Open AccessAnalyzing Learner Language to Better Understand Errors: A Case Study with Turkish Learners of English
Author(s) -
Heather Austin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of english language teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2329-7921
pISSN - 2329-7913
DOI - 10.5430/ijelt.v5n1p9
Subject(s) - interlanguage , turkish , second language acquisition , objectivity (philosophy) , inflection , mathematics education , computer science , second language , learner autonomy , psychology , language acquisition , language education , process (computing) , linguistics , comprehension approach , artificial intelligence , philosophy , epistemology , operating system
Analyzing the errors of students’ learner language (interlanguage) can help language instructors to not only betterunderstand why the errors may be occurring, but also provide them with insight on how to better guide learners intheir L2 learning. In this paper, the learner language of two Turkish students of English was analyzed regarding thethird person singular –s inflection and interaction strategies. The author met with each student three times and speechdata was collected during these meetings. An error and interlanguage analysis was then conducted. Reflecting onthese types of analyses can be a very enlightening process in a teacher’s continuing education. Various implicationsarise, such as more objectivity in approaching student errors, creating better learning opportunities in the classroom,as well as having a better indication of where students are at in their own second language acquisition process.