to investigate learner language.
The first step in carrying out an EA was to collect a massive, specific, or incidental sample of
learner language. The sample could consist of natural language use or be elicited either
clinically or experimentally. It could also be collected cross-sectionally or longitudinally.