Causes of Errors

- Interlingual
- Intralingual
- Communication-strategy
- Induced
- Interlingual

e.g. A Myanmar student might say, “There are five *student…”

Because Myanmar does not have ending consonant sounds
- Intralingual
Learning strategy-based errors

1. False analogy (Cross-association)

2. Misanalysis (False concept hypothesized)
3. Incomplete application
4. Exploiting redundancy
5. Overlooking co-occurrence restrictions
6. Hypercorrection (Monitor overuse)
7. Overgeneralization, or system-simplification
1. False analogy
e.g. Plural of ‘boy’ is ‘boys’ and so assumes that plural of ‘child’
* ‘childs’

2. Misanalysis
- The learner has formed a hunch or hypothesis concerning
an L2 item, which he is now putting into practice
e.g. They are carnivorous plants and *its (their) name comes
from…
[its is s-pluralized form of it]

3. Incomplete rule application

e.g. ‘Where are you going?’
So, ‘Nobody knows where *is Barbie’(Barbie is)
4. Exploiting redundancy
- Overelaborate ----- verbosity (too many words)
e.g. Every day with great expectation I looked for the mail but am
very sorely disappointed … Unless all formalities are finished none
will deem my completing the course.

5. Overlooking cooccurrence restrictions

e.g. I would enjoy *to learn (learning)

6. Hypercorrection
e.g. A seventeen-year*s-old girl
7. Overgeneralization or system-simplification
e.g. he sings
she sings
*he can sings
*she can sings
we are happy
we are hungry
*we are hope
- Communication strategy-based erros
1. Holistic strategies
2. Analytic strategies

1. Holistic strategies
- ‘holistic’ means the learner’s assumption that if
you can say X in the L2, then you must be able to say Y.
(i) near synonym e.g. <truth> & *<credibility>
(ii) superordinate term e.g. *<fruits> for <blackberries >
(iii) subordinate term e.g. *<lieutenant> for <soldier>
(iv) antonym or opposite e.g. *<not happy> for <sad>
(v) coinage e.g. You are out of your *sesities <senses>
(vi) language switch e.g. I go to my room and *phee
my hair …
(vii) calque (literal translation) e.g. Don’t you have any *heat
to worry about?
2. Analytic strategies
- Circumlocution
e.g. the big … medical … thing … you go inside and they put air,
press… Yes… you go down for your ears , they test.
- Induced errors

1. Materials-induced error
2. Teacher-talk induced error
3. Exercise-based induced error
4. Errors induced by pedagogical priorities
5. Look-up errors

1. Materials-induced error
-coursebook
e.g. By my watch it’s five past eleven, but I *think it isn’t right
(don’t think it’s right)
2. Teacher-talk induced error
e.g. In order *to become learning meaningful…
In order for learning to become meaningful…

e.g. I will do this in order *to my students perceive well

the difference
I will do this in order that my students perceive well the
difference
3. Exercise-based induced errors
e.g. Use ‘unless’ and combine the two sentences.
(a) I can’t afford a new car.
(b) I shall win the lottery
(c) I can’t afford a new car unless I win the lottery.
(d) Unless I can afford a new car I shall win the lottery.

e.g. Use ‘so’ or ‘because’ and connect the sentences.

(a) We stopped as soon as we could.
(b) We realized we were lost.
(c) We realized we were lost because we stopped as soon
as we could.
(d) We stopped as soon as we could because we realized we
were lost.
4. Errors induced by pedagogical priorities

- They betoken the pupil doing what is expected of him or her.

e.g. A student uses idioms in his essay throughout as the lesson of
today is idioms.

5. Look-up errors
- Dictionaries with useful guidelines and user-instructions, but
but learners seem reluctant to read them, so they frequently
misuse the reference aids

e.g. I have a conversation with my friends.

I have a circumlocution with my friends.