An observable feature of learner language, linguistic variability, is described and used as the basis for speculating about an aspect of the process of second language learning. It is hypothesized that variation in correct use of target language forms varies as a function of the demands placed on the learner to produce these forms. Three groups of…

The limitations of both methods, and their practical applications, are discussed. (RM)

Analyzes a corpus of 360 errors made by Polish university students in the German department. Sets up categories of interference-induced and non-interference-induced errors. Relates error analysis to teaching techniques. (Text is in German.) (DH)

This paper discusses the use of error analysis by teachers of English as a second language and suggests that error analysis should be used in regular composition courses as well. Teachers who use error analysis emphasize learning from one's mistakes rather than simply drilling to eliminate mistakes; they use errors as clues to the cognitive…

This paper discusses the concept of error in the learning of the phonology of a second language and argues that the concept of error must be viewed as a positive element, an initiation of the process of successive approximations toward the correct phonetic realization. Based on the idea that interference between two languages generates a…

This paper discusses the problem of how to deal effectively with students' errors from the perspective of Error Analysis. Basic aspects of the theory such as "interlanguage,""learning strategies" and "the interpretation of errors" are introduced; and empirical data from child language learning studies are presented to support the underlying…

A description of language acquisition and second language learning by adults in terms of method and achievement. Some socio-psychological and neurophysiological reasons for the possible differences between children and adults are briefly discussed. There is a sizable bibliography. (AMH)

A pilot study is described which illustrates a methodology that can be used in determining the relative importance of different error types according to evaluations made by native speakers and presents preliminary results concerning the relative importance attached by native German teenagers to errors committed in German by English speakers. (SW)

A brief discussion of the role of contrastive linguistics and transformational generative grammar in studying transfer and interference in language learning. The base language is not necessarily the mother tongue. It is the language known by the learner which most closely resembles the new language being learned. (AMH)

Authors present a critical, historical overview of research on second-language acquisition. Outlines four analytical approaches--contrastive, error, performance, and discourse analysis--traces the shifts among these approaches, and demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of each. Also shows how the different approaches reflect changing…

Examines the listening comprehension of English-as-a-second-language learners by answering the following questions: (1) How do learners acquire information when repeatedly exposed to the same material? and (2) What influence will dictation practice exert on and to what degree is dictation practice related to the acquisition of meaning? (SED)

Analysis of form-oriented and content-oriented lexical errors made by advanced German learners of English covers: theoretical aspects of form-orientation; a taxonomy of form-oriented approximations; content-oriented approximations; traditional concepts (of semantic organization); empirical evidence; and strategies for second language learning. (CB)

Presents findings of a survey of English as a second language students' attitudes toward and preferences for the correction of spoken errors by native speaker friends. The subjects reported positive attitudes toward error correction and claimed to prefer even more correction than their friends did. They saw correcting errors as facilitating--even…

Presents the results of a study of the errors made on essays by Moroccan students of English as a second language. The average number of grammatical errors was 10.62 per paper and the most frequent errors were related to tense, prepositions, articles, form, and concord. (SED)

Lists and discusses certain recurrent errors made by adult Arab students of English literature at the university level. The errors were produced spontaneously in free writing and not through mechanical drills or isolated occurrences of sentences, so they reflect the learner's competence in English. (SED)