Analysis and classification of errors when shifting from general English to ESP teaching at University (the case of legal translation)

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Chiknaverova
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Legal Translation ◽  
Sociocultural Characteristics

Teaching legal translation at university causes a number of challenges which are caused by linguistic and sociocultural characteristics of the corresponding original and translation texts and psycholinguistic peculiarities of the second language acquisition process. There are some aspects in teaching legal translation that are rarely under investigation, among them there are issues that arise when shifting from general English to legal translation teaching. The article aims to comprehensively analyse and classify errors that students make during the introductory course of legal translation as well as to reveal the causes thereof. The author is guided by a set of methods including inter alia analysis of research on errors made by foreign language learners, observation and representative method. It concludes with recommendations related to teaching legal translation at the introductory level, summarises sources, types of errors and the ways to minimise and avoid them. Keywords: Teaching legal translation, ESP, ESL, error analysis.

The Role of Gender in the Linguistic Performance of Foreign Language Learners: Does Gender Make a Difference?

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosny Mostafa Al-Dali
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Linguistic Performance ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Number Of Males

<p>The present study examines the variation in the proficiency of adult learners (males and females) of English as a foreign language.  It is a generally accepted fact in L<sub>1</sub> acquisition that females enjoy a rate advantage, initially at least. However, I know of no study that has systematically investigated the rate of second language acquisition (SLA) in females versus males. It might be safe to cite few SLA studies: Farhady, 1982; Eisenstein, 1982; Lakoff, 1973; Zimmerman and West, 1975; and Gass and Varonis, 1986. Although these studies reported sex-related differences, they were incidental to their main focus. The subjects for the present study are 180 students in the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Minufiya University. They are divided into three groups according to their academic status in their university: Beginners (60); Intermediate (60); and advanced (60). Each group is equally divided into males (30), and females (30). Accordingly, the total number of males is 90, and that of females is 90, as well. All subjects performed three tasks: 1) listening; 2) reading, and 3) structure and written expressions, similar, to those used in the TOEFL test. The overall umbrella, under which all these tasks are designed, is ‘systematicity’; and/or ‘variability’; and whether learners' sex is responsible for it. Results are obtained and conclusions are made. </p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Variability; L<sub>2</sub> learners’ proficiency, sex.

Second Language Acquisition: Error Analysis

1980 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 91-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack C. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Errors Analysis

The collection, classification, and analysis of errors in the written and spoken performance of second or foreign language learners has had a role in language pedagogy since at least the 1950s. However, in the late 60s, and paticularly in the 70s, the study of errors in non-native language performance, or Errors Analysis (EA), assumed a new role in applied linguistics. A more rigorous methodology for EA developed, and it was applied to new issues and questions within second language acquisition research. Yet, by 1980, EA was largely considered a transitional development in applied linguistics. This review considers the nature, development, and achievements of Error Analysis in the period from 1970 to 1980. We will consider EA from three perspectives, reviewing the use of Error Analysis: (1) to account for linguistic competence; (2) to identify learning processes and strategies, and (3) to provied input to language pedagogy.

Young Learners

2018 ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
Joanna Rodiki Petrides
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter refers to a very complex factor that is of primary importance in language learning theories: motivation. It aims—through a brief analysis of existing theories and research findings on motivation, its impact on foreign language learning, and second language acquisition—to provide a definition of this complicated term, to explain how motivation can affect foreign language learners, and how young foreign language learners can be motivated to learn a foreign or additional language effectively and become competent users of it. To manage to provide a clear description of how motivation affects young language learners, it is necessary to refer to the theories that analyze foreign language learning or language acquisition and then relate them to the theories on motivation. Different types of motivation are described, including intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, and instrumental, as well as motivation in the language classroom.

Improving Communicative Competence Levels of Pre-Service Teachers Through Spoken-Based Reflection Instruction

2021 ◽  
pp. 002205742110445
Author(s):  
Chinaza Solomon Ironsi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

This study investigated the use of spoken-reflection instruction to improve the communicative competence level of English as Foreign Language learners in a second language acquisition classroom. A listening and speaking test was administered before and after the study to determine the participants’ level of speaking competence. A quantitative research design was adopted for the study. A 3-credit unit language course was designed and implemented for the study. The course was built on the core principles of reflective practice. Participants were taught using the normal language teaching method and spoken-based reflection instruction. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 65 English as Foreign Language learners who willingly participated in the study. At the end of the course, a questionnaire was used to obtain information from the participants about their perceptions of using spoken-based reflection instruction to improve their speaking skills. In addition, participants were administered a Reflection-Listening, and Speaking Skills Test before and after each experimental phase to determine whether their listening and speaking skills had improved. Most learners found the use of spoken reflections to be a fun way to learn. However, they expressed anxiety about doing teacher-student reflection because they felt intimidated by the presence of their language teacher, although sending recordings of their reflections to their teachers was more convenient than interacting with them on a one-to-one basis.

The contribution of prosody to intelligibility, comprehensibility and accentedness in foreign language acquisition

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-298
Author(s):  
Pauline Degrave
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Future Research ◽  
General Description ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to review recent research illustrating the importance of prosody in foreign language acquisition, and to examine whether music might help in this learning process. The paper starts off by defining prosody and by examining previous research on foreign language prosody acquisition, stating the difficulties for learners and the potential effect of non-native prosody on communication, notably on comprehensibility, intelligibility and accentedness. A subsequent section focuses on prosodic characteristics of Dutch and the problems foreign language learners may encounter in acquiring them. Based on this general description of foreign language prosody acquisition, the paper then zooms in on the link between music and prosody, and on the potential effect of musical training, musical abilities or the use of music in the foreign language classroom on foreign language prosody acquisition. The paper ends with a short discussion on avenues for future research.

scholarly journals Fossilized Use of Active and Passive Simple Present by Iraqi M.A. Students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nawal Fadhil Abbas ◽  
Lina Laith Younus ◽  
Huda Hadi Khalil
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Current Problem ◽  
College Of Education ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Master Of Arts

Interlanguage fossilization is a crucial dilemma that foreign language learners may fall in. The problem of the present study is shown clearly in the answers of Iraqi students of Master of Arts in the College of Education for Women University of Baghdad. In spite of all the previous years of studying English language, some still have the problem of fossilized active and passive simple present tense. The present study aims at shedding light on the reasons behind the Iraqi students’ problem. An error analysis is applied to critically examine the students’ answers in their final course exam of two courses namely; pragmatics and discourse analysis. Depending on Selinker’s model (1972) of error analysis, students errors are all traced back to the language transfer of their native language. Among the results of analysis the researchers have arrived at a suitable solution for the current problem embodied by Sharwood’s Consciousness-Raising Approach (1981). It is recommended as a psycholinguistic model for defossilization. It is very suitable for mentally matured learners and help to solve the dilemma.

English spelling performance of Dutch grammar school students

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marieke Hoeijmakers ◽  
Elise de Bree ◽  
Merel C.J. Keijzer
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
School Students ◽  
Reading Task ◽  
Spelling Performance ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Pseudoword Reading ◽  
English Spelling

The present study investigates English spelling performance of Dutch grammar school students to establish whether Dutch grammar school students are able to spell words differing in complexity, as well as whether they are sensitive to the information available in the spellings (phonological, orthographical, and lexical frequency). Twenty-one Dutch foreign language learners of English were presented with an English dictation task (from Kemp, Parrila, & Kirby, 2009). They had to spell base (uninflected) and derived (inflected) words and pseudowords which were matched on the basis of their phonological or orthographical patterns. Students also had to complete a Dutch dictation task, and a word and pseudoword reading task. Findings show that the students obtained higher scores on spelling words versus pseudowords, base versus derived targets, and on phonological versus orthographical targets. There was no correlation between Dutch and English spelling proficiency. These data are interpreted within a usage-based model of language acquisition.

scholarly journals The Nitty-gritty of Language Learners’ Errors – Contrastive Analysis, Error Analysis and Interlanguage

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandar Mohammad Saeed Al-Sobhi
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Theoretical Discussion ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Linguistic System ◽  
Analysis Error

The major aim of the current paper is to review and discuss three prevailing approaches to the study of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) since the middle of the twentieth century: Contrastive Analysis (CA, henceforth), Error Analysis (EA) and Interlanguage (IL). It begins with a general overview of how the CA approach was formulated and developed and discusses the three versions of CA which were displaced later by other approaches, such as EA and IL. The paper also provides an in-depth theoretical discussion of the notion of EA in terms of its definitions, goals, significance, development, causes and procedures. The discussion about the SLA approaches concludes with a review of IL which claims that language learners produce a separate linguistic system with its own salient features, which differs from their L1 and target language. Additionally, a bulk of previous studies conducted on EA in different contexts are reviewed throughout the paper.

L1 frequency in foreign language acquisition: Recurrent word combinations in French and Spanish EFL learner writing

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magali Paquot
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Equivalent Form ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
Argumentative Essays

This study investigated French and Spanish EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ preferred use of three-word lexical bundles with discourse or stance-oriented function with a view to exploring the role of first language (L1) frequency effects in foreign language acquisition. Word combinations were extracted from learner performance data (i.e. argumentative essays), and the frequency of their translation equivalent forms was analysed on the basis of French and Spanish L1 corpora. Strong and positive monotonic correlations were found between the frequency of a lexical bundle in the EFL learners’ written productions and the frequency of its equivalent form in the learners’ first language. Results also suggest that different patterns of use across the two L1 learner populations may be explained by frequency differences in L1 French and Spanish. Overall, the study calls for a more systematic investigation of L1 frequency effects within usage-based perspectives on second language acquisition.

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