Variation of Nonstandard English Articles Among Chinese Speakers of English

Abstract

Article use is highly variable and known as a cause of frequent problems among nonnative speakers of English. This study investigated the variation of article omission and overuse in academic writing among Chinese speakers of English. The researcher collected 188 short class reflection essays and used variable rule analysis to analyze them. The quantitative findings revealed that countable plural nouns favored the the omission. Also, NPs assumed to be known to the hearer and in the initial clause position favored a/an omission. NPs assumed to be known by the hearer favored overuse of the for zero articles. These results indicated that universal discourse property, L1 transfer, and information structure influenced article variation as the patterns were systematic rather than chaotic. The study concludes that variable rule analysis could provide interlanguage variation studies with valuable insights. Using the results, practitioners will be better equipped to understand why nonstandard articles occur. They will also be able to direct their learners’ attention to the relationship between influential factors and nonstandard uses, increasing the learners’ awareness of how to use articles correctly.