Probing Iranian EFL Students’ Interlanguage: Fossilized and Developmental Grammatical Errors in English
Subject Areas : Journal of Teaching English Language StudiesKeywords: Developmental Errors, EFL, Fossilized errors, Interlanguage,
Abstract :
This study wanted to understand the fossilized and developmental grammatical errors in Persian EFL learners’ compositions at three levels of proficiency. The researchers divided the participants into lower-intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced levels. The researchers collected three compositions from each participant. After identifying the grammatical errors for each level, the researchers compared their frequency and mean differences across these levels to identify developmental and fossilized errors. Finally, using SPSS, five grammatical error types were identified, of which the most frequently made was the wrong selection of verb forms. Out of 5 error types, the researchers identified one as developmental (verb forms) and four as fossilized (tenses, prepositions, articles, and active and passive voices). Findings indicate that most students committed fossilized errors, showing the permanent retention of grammatical errors in their compositions. Accordingly, serious pedagogical considerations need to be given to the teaching of grammar to improve the writing competence of Iranian EFL learners.
Abbot, G. (1980). Towards a more Rigorous Error Analysis. International review of applied linguistics, 18, 121-134.
Allan, D. (1992). Oxford placement test 2. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Ancker, W. (2000). Errors and corrective feedback: Updated theory and classroom practice. English teaching forum, 38(4), 20-24.
Aslam, F. A. F., Shafique, N. S. N., & Nasrullah, S. N. S. (2023). A Study to Analyze the Fossilized Spelling Errors in Compositions of Second Language Learners at Intermediate Level. Journal of Policy Research, 9(3), 178-183.
Brown, H. Douglas (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching, San Francisco University, Pearson Longman.
Buzdar, H. Q. (2024). Identifying the grammatical errors in ESL students at graduate level: A Comparative analysis of multimedia and traditional modes of pedagogy. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 44(1), 1-8.
Candling, R. B. (2001). Vocabulary and language teaching. New York: Longman Inc.
Chan, A.Y.W (2004). Syntactic transfer: Evidence from the Interlanguage of Hong Kong Chinese ESL learners, Modern Language Journal, 88, 56-74.
Do, P. T. V. (2023). Common written error analysis committed by EFL graders. A case study at a secondary school in Vietnam. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 13(1), 1-12.
Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language Two. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Elkilic, G. and Akca, C. (2008). Attitudes of the Students Studying at Kafkas University Private Primary EFL Classroom towards Storytelling and Motivation. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 4(1), 1-22.
Ellis, R. (1985). Understanding second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R. (1996). Second language acquisition research and language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gass, S. and Selinker, L. (2001). Second language acquisition: An Introductory Course Mahwah, NJ: LEA, chapter 3.2.
James, C. (2001). Errors in language learning and use: Exploring error analysis. Harlow, Essex: Addison Wesley Longman Limited.
Kharma, N. (1981). Analysis of errors committed by Arab university students in the use of the English definite and indefinite articles. Oral, 4, 333-345.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2002). The grammar of choice. In E. Hinkel and S. Fotos (Eds.). New perspectives on grammar teaching in second language classrooms. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Michaelides, N. N. (1990). Error Analysis: A teaching aid. English Teaching Forum Vol. XXVIII / 4: 28-30.
Mitchell, R. and F. Myles. (1998). Second language learning theories. Arnold.
Mitchell, R. and Myles, M. (2004). Second language learning theories. New York: Hodder Arnold.
Morelli, J. A. (2003). Ninth Graders’ Attitudes toward different approaches to Grammar Instruction. Unpublished Dissertation. The Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York.
Nasim, S. M., & Mujeeba, S. (2024). Arab EFL Students’ and Instructors’ Perceptions of Errors in Mechanics in Second Language Paragraph Writing. FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 18(1).
Olasehinde, M. O. (2002). Error analysis and remedial pedagogy. In Babatunde S. T. and D. S. Adeyanju (eds.). Language, meaning, and society. Ilorin: Itaytee Press and Publishing Co., Nigeria.
Richards, J. C. Ed. (1974). Error analysis. Longman.
Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. In Richards, J. C.
Selinker, L., & Lakshmanan, U. (1992). Language transfer and fossilization: The multiple effects principle. In S. Gass & L. Selinker (Eds.), Language transfer in language learning (pp. 197-216). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Sercombe, P. G. (2000). Learner language and the consideration of idiosyncracies by students of English as a second or foreign language in the context of Brunei Darussalam. In A.M. Noor et al. (eds.) Strategizing teaching and learning in the 21st century. Proceedings of the International Conference on Teaching and Learning. Faculty of Education: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi.
Skehan, P. (1998). A Cognitive approach to language learning. Oxford University Press.
Stark, L. (2001). Analyzing the interlanguage of ASL natives. Newark: University of Delaware.
Vahdatinejad, S. (2008). Students’ error analysis and attitude towards teacher feedback using a selected software: a case study. Unpublished Master’s thesis. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi.
Widdowson, H. G. (1990). Grammar and nonsense and learning. In H. G.
Willcot, P. (1978) Problems of definiteness in the Written English of Arabic speakers. E.L. T. Journal, 33(1), 67-83.
