Year: 2022
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This paper takes a descriptive approach to the development of grammatical accuracy in EFL beginner writing.The types and frequency of errors in a longitudinal learner corpus are described and analyzed.The type of errors with the highest average frequency is misspelling, followed by typographical and grammatical errors.Besides, the average frequencies of misspelling and typographical errors are on the rise over six semesters.On the contrary, grammatical errors do not demonstrate any linear trend.It indicates that the development of grammatical accuracy in beginner language is a dynamic process.Further, we notice that the types of grammatical errors with a comparatively higher frequency are subject-verb disagreement, sentence fragments, misuse of noun plural, and errors concerning forms of verbs.A descriptive analysis of these types of grammatical errors indicates that the influence of the first language is strongly felt.The implication here is that the learner's first language is not a hindrance but a facilitator in learning a new language.Therefore, a comparative approach between the first language and English seems a potentially promising route for teaching beginners.Furthermore, teaching materials starting from the similarities and gradually evolving to the differences between the first language and a new one deserve a try.
Authors: Weilu Wang, Manfu Duan, Jinyu Liu
Institution: Inner Mongolia University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4313440278