Classification of errors

1. Modality
2. Medium
3. Level

1. Modality

-whether the learners’ behavior

was receptive or productive

2. Medium

-whether the language produced

or received was spoken or written
-when the error was made, was the
learner operating with speech sounds
or with written symbols
Levels of Error

1. Substance error
2. Text error
3. Discourse error
Substance Errors

- Misspellings
- Misspelling proper
- Mispronunciations
-Misspellings

1. Punctuation errors
e.g. overuse of exclamation mark, misordering of
inverted commas, underuse of apostrophe, under- or overuse
of capitals, etc.

2. Typographic errors
e.g. explana*ion, hte* for the, *<r> for <f>
3. Dyslexic errors
e.g. *<parc> for <park>, *<tow> for <two>

-Misspelling proper

1. Mispronunciation errors
e.g. errors committed before pen met paper
-pronunciation --- pronounciation
2. Written misencodings

-Interlingual
e.g. Welsh ( f=v)
English (f=f)
So, *<ofer> for <over>
-Intralingual

1. Overgeneralization
e.g. saviour, behaviour
*pictiour

2. Homophone confusion

e.g. *<roll> for <role>, *<through> for <threw>

3. Mischoice
e.g. *<meens> for <means> (unlucky writer)

4. Letter naming
e.g. empty ---- empti
Mispronunciations

1. Segmental
e.g. /ˈmʌð·ər/ in mother is */ˈmʌd·ər/

2. Combinatorial
-find it difficult to pronounce consonant clusters
e.g. /neimd/ named ---- */neim…/

3. Suprasegmental
-stress, rhythm, intonation
e.g. go out with *them (go out with them)
*I don’t know (I don’t know)
Text errors

1. Lexical errors
2. Grammar errors
Lexical errors

-Formal errors of lexis

-Semantic errors in lexis
-Formal errors of lexis

1. Formal misslection (synforms, confusibles, confusables)

i. suffix type (e.g. sonsider<able>/ consider<ate>)

ii. prefix type (e.g. <com> press/ <sup> press)
iii. Vowel-based (e.g. seat/set, manual/ menial = boring)
iv. Consonant-based (e.g. prize/ price)
2. Distortions

- Omission
e.g. int(e)resting

- Overinclusion
e.g. fresh(er)man, din(n)ing room

- Misselection
e.g. *delitiouse --- delicious

- Misordering
e.g. littel …. little

- Blend
e.g. *starps (stops + starts)
-Semantic errors in lexis

1. Confusion of sense relations

(a) using a more general term (superonym) where a more
specific term is needed (hyponym)
e.g. the flowers had a special *smell (scent/ perfume)

(b) using too specific a term for a more general term (hypomym for
superonym)
e.g. the *lieutenants (soldiers) live in the castle.

(c) Using the less apt of two co-hyponyms

e.g. She is my *nephew.
… a decision to *exterminate (eradicate) dialects.

(d) Using the wrong one from a set of near-synonyms

… a *regretful (penitent/ contrite) criminal…
2. Collocational errors

e.g. The *late/ recent dispute between mom and daughter

My wife did some *lavish/ extravagant shopping in London.
Grammar Errors

1. Morphology errors
2. Syntax errors
1. Morphology errors

- Noun (e.g. six book, abolishment (abolition)

- Verb (e.g. bringed, was drinken)
- Adjective (e.g. colourfuller scene)
- Adverb (e.g. visit me soonly)
2. Syntax errors
-phrase structure errors
-clause errors
-sentence errors
-intersentence errors (cohesion)
- Phrase structure errors
(a) Noun phrases
(b) Verb phrases
(c) Adverb phrases
(d) Adjective phrases
(e) Prepositional phrases
(a) Noun phrases
e.g. He is *a cleverest boy

(b) Verb phrases

e.g. He *no can swim

(c) Adjective phrases

e.g. That *fat big fish is the mama fish.

(d) Prepositional phrases

e.g. I was born in 12 January 1998.

(e) Adverb phrases

e.g. I will come tomorrow where we met last week .
-Clause errors

(i) Overinclusion
e.g. He shaved himself [*the beard]

(ii) Omission
e.g. Give *[NP] to the dog. (Give [the bone] to the dog.)

(iii) Misordering
e.g. Martin sent [to him] the letter.

(iv) Misselection
e.g. He seems *crying / to cry.

(v) Blend
e.g. *You would be most likely get first prize.
From
-you would be likely to get first prize
-you would most likely get first prize
-Sentence errors
e.g.
(a) Gandhi, who led the independence movement in India, was a
politician.
(b) Gandhi, who was a politician, led the independence
movement in India.

-Intersentence errors
e.g. Simon is a great man. She helps everyone in her neighbour.