Theoretical Anatomy on ESL Learners’ Errors and Rectification Strategies

Abstract

Making errors assumes an indispensable role for second language learners, and errors tend to be ignored in second language instructions and were regarded deservedly as symbols of failure in language acquisition. However, errors are meaningfully constructed clues for literacy instructions as errors indicate much more than what learners fail to master in a grammatically accurate manner, but demonstrate diverse information like learners’ language schemes employed in acquiring certain language features. This paper elementally analyses causes of ESL learners’ errors from theoretical perspectives of Contrastive analysis, Error analysis and Interlanguage theory. Error correction strategies are also discussed for instructors to deal with errors in various contexts.