An Analysis Of Interlanguage Errors In Middle School Students' English Writing

It is natural and common for language learners to make errors in their process of L2 acquisition. But different linguists hold different views on how to treat learner errors. Three main western theories on errors are Contrastive Analysis (CA), Error Analysis (EA) and the Interlanguage Hypothesis (IH). Compared with CA and EA, IH takes a more positive attitude towards errors, and it holds that it is natural that errors will be made throughout the whole process of language acquisition, constituting a particular characteristic of the process of language acquisition. This author has compared and contrasted three western interlanguage views and has discovered their respective contributions.Contrasted with the researches on interlanguage abroad, the domestic research on interlanguage is at the preliminary stage. Despite this many linguists are paying attention to and researching on Chinese college students' interlanguage in the course of their English study. Few researches have paid attention to the interlanguage in middle school students' English learning. However, middle school students build up their foundation in English at this early stage, so it is of great importance to do research on their interlanguage. Hence, this author focuses on interlanguage errors in English writing in middle school students, analysehem and study them, which is of much practical value.The present thesis reports a study of the interlanguage writing by 90 Chinese students and the result of the relative questionnaires. Based on the five operation processes in interlanguage suggested by Selinker (1972) and Carl James' error classifications, this author has analysed all the errors made in 90 students' interlanguage writing at different English levels. It is found that the interlanguage of the three different groups of students is of the following similarities and differences:1. Their abilities to recognize errors are different. Group A, with lower proficiency, shows lower ability to recognize errors and correct errors.2. All the groups take negative attitudes towards errors. Most students of the three groups are afraid of making errors and expect their teachers to correct their errors. Worse still, few of them have corrected the errors pointed out by their teachers. This indicates that they rely on their teacher' guidance on how to treat errors, so they are not willing to correct errors in their writings.3. By analyzing the interlanguage errors of the three groups, we find that most errors involve the four aspects: ignoring rules and forms, omission, incomplete application of rules and interference. There are other errors, such as overgeneralization, false concepts hypothesized and addition.4. The findings of the investigation on the interlanguage writing show that the process of L2 acquisition develops in the style of "U" shape. Interlanguage fossilization exists in their writing errors, which shows that L2 learners have to experience a plateau in terms of psychology and a climax in terms of language proficiency.5. According to the features of errors, we find that the three groups are at three different stages of interlanguage development: Group A is at the random error stage; Group B is at the emergent error stage; Group C is at the systematic error stage.After classifying the interlanguage writing errors, an analysis of error causes is essential. In doing the analysis, this author mainly observes Selinker's five processes in error production: (1)transfer; (2) over generalization of target language rules; (3) transfer of training; (4) strategies of L2 learning; (5)strategies of L2 communication; (6) fossilization.Finally the thesis concludes that since the interlanguage continuum is formed in the developmental process of the second language, errors should be regarded as a symbol of learners' development. In foreign(second) language teaching, we should not only be tolerant towards errors but also pay attention to the nature and evolvement of errors in order to make interlanguage approximate to the TL. On the one hand, we should correct errors properly, and on the other hand, we should adopt the training ways which suit the language development regularity. Language abilities develop in a fixed order, so EFL teachers shouldarrange teaching content and materials scientifically so that they can adjust to the language ability development.