Error Analysis in Written Tasks of Albanian-Speaking GFL Learners at B1 Level: Common Types and Causes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1501.02Keywords:
error types, error causes, grammatical errors, interference, competence errorsAbstract
Understanding common errors that students of a foreign language make and their causes can enhance our ability to adjust teaching methodologies. This paper aimed to analyze errors that Albanian students of German language and literature make when writing texts in German as a foreign language. This qualitative and quantitative analysis set out to identify and classify errors and find the causes of errors. The study is based on 100 students of German at the B1 level, including participants from language schools and first-year students from the German Department at the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”. Students were required to submit written texts for analysis. The analysis of these texts was used to address the following research question: What are the typical and recurrent errors made by learners of German as a foreign language (GFL) and what are their causes? The analysis of written texts showed that errors occur at all linguistic levels, with grammatical errors being the most common, followed by orthography and punctuation and syntax. Most errors arose from interference between the native Albanian and the foreign language English, followed by competence and overgeneralization.
References
Chlosta, Ch., Schäfer, A. & Baur, R. S. (2008). Fehleranalyse. [Error analysis] In B. Ahrenholz, & I. Oomen-Welke (Eds.): Deutsch als Zweitsprache. (pp. 265 – 279). Baltmannsweiler: Schneider-Verl. Hohengehren.
Chou, M.-W. (2015). Grammatiklernen und -lehren in universitären DaF-Unterricht Taiwans. Eine empirische Studie zu didaktischen sprachlichen und kulturellen Aspekten [Learning and Teaching Grammar in University-Level GFL-Classes in Taiwan: An Empirical Study on Didactic Linguistic and Cultural Aspects]. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto.
Corder, S. P. (1967). The Significance of Learner’s Errors. (pp. 161 - 170). International Review of Applied Linguistics. Retrieved March 30, 2024, from https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/5732715/mod_resource/content/1/Corder%201968%20%281%29%20errors.pdf
Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages.
Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache. DWDS [Digital dictionary of the German language]. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.dwds.de/wb/Fehler?o=fehler.
Domi, M., Ymeri, M. & Buxheli, L. (2002). Rregullat e pikësimit në gjuhën shqipe [The rules of punctuation in the Albanian language]. Tiranë: Shkenca.
Duden Online-Wörterbuch [Duden online-dictionary]. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Fehler.
Edge, J. (1989). Mistakes and Correction. London: Longman Group UK Limited.
Gerlach, D. & Leupold, E. (2019). Kontextsensibler Fremdsprachenunterricht [Context-Sensitive Foreign Language Teaching]. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempt.
Goethe Institut. GOETHE-ZERTIFIKAT B1 Modellsatz > Schreiben [GOETHE CERTIFICATE B1 Model set]. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://bfu.goethe.de/b1_mod/schreiben.php.
Hufeisen, B. & Neuner, G. (1999). Angewandte Linguistik für den fremdsprachlichen Deutschunterricht. Eine Einführung [Applied Linguistics for Teaching German as a Foreign Language: An Introduction]. Berlin: Druckhaus Langenscheidt.
Jung, L. (2007). 99 Stichwörter zum Unterricht [99 Keywords for Teaching]. Ismaning: Max Hueber.
Kabatek, J. & Pusch, C. D. (2009). Spanische Sprachwissenschaft [Spanish Linguistics]. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto.
Karbe, U. & Piepho, H.-E. (2000). Fremdsprachenunterricht von A-Z. Praktisches Begriffswörterbuch [Foreign Language Teaching from A to Z. A Practical Glossary]. Ismaning: Max Hueber.
Kleppin, K. (1998). Fehler und Fehlerkorrektur [Errors and Error Correction]. Berlin: Druckhaus Langenscheidt.
Kleppin, K. (2010). Fehleranalyse und Fehlerkorrektur. In: H.-J. Krumm, Ch. Fandrych, B. Hufeisen, C. Riemer, (Hrsg.), Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache. Ein internationales Handbuch. [Errors and Error Correction. In: German as a Foreign and Second Language. An International Handbook]. (Vo. 1, pp. 1060-1072). Berlin: New York: Walter de Gruyter.
Krumm, H. (1990). Ein Glück, daß Schüler Fehler machen! Anmerkungen zum Umgang mit Fehlern im lernerorientierten Fremdsprachenunterricht. In E. Leupold & Y. Petter (Eds.), Interdisziplinäre Sprachforschung und Sprachlehre [It’s a Good Thing Students Make Mistakes! Notes on Dealing with Errors in Learner-Centered Foreign Language Teaching. In: Interdisciplinary Language Research and Language Teaching]. (pp. 99-105). Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag.
Pogner, K.-H. (2010). Kreatives Schreiben und Schreibwerkstatt [Creative writing and writing workshop]. In H. J. Krumm, Ch. Fandrych, B. Hufeisen, C. Riemer (Eds.), Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache. Ein Internationales Handbuch. (Vol. 2, pp. 1583-1588). Berlin/ New York: Walter de Gruyter.
Raabe, H. (1980). Der Fehler beim Fremdsprachenerwerb und Fremdsprachengebrauch In D. Cherubim (Ed.), Fehlerlinguistik. Beiträge zum Problem der sprachlichen Abweichung [Errors in Foreign Language Acquisition and Use. In: Error Linguistics. Contributions to the Problem of Linguistic Deviation]. (pp. 61-93). Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag.
Rexhepi, S., Blakaj-Gashi, A. & Haklaj, A. (2024). Unraveling the Mistakes: An Analysis of Student Errors in Translating Literary Texts. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(4), 941-947. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1404.02.
Rösler, D. (2012). Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Eine Einführung. [German as a Foreign Language. An Introduction] Berlin: Springe.
Sadiku, M. & Rexhepi, S. (2016). Deutsche Substantivkomposita und ihre Äquivalente im Albanischen [German noun compounds and their equivalents in Albania]. In E. Hentschel (Ed.), Wortbildung im Deutschen. (pp. 312-333). Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto.
