An analysis of the errors in grammar made by Xhosa learners of English second language

[摘要] The primary aim of this study is to identify and explain the errors of Xhosa students learning Englishas a second language. The study sets out to determine the kinds of errors made in selectedgrammatical categories, i.e. concord, personal pronouns, articles, prepositions, plurals and spelling.In an effort to determine which of the errors can be ascribed to transfer from the first language, acontrastive analysis is carried out between Xhosa and English. Many of the errors that pupils makecan be attributed to the different ways in which the two languages encode each of the categories thatare investigated.The data consist of essays written by twenty-five Grade 9 Xhosa pupils who are learning English as asecond language in a rural school in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Each pupil wrote anargumentative and a narrative essay, and these essays were analysed for errors in the six categoriesmentioned above. Finally, methods and techniques of addressing transfer errors in a poorlyresourced teaching situation are suggested so that teachers can provide remedial assistance evenunder difficult teaching conditions.

[发布机构] North-West University