Unit 2 The Nature of Learner Language 1. Errors and errors analysis 2. Developmental patterns 3. Variability in learner language

Identification of errors Description of errors Explanation of errors Evaluation of errors

Why we focus on learners’ errors? Reasons: (para. 2) 1. Clear feature raise “why” question 2. Know errors 3. Ability of self-correcting

Questions: (P15, para. 1) (5mins.) 1.What’s the case study about? (Define it in your own words after reading the case.) Identifying errors 2. Why use this case study here?

2. Why use this case study here? Show errors made by L2 acquisition learners. Approach of identifying errors. (How to find out learners' errors?)

Before analysis of errors, what should be done first?

Approach of identifying errors: 1.Compare sentences made by learners' with the correspond correct sentences. (D) a man and a little boy was watching him. (were) Direct Indirect 2. Grammatical but not most suitable one. Went in the traffic. (into) (D) 3. Don’t know the intention of the learners. (IND) The big of them contained a snake. (bigger, one)

Questions:P17, 3 mins 1. What is the difference between errors and mistakes? 2. How to tell errors form mistakes?

errors mistakes lack of knowledge accidental slip but have the knowledge

Two ways 1. Check learners’ consistency 2. Self-correct Tip: a clear distinction between an error and a mistake may not be possible.

Describing errors 1. How to describe and classify errors? (Para 1) 2. What can be included in general ways? (Para 1) 3. What does Jean’s errors reveal? (Para2) P18, 3mins.

A B To classify errors into grammatical categories. (past tense) (example in Para1) Identify general ways in which the learners’ utterances differ from the reconstructed target- language utterances.

a. Omission (leave out) b. misinformation c. misordering

A. The most common grammatical category of error B. The most common general error type C. Past tense misinformation (example Para2) misinformation Past tense

Explaining errors Questions: 1.How many parts can you divide this section into? 2. What are the characters of error? 3. What’re the sources of errors? Two. The character of errors and the sources of errors. Omission, overgeneralization and transfer. Para4—P19, 3mins

2. To a large extent, errors are systematic. And to a certain extent, errors are predictable. Many of them are also universal. Some errors are common.

Error evaluation(P19, last para, 1min.) 1. Why need to evaluate errors? 2. What do teachers need to focus? 3. What are types of errors? Help learners learn an L2. Those errors are likely to cause misunderstanding of what someone says. A. global errors: (example Para2 P20) B. local errors (example Para3 P20)

Developmental patterns The early stages of L2 acquisition The order of acquisition Sequence of acquisition

When learners exposed to the L2 in communicative settings. Some L2 learners undergo a silent period. The early stages of L2 acquisition

When learners do begin to speak in the L2. Their speech manifests two characteristics. formulaic chunks propositional simplification “How do you do”… “Me no blue”…

When learners begin to learn the grammar of the L2. ★ The order of acquisition ★ Sequence of acquisition

Variability in learner language What’s the main idea from P25 to P29? What’s the main idea from P25 to P29?

Can you conclude the main ideas according to the whole section of “Variability in learner language”? Can you conclude the main ideas according to the whole section of “Variability in learner language”?  T he features of learner language he important factors that account for the systematic nature of variability. he different opinions towards the questions whether all variability in learner language is systematic or random?

What do you think of learner language? What do you think of learner language? What important factors will account for the systematic nature of variability? What important factors will account for the systematic nature of variability? (Give three minutes to read P25 to P27)

What do you think of learner language? What do you think of learner language? Systematic Systematic Variable Variable  Learners use the same grammatical form.  Learners can employ one form to another. One type of error may alternate with another type. An error may alternate with the correct target-language form

What important factors will account for the systematic nature of variability? What important factors will account for the systematic nature of variability? Linguistic context Situational context Psycholinguistic context

Linguistic context  In one context, they use one form while in other context they use alternate forms. effect element Constituent of the utterance One linguistic form can trigger the use of another form. In Peru, George usually play football every day. In Peru, George usually played football every day.

Situational context  The actual situation in which communication takes place.  Situational factors such as who a learner is talking to influence the choice of linguistic forms. friends speak informallycolloquial expressions When native speakers of English talking to friends, they tend to speak informally, using colloquial expressions. someone they do not know very wellmore formal language. When native speakers of English talking to someone they do not know very well, they tend to use more formal language. My kid’s a real pain these days. My daughter can be very troublesome these days.

What’s the characters of the learners vary their use of language? (page 27)  They vary their use of language similarly.  They are more likely to use the correct target- language forms in formal contexts and non-target forms in informal contexts.

Psycholinguistic context learners are able to plan or self-correct what they are say and write  The aspects of the context in which communication takes place which influence the extent to which learners are able to plan or self-correct what they are say and write. Planned narrative mark verbs correctly Planned narrative: use target-language forms, more likely to mark verbs correctly for past tense. Unplanned narrative fail to mark a single regular Unplanned narrative: uses higher proportion of irregular verbs like “saw” and “went”, fail to mark a single regular verb for past tense.

The different opinions towards the questions whether all variability in learner language is systematic or random? The different opinions towards the questions whether all variability in learner language is systematic or random? free variation.  It seems that at least some variability is “free”. Learners do sometimes use two or more forms in free variation.  It is impossible that free variation constitutes an essential stage in the acquisition of grammatical structures. free variation free variation: The random use of two or more variants of a structure. No look at my card. Don’t look my card.

The different opinions towards the questions whether all variability in learner language is systematic or random? The different opinions towards the questions whether all variability in learner language is systematic or random?  It is important to recognize that this general sequence of acquisition applies to specific grammatical features.  Not all learners reach the completion stage for every grammatical structure. fossilization fossilization: The process responsible for the cessation of learning some way short of target-language competence. Most L2 learners interlanguages fossilize.