Download Error Analysis: Relative Clause Avoidance in English Language Learning - Prof. Richard F. and more Study notes English Language in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Error Analysis: Avoidance Based on Schachter, J. (1974). An error in error analysis. Language Learning, 24, 205-214. 1. Two versions of the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis: Strong Weak Predictive Explanatory A priori A posteriori Based on a CA of the subsystems of two languages, L1 and L2, one can predict that similarities between L1 and L2 will lead to ease of learning, whereas differences will lead to greater difficulty. Recurring errors produced by learners are analyzed in order to discover why the errors occur. CA can be used as one way of identifying causes for the errors. This methodology is called error analysis. Error analysis assumes that errors indicate learning difficulties and that the frequency of a particular error is evidence of the difficulty learners have in learning the particular form. 2. Schachter’s data: Comparison of relative clause errors produced in free compositions in English (L2) by 50 (25 intermediate, 25 advanced) NSs each of Persian, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. 3. CA of restrictive relative clauses in English and the other languages: English Persian Arabic Chinese Japanese What is the position of the RC wrt the head noun? To the right To the right To the right To the left To the left How are relative clauses marked? 1. Subordination marker that 2. Pronominal particle who, whose, whom, which 1. Subordination marker 1. Subordination marker 1. Subordination marker 3. Subordinate affixes in the relative clause Are there pronominal reflexes (resumptive pronouns)? No Yes In (S), DO, IO, OPrep, Poss, and OComp Yes In (S), (DO), IO, OPrep, Poss, and OComp Yes. In IO, OPrep, Poss, and OComp Yes. In (OPrep) 2 4. Translations of “I saw the woman [who speaks English]” in Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, and Persian. Square brackets enclose the relative clause. Japanese Watashi-wa Eigo-o hanasu onnanoshito mimashita. I-subject [English-object talks] woman-object saw. Chinese Wo kandao neige shuo Yingyu de nüren. I saw that-classifier [speak English relative-marker] woman. Arabic Ana raait al-emraah allety tatakalem al-Englizy. I saw the-woman [who speaks the-English.] Persian An zaenra ke inglisi haermizaene didaem. That woman [that English speaks]I saw. 5. Examples of relative clauses in English in which the relative pronoun serves six different syntactic functions. Try to put in resumptive pronouns (pronominal reflexes) in these clauses. As subject: the girl that came As direct object: the girl (that) Kate saw As indirect object: the girl that I wrote a letter to As object of a preposition: the girl that I sat next to As a possessive NP: the girl whose father died As object of comparison: the girl that Kate is smarter than Thus, a priori CA predicts that the order of difficulty in learning English relative clauses will be: Japanese > Chinese > Arabic, Persian 6. An EA, however, gives the opposite results: Correct Error Total Percent Error Persian 131 43 174 25% Arabic 123 31 154 20% Chinese 67 9 76 12% Japanese 58 5 63 8% NSs 173 0 173 0%
