LEARNER LANGUAGE

Trifita Setyaningrum
 Learner is the language produced by people who are learning an L2 and
usually contains errors and mistakes
Language

Investigated through

Kinds of Errors

How Errors Change over Time

Collecting Describing
language language
samples samples
Developmental Pattern Identification

Variability Examination
 Errors reflect gaps in a learner’s knowledge; learner
does not know what is correct

Distingushing
Errors from
Mistakes

Mistakes reflect occasional lapses in performance;

the learner is unable to perform what he/she knows
 Advantages:
OR S
ER R

They are a conspicuous feature of learner language

It is useful for teachers to know what errors learners make

It is possible that making errors may actually help learners to learn through self-
correction
 How to identify:
OR S
ER R

Learners’ language compare Correct form of L2

 Steps to identify:
OR S
ER R
Consistent error

Check the consistency

Not consistent mistake

Not Successful error

Ask the learners to correct
their deviant utterances

Successful mistake
 Description:
OR S
ER R

Classify errors into grammar categories

Identify general ways in which language learner is different from L2 correct form

misformation

omission misordering
 Explanation:
OR S
ER R
He bring a book
systematic
omission

overgenerali
predictable They eated fish
zation

universal
Transfer
We went at China
errors

regional Shared among people having same mother

tongue or same linguistic property
STAGES OF L2
ACQUISITION

as a preparation for subsequent production; sometimes they talk to

Silent Period
themselves

Ready-to-use-expressions
Formulaic chunks: e.g:
Can I have a ________?
How do you do?
Begin to speak

Leave some words out

Propositional e.g:
simplification Me no blue.
Maybe can.

begin to learn grammar Order of acquisition

Order of English Grammar Acquisition

-ing

be

Plural -s

articles

Irregular past

Regular past

Third person -s
 Criticisms:
Order of English Grammar Acquisition

Order of accuracy is not the same as order of

acquisition.

Others show that the orders vary somewhat according to learners’

first language.

It treats acquisition as a process of accumulating linguistics

structures.
U-shape / Restructuring Acquisition

1. Learners fail to mark the

verb of past time.
1.
5. 2. Leaners begin to produce
eat irregular past tense form
ate
3. Learners overgeneralize
the regular past tense
2. 4. form
ate ated
4. Sometimes learners
produce hybrid form

3. 5. Learners produce correct

eated irregular past tense form
 Some common errors in
English Verbs

Verbs of events + - ed

Indicate that
Verbs of activities + - ing error is far
from random

Verbs of state Simple form

 Some Implications to Error
Analysis

Language learning should be arranged in a systematic way from the easiest to

systematic
the most difficult, adjusting itself to the internal cognitive mechanisms
control acquisition

Is it possible that the orders and sequences of

acquisition be altered through formal
instruction?
 Variability in Learner Language

Variability in L2 which reflects a variable system of form-function mappings is according to:

Whether a verb shows event, activity, or state

Formal or informal situation

Whether the learner has a chance to prepare before produce the

language
 Variability in Learner Language

Variability in L2 may be evident at different stages of development:

Learners begin by acquiring a single form and use it for a variety

1 of functions.

Learners acquire another verb form but initially they use these interchangeably
2 with the simple form.

3 Learners start to use the form systematically.

Learners eliminate the non-target forms and use the target-language form to
4 perform the same function as native speakers
 Variability in Learner Language

However, not all learners reach the completion stage for

every grammatical structure. Many will continue to show
non-target language variability; and that brings about
fossilization. It happens when learners stop developing
while still short of target language competence
Thank You