A Study Of The Errors In Chinese College Students' EFL Writing

Error Analysis (EA), a branch of Applied Linguistics, has undoubtedly made greatcontributions to the study on second language learning. It not only throws some light onthe process of second language learning, but also helps us gain some insights into thestrategies learners employ in the learning process. A careful study of the writing errorsreveals the common problems shared by the language learners, which is believed to beof great help to both language teachers and language learners. This thesis, with Error Analysis (EA), Contrastive Analysis (CA), andInterlanguage (IL) as its theoretical guidance, analyzes the compositions written bysophomores in Xidian University. A classification of the errors is made first, followedby a discussion of the factors leading to the errors, with emphasis on the latter. Theanalysis shows that interlingual and intralingual errors are two major types, with theformer playing a more prominent role than the latter. Therefore, this thesis focuses onthe negative transfer of the mother tongue (including linguistic transfer, cultural transfer,and thought pattern transfer) and the learning strategies of the learners. Following theanalysis and discussion, relevant error correction methods and pedagogical suggestionsare put forward. In order to take full advantage of writing in language learning and teaching, andincrease the writing ability of the learners, we should start from analyzing the writingerrors of learners, and help improve their language proficiency. Finally, it is hoped thatthe study will be helpful to language teachers in tackling students' writing errors.