A FINAL EXAM ASSIGNMENT

ERROR ANALYSIS OF WRITTEN FORM LEARNER LANGUAGE:

REPORT TEXT EGG PARTS

Frandhita Seftania
2201412152
Introduction to Second Language Acquisition
Rombel 109-110

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS
SEMARANG STATE UNIVERSITY
2015

This chapter presents the introduction of the study which consists of background of the analysis,
statements of the problem, theoretical review, method analysis, result and discussion, conclusion
and suggestion and also references.
I. Introduction
This analysis investigates how the students acquire L2 in writing skill. In terms of
writing, the ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill; it is usually learned or
culturally transmitted as a set of practices in formal instructional settings or other
environments. Writing skills must be practiced and learned through experience. Writing also
involves composing, which implies the ability either to tell or retell pieces of information in
the form of narratives or description, or to transform information into new texts, as in
expository or argumentative writing. Perhaps it is best viewed as a continuum of activities
that range from the more mechanical or formal aspects of "writing down" on the one end, to
the more complex act of composing on the other end (Omaggio Hadley, 1993).
Compared to learners writing in their native language (L1), however, learners
writing in their L2 have to also acquire proficiency in the use of the language as well as
writing strategies, techniques and skills. They might also have to deal with instructors and
later, faculty members, who may or may not get beyond their language problems when
evaluating their work. Further, certain social and cognitive factors related to second
language acquisition show that strategies involved in the language learning process also
affect L2 writing. Therefore, writing is always been a difficult course to be learned. Because
this course needs a lot of general structures which are should be applied.
Students in Genre-Based Writing level are expected to be more creative and
careful. So that, the student will be aware of the errors, mistakes or even the

overgeneralization of the L2. There are some genre in this course, one of them is Report
Text. Report text is a text which describe the way things are, with reference to a range of
natural, human-made, and social phenomena in our environment. When someone writes a
report or any other genre of writing, they are acquiring L2 by transferring their language
from L1 into L2. In this case, student named Ulil Hidayatul Rohmah wrote a report text of
entitled Egg Parts.
The purpose of this mini research is to fulfill the final assignment of Second
Language Acquisition in the nature of the leaner language. The data is taken from Genre
Based Writing course in 4th semester in the academic year of 2012/2013. In this analysis, as
mentioned before, the data is in the form of report text.
II.Problem Statement
The study presents the following problem:
(1) What kinds of error that happened when write a text?
(2) What is the dominant error or mistake in the written text, especially report text?
(3) How is the nature of the leaner language in the form of written text, especially report
text?
III.

Theoretical Review
This part presents theoretical review which consists of the meaning of second language
acquisition, the nature of language, mistakes, errors, and also overgeneralization by the
experts.
Writing is always been one of the skill which can be used to see whether language
learners are acquiring L2 successfully or not. No wonder many studies have been done on
this topic.
(Ellis, 1997) stated that Second Language Acquisition is the systematic study of how
people acquire a second language (L2). This word second can refer to any language that is

learned subsequent to the mother tongue. Thus, it can refer to the learning of a third or
fourth language. In addition, people can learn their L2 inside or outside classroom. In this
case, Ellis wrote many things related to second language acquisition. Other chapter in her
book, mentioned about the nature of language. Ellis focused on the learner errors,
developing procedures for identifying, describing, explaining, and evaluating them.
However, we will not talk about all of them, just some of them.
Language acquisition is a subconscious process not unlike the way a child learns
language. Language acquirers are not consciously aware of the grammatical rules of the
language, but rather develop a feel for correctness. In non-technical language, acquisition is
picking-up a language (Krashen, 1981:2).
There are some aspects that are used to check learners writing such as:
grammatical (prepositions, articles, reported speech, singular/plural, adjectives, irregular
verbs, tenses, concord and possessive case);
syntactic (nouns and pronouns, and word order);
lexical (word choice);
semantic and substance (capitalization, and spelling).
Therefore, Ellis, (1997) stated that mistakes reflect occasional lapses in
performance; they occur because, in a particular instance, the learner is unable to perform
what he or she knows. Even the native speakers of English may do mistakes, as an English
learners, we should be careful whenever transferring the knowledge from L1 to L2. In
addition, to studies of L1 transfer in general, there have been numerous studies for specific
language pairs. Thanh Ha Nguyen (1995) conducted a case study to demonstrate first
language transfer in Vietnamese learners of English. He examined a particular language
form, namely oral competence in English past tense making. He tried to determine the role

of L1 transfer in the acquisition of this English linguistic feature as a function of age, time of
exposure to English, and place and purpose of learning English.
If learners do mistakes because they 'know' the correct form in a second language
(L2), but they make the mistake anyway when they are speaking or writing. They
understand the rule, but they haven't committed the form to memory and can make a
mistake. Besides, an error is when a student produces an incorrect utterance because they
don't have the knowledge to utter it correctly. As Corder (1973) stated that first
distinguished errors from mistakes. Errors reflect gaps in a learner's knowledge of the target
language. The learner does not know what is correct. Mistakes reflect occasional lapses in
performance. The learner knows the correct form but slips due to nervousness, carelessness
or tiredness.
VI. Method of Analysis
According to linguist Corder, S. P. (1967), the following are the steps in any typical Error
Analysis research:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Collecting samples of learner language

Identifying the errors
Describing the errors
Explaining the errors
Evaluating/correcting the errors

In analyzing the product of writing, the writer use five steps that are introduced by
Corder. These steps are:
1. Collecting the data
The writer get a report text assignment from 4th semester student in the academic year of
2012/2013 of English Department by the lecturer.
2. Identify the errors (Note taking and highlighting)
After getting the data, the writer identified the linguistic features of the text. The writer
took some notes and highlighted the errors of the text, then listed the errors that were
found in the text.

3. Describing the errors

After identifying the errors in the product, the writer categorized and described the errors
based on some theories in the handout. In this text, the writer focused on the errors
analysis. There were many errors and mistakes that were found in the structure, the
effectiveness of the sentences, the use of determiner and pronouns, etc.
4. Explain the errors or mistakes
In this part, the writer explained the errors, mistakes, and the order of acquisition of the
product.
5. Evaluate the errors or mistakes
The writer evaluated the product then gave the correct form of writing.

IV.

Result and Discussion

Linguistics Competence

Notes

Lexical
Function words (pronouns)
Phonological Segmentals (syllable types)

Its
Diffent

Its
different

Lexical

Arrounds
A

arounds
an

Function words
(determiners)

Lexical

Content words (verbs)

Some parts

some part

Some structures some structure

are
Ovypar animals oviparous

Discourse Competence
Coherence

Example
The writer expressed the purpose or
intent through unappropriate content
schemata. She explained about all part
of an egg but she explained the

Generic structure

function just several part.

The writer followed the structure to

write a report text, but she explained

all part of an egg unappropriate with
the position of an egg. It makes the
reader

confused

and

difficult

imagine all part of an egg.

V. Conclusion and Suggestion

The writer found that the writer of this report text have acquired in discourse
competence. She made some mistake in discourse competence but it was not a big mistake
like in linguistics competence. Because she delivered the text appropriately and she could
reach the purpose of the text.
The writer of this report text needs more time to write a better text. If she is given
more time, she will write a systematic text. For the example, systematic problems like an
article an is very simple and also miss some article in a word. Maybe its because of the
time limit. The other systematic problems that the writer found mostly in determiners. The
writer of this report text has to be more careful in order to make a good text and didnt make
a mistake in determiners again.

to

References
Corder, S. P. (1967). "The significance of learners' errors". International Review of Applied
Linguistics 5: 160170.
Corder, S. P. (1973). Introducing Applied Linguistics. Hamondsworth: Penguin, 1973.
Ellis, R. (1997). Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2. 17-19; 2123.
Ellis, R. (1997). Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 3. 33-35.
Krashen, Stephen (1981). The fundamental pedagogical principle in second language Teaching.
Studia Linguistica 35: 5070.
Nguyen, Thanh Ha (1995). First Language Transfer and Vietnamese Learners' Oral Competence
in English Past Tense Marking: A Case Study.. Master of Education (TESOL) Research Essay.
Victoria, Australia: La Trobe University.

Omaggio Hadley, A. (1993). Teaching language in context. Boston: Heinle & Heinle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Error_analysis_%28linguistics%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theories_of_second-language_acquisition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlanguage

By:
Ulil Hidayatur Rohmah
2201411076
Egg Parts

Egg is something that is identic to ovypar animals. Its function is to protect embryo
before come out to real life. To support the function, an egg has some parts which have diffent
function.
An egg consists of some structures. First, there is a hard shell which protects the parts
inside of the shell. Second, there is a outer membrane that is softer than the sell. Then, in the
bottom of an egg there is an air cell like an empty place. An inner membrane arrounds liquid
parts of egg. It is thicker than the outer membrane. The liquid which is no colour called Albumen
or white. The core of egg is yolk. It is more solid than the white and the colour is yellow to
orange. The yolk is round but there is an empty space called Berminol Disc. The yolk is
protected by viteline membrane which arrounds the yolk. Then, the membrane is tighted by
cholezes: a colleze is in the upper which is short and thicker and the other one is in the bottom
which is long and thin. The two cholezes tight and connect the yolk to the inner membrane.