Oral errorr correction for non-native speakers of English Essay

Oral errorr correction for non-native speakers of English - Essay Example Traditionally, errors have been seen as signs of failure in the language learning process (Hedge 2000; Johnson 2008). However, today attitudes towards errors are becoming less negative. The dominating constructive point of view in language learning, emphasizes errors’ role as a part of the language learning process (Bartram and Walton 1991). Already in the late 60s, Corder (1967) notes that errors are a significant part of language learning from two points of view. Firstly, errors give information to teachers about the learners’ language level, including what they have learned and what they still need to practice. Secondly, the nature of errors can enhance both teachers’ and learners’ understanding of the whole language learning process and what kind of knowledge is acquired first and what kind of structures are more difficult to comprehend. This paper will thus help to provide an insight into the role of errors and how they have been treated in language t eaching through decades; the kind of corrective feedback that can take place in English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom; and finally, whether or not corrective feedback has an influence on the development of a learner learning a language. This paper will focus on defining terms concerning errors, corrective feedback and learner uptake. ... Phonological errors are errors in pronunciation, stress, or intonation, grammatical errors to incorrect formulated sentences, phrases or words, and lexical errors refer to errors in word use, phrases or idioms (Chaudron 1986; Allwright and Bailey 1991). In totality, James (1998) explains that errors refer to a deviation of the grammatical accurate rules of a language system. Hendrickson (1978:387), on the other hand, defines error as ‘an utterance, form, or structure that a particular teacher deems unacceptable because of its inappropriate use or its absence in real-life discourse’. According to Allwright and Bailey (1991:85) ‘an error is a form unwanted by the teacher’. In foreign language classrooms, the teacher is able to decide whether or not the students are making errors in oral pronunciation of words and phrases in the language that they are learning. However, errors that are made in the classroom are a result of different causes; Transfer of learners ’ first language such as unfamiliar structures or pronunciation and unfamiliar words can all lead to erroneous utterances (Lyster and Ranta 1997). The definition mentioned previously seems to refer both to an incorrect form of an utterance that a native speaker of the language would not understand or accept as correct language use, and to an incorrect form of an specific utterance or answer that the teacher is looking for (Scrivener 1994). Errors mostly occur when the person learning the language is not able to for correct sentences or structure the use of grammar and phrase composition well. (Scrivener 1994). But despite good chances for a correct guess, the learner ends up doing incorrect hypotheses