Unit 4.

3: Error Analysis and Dealing with Errors

Session 2: Types of Errors. Categories of Mistakes
Handout 1: Interlanguage

An interlanguage is a developing (transitional) system with its interim

(temporary) structure, rather than an imitation of the L2 which preserves some
features of learners’ first language (or L1), and can also overgeneralize some L2
writing and speaking rules. It results in the system's unique linguistic organization.
Interlanguage is based on the theory that there is an inactive (sleeping)
psychological framework in the human brain that is activated when one attempts to
learn a second language. Interlanguage theory is often credited to Larry Selinker,
who coined the terms "interlanguage" and "fossilization." Selinker (1972) noted
that in a given situation, the utterances produced by a learner are different from
those native speakers would produce to convey the same meaning.
The interlanguage utterances of the learner have some characteristics
influenced by the learner’s native language (L1), some characteristics of the L2,
and some characteristics which seem to be general and tend to occur in all or
most interlanguage systems.
An interlanguage can either "fossilize", or vice versa, cease developing in
any of its developmental stages. The interlanguage is caused by L1-transfer (false
friends: intelligent, magazine), simplification (prefix un- to create the opposite
meaning), circumlocution (the roundabout way of saying smth) and
overgeneralization (must to like in case with have to) of L2 language patterns or
other previous learning strategies.
Fossilization is the process of 'freezing' of the transition between the L1 and
L2, and is regarded as the final stage of interlanguage development. It can occur
even in motivated learners who are continuously exposed to their L2 due to their
inability to overcome the obstacles in acquiring native proficiency in the L2. The
learner fossilizes the form instead of correcting it.
Unit 4.3: Error Analysis and Dealing with Errors
Session 2: Types of Errors. Categories of Mistakes
Handout 2: Matching the definitions

Match the categories of mistakes and their definitions

Grammatical confusing sounds of mother tongue and

target language
Lexical caused by difficulties in distinguishing
sounds, words, word boundaries in
connected speech
Stylistic writing words which have similar
sounds but are spelt differently
Phonological using formal language in informal
context
Pronunciation confusion over words with similar
meanings
Spelling mixing up tenses

Unit 4.3: Error Analysis and Dealing with Errors

Session 2: Types of Errors. Categories of Mistakes
Handout 3: Categories of mistakes

Match the items 1-6, which are examples of spoken errors, to the categories a-g
and problems I - VII

Example Category Problem

1. “I will to the party 1. Grammar I. word order
go”
2. “My sister is higher 3. Vocabulary II. collocation
than my brother”
4. “I went to a barty 5. Pronunciation 6. sound (phoneme)
and danced all night”
7. A: “Do you like the 8. Discourse confusion
wine?” B: “No, thank
you”.
9. Customer in a café: 10.Pragmatic III. register too
“Give me a coffee” (language in informal
context)

11. “Let’s put a cattle Spelling IV. reader can guess

and prepare some tea” the meaning based on
the context only

12. “It is all your’s” 13.Punctuation V. cohesion

Categories:
a) Pronunciation
b) Pragmatic (language in context)
c) Grammar
d) Vocabulary
e) Discourse
f) Punctuation
g) Spelling

Problems
VI. collocation
VII. cohesion (зв’язність)
VIII. register too informal
IX. sound (phoneme)
X. word order
XI. confusion
XII. reader can guess the meaning based on the context only