home

][|common errors in english for arabic speakers] Language Acquisition Project: An Examination of an English Language Learner's Acquisition EDCI 516: Bilingualism & Language Acquisition Cohort: June 2008 Christine Koenig June 28, 2008

Comparison of Impression of Language Skills (1st group listening) • rephrased questions for confirmation of understanding Replied yes or no to Wh-questions

"Do you mind if we ask you your age? Okay, okay - instead of I don't mind. • used past tenses inconsistently • abstract words (liberty, dreams, freedom) • idiom (“I’m a special case”, “That’s a long story”) • Dropped indefinite articles • “I want” instead of “I do” • fairly large vocabulary • repetition of “yeah” after questions posed (did she really mean yes or still trying to understand?) • understood literal meaning of “aside from” but not the joke/sarcasm “aside from watching youtube”) • short /a/ is long /o/ • rolled r’s • thinks in Arabic before translating to English • Dropped syllables (often but not for words like liberty)
 * person = pair-sone
 * liberty = lee-bear-uh-tee
 * comfortable = comb-fair-tah-ble
 * human = yoo-man
 * engaged=en-ja-ge













 ** (verb) (adj.) ** ** I ****__ am __** **__ bored __**** by my English class. ****
 * Adjectives made from Verbs (-ED/-ING) ** 
 * Verbs of EMOTION can become Adjectives by adding either ED or ING. ** 
 *  ** (verb) **
 * My English class ** **__ bores __**** me. **

(verb) (adj.) **** The class ****__ is __** **__ boring __**** to me. **  ||  Verb+ED becomes an adjective when it is used to describe a person or animal that experiences an emotion You can call this adjective the //Experiencer// adjective. **  || **I am interesting in sports.** ||  || ** I am interested in sports. (//I// is the Experiencer, which means that you must use ED).** || ** Verb+ING becomes an adjective when it is used to describe the things that cause an emotion. You can call this the Instigator (Causing) adjective. ** <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> || <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">**The football game is excited. (This means that the //game// itself //feels// excited, which is impossible).** ||  || <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">** The football game is exciting. (This means that the football game is causing someone to feel excited).** || <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">** One good way to remember to use ED to describe the //Experiencer's// emotion is to remember that both words start with E. The //__E__xperiencer// is described with __E__D. **
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">**// Incorrect: //**
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">**// Correct: //**
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">** One good way to remember to use ING to describe the Instigator (or Causing) adjective is to remember that both words start with I. The __I__nstigator is described with __I__NG. **
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">**// Incorrect: //**
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">**// Correct: //**