The Limitation and Formulation of Problem
language acquisition. ”
4
EA achieved considerable popularity in the 1970s, replacing CA.
5
Dulay, et al have in line idea such the opinion above that, “The EA
movement can be characterized as an attempt to account for learner errors that could not be explained or predicted by CA or behaviorist theory, and to bring the
field of applied linguistics into step which current climate of theoretical opinion”.
6
It can be summed up that EA emerged to change the place of CA perception about learner’s errors which the CA was affected by behaviorist theory.
Some experts give their opinions about EA. According to Gass and Selinker EA is a type of linguistic analysis that focuses on the errors learners
make. EA compares between the errors a learner makes in producing the TL and the TL form itself. They explain that,
“Error analysis provides a broader range of possible explanations than contrastive analysis for researchersteachers to use to
account for errors, as the latter only attributed errors to the NL –Native Language
By the writer —.”
7
It means that EA which concerns in learners’ error can
explain more about learner’s error what CA can’t predict.
While Corder points out that “Error analysis EA is part of methodology
of the psycholinguistic investigation of language learning. It aims at telling us something about the psycholinguistic process of language learning.
”
8
The Corder’s opinion is in line with other experts’ opinion about EA such as Ellis who
states that EA is used as a tool to investigate how learners acquire a second language L2.
9
Ellis and Barkhuizen further explain that “Error Analysis EA
consits of a set of procedures for identifying, describing, and explaining learner
4
Ibid., pp. 262 —263.
5
Rod Ellis, The Study of Second Language Acquisition 2
nd
Edition, New York: Oxford University Press, 2008, p. 62.
6
Heidi Dulay, et al., Language Two, New York: Oxford University Press, 1982, p. 141.
7
Susan M. Gass and Larry Selinker, Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course: An Introductory Course 3
rd
Edition, New York: Routledge Taylor Francis Group, 2008, pp. 102
—103.
8
S. P. Corder, Error Analysis and Interlanguage, New York: Oxford University Press, 1981, p. 35.
9
Ellis, Op. Cit., p. 45.
errors.”
10
Gorbet also explains that, “The basic task of error analysis is to describe
how learning occurs by examining the learner’s „output’.”
11
James furthermore argues that,
“Error analysis is the process of determining the incidence, nature, causes and consequences of unsuccessful language.”
12
It seems that the use EA is such a tool that investigates student’s learning process in acquiring second
language by identifying, describing, analyzing, and explaining the learner’s error.
It can be concluded that the presence of EA was to explain what CA cannot predict about learners’ error. CA considered error as interference of mother
tongue affected by behaviorist theory and lasting until late sixties. EA which regarded error was not only because of the learner
’s native language but also it re
flected some universal learning strategies, is as a tool to investigate the learner’s error in acquiring language which consists of identifying, describing, analyzing,
and explaining the errors.