Error Analysis of Chinese Learners of Korean Language: Focus on Source Analysis of Content-based Errors

Research on error analysis in Korean language learning focuses on the judging and recording of manifested errors within learners’ written works. To assess error frequency, error analysis targets local errors (errors that are ‘understandable’ or ‘anticipatory’ from students of various levels while learning to write). However, in foreign or second language learning, where achieving communicative competence is the primary goal, uncovering/identifying those factors that ‘minimize’ proper communication is of utmost importance. Among Chinese learners, for instance, we discover global errors. These errors are committed by learners due to the differences in the basic understanding and use of those words that are based on the fundamentally different etymology of Chinese characters. For this paper, 500 compositions by Chinese students were analyzed and compared. Assessed errors were classified as spelling errors and content-based errors; the latter category was then divided further into native language-influenced errors and developmental errors. In short, the ratios of the different classes of errors classes at various levels were as follows: 1) Spelling errors to content-based errors for beginners 78%:23%, for intermediate 20%:80%, for advanced 36%:64%; and 2) Native tongueinterference errors to developmental errors to unique errors for beginners 11%:87%:2%, for intermediate 21%:69%:10%, for advanced 29%:71%:1%.