LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:5 May 2014
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Error Analysis in English Written Essays of Undergraduate Students of Northeast Normal University Changchun

Judith Makse Patrick, Zhong Yang & Mingcai Sui

Abstract

This study carried out an error analysis on written essays of forty-nine (49) third year undergraduate students, offering their major courses in English in the school of foreign languages, Northeast Normal University Changchun with Chinese as their mother-tongue. The instrument for data collection was a narrative essay written by each participant in class. Errors were identified and classified under eleven categories of the grammatical aspect. Six of these errors which were 5% and above were rated as most common; and these included; verb- tense, word order, preposition, punctuation, omission and spelling.

The study further highlighted the fact that mother -tongue has a high influence on errors identified from participants’ essays. The exposure of these errors should be a point of reference and focus for teachers to guide the students. It would also be an opportunity to improve their methods of teaching; and educate students on more similarities and dissimilarities in grammatical rules of Chinese and English languages. These participants and others, studying in English as a second or foreign language; should have a high command on vocabulary and the respective rules of grammar to produce improved written essays irrespective of their areas of specialty in the university.

Keywords: Error analysis; errors, grammatical rules; written essays; undergraduate students; second language; foreign language.

1. Introduction

Errors are inevitable in a second or foreign language learning situation. Error is due to the complex nature of English itself. The level at which errors are committed in language usage varies from one individual to the other (Onike 2007). The same author further posited that nobody learns a language without goofing. According to him, learners’ errors help them to understand the processes of second language acquisition instead of considering them as linguistic sins. He additionally cited Noam Chomsky (1998) stating that errors are unavoidable and necessary part of the learning process. They are visible proof that learning is taking place.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Judith Makse Patrick, Zhong Yang & Mingcai Sui
School of Foreign Languages
Northeast Normal University
Renmin Street NO. 5268
Changchun City
Jilin Province, zip code 130024
China
maksepatrick@yahoo.com (Correspondence Author)
yangz@nenu.edu.cn
mingcai5266@yahoo.com.cn
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