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A Preliminary Inquiry Into Error Analysis And The Avoidance Of Error Fossilization

Posted on:2007-10-09Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:B LiFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360185958314Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
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Second language is learned by learners after the way of thinking in their first language has rooted in mind. That is, second language is not acquired in infancy with the influence of surroundings. It is learned from formal linguistic teaching in China, so the learning of it is difficult, and learners inevitably make errors. Then what reasons cause these errors? How should learners deal with them? These questions ask us to analyze learners'errors systematically.After the general introduction, Chapter One will make error analysis (EA) detailedly and systematically. There are four steps in EA: error identification, error description, error explanation, and error evaluation.There should be a standard to identify errors. An error can be defined as a deviation from the norms of the target language. Difference between an error and a mistake should also be made clear. Corder (1971) distinguished an error and a mistake: an error is a systematic deviation made by learners who have not yet mastered the rules of the second language; while a mistake is a random performance slip caused by fatigue, excitement, etc. A learner cannot self-correct an error because it is a product reflecting his current stage of second language development, or underlying competence; while he can self-correct a mistake, because it is the result of misusing a certain rule at a certain time when learners have already known the rule. However, sometimes it is difficult to recognize whether the learner's incorrect use is the result of the lack of knowledge or is the failure in performance. Therefore, the errors discussed in this thesis include both of them.Error description is a process of contrastive analysis (CA). By making contrastive analysis, errors are found. CA can partly explain learner errors, but its ability to predict learner errors is limited. We can not call it an end after making error description. Errors should also be classified according to the properties of errors. Generally speaking, errors can be divided into interlingual errors, intralingual errors, errors...
Keywords/Search Tags:second language acquisition, contrastive analysis, error analysis, interlanguage, transfer, fossilization, error fossilization
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