Grammatical Errors in French Writing among Beginner Students at the University of Dhaka
Authors
- Tanjina Najnin Tania Institute of Modern Languages, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
- Md. Monir Hossain Independent Researcher, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Abstract
Despite the expansion of French-language teaching in Bangladesh, error-analysis research on Bangladeshi learners remains underexplored. This mixed-methods study investigates this area by identifying common grammatical errors among 47 Bengali-speaking French beginners at the University of Dhaka. A written corpus of 53 essays, comprising 425 sentences, was analyzed using Corder’s (1974) Error Analysis framework and Dulay et al.’s (1982) Surface Strategy Taxonomy, with focus group discussions involving 25 participants. Results revealed 136 grammatical errors (averaging 32 errors per 100 sentences), with noun-related errors the most frequent (36.76%), closely followed by verb-related errors (33.82%). Misinformation and omissions dominated, and participants reported negative transfer from English (L2), overgeneralization, and simplification strategies as reasons for errors. The study showed how a cross-linguistic background shapes interlanguage, indicating that teaching should include contrastive, form-focused instruction to reduce errors.
References
Abdul Karim, S. B., Subramaniam, V., & Abdul Halim, H. B. (2024). Error analysis in French simple sentence writing among the students of UniKL MFI. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i10/23426
Adebayo, L. A. (2022). A longitudinal study of learners’ writing errors in French. UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.4314/ujah.v23i1.8
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching (5th ed.). Pearson Longman.
Chachu, S. (2016). “I am speaking French but I am thinking in English”: An analysis of errors by students of the French language at the University of Ghana. Ghana Journal of Linguistics, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.4314/gjl.v5i1.73
Corder, S. P. (1974). Error analysis. In J. C. Richards (Ed.), Error analysis: Perspectives on second language acquisition (pp. 158–171). Longman.
Corder, S. P. (1982). Error analysis and interlanguage. Oxford University Press.
Crystal, D. (2008). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444302776
Dinh, L. T. T. (2023). Grammatical error analysis of EFL learners’ English writing samples: The case of Vietnamese pre-intermediate students. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.23341
Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language two. Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R. (2015). Understanding second language acquisition (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
James, C. (1998). Errors in language learning and use: Exploring error analysis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315842912
Keshavarz, M. H. (2023). Contrastive analysis, error analysis, and interlanguage hypothesis (6th ed.). Rahnama Press.
Pramesti, R., Mutiarsih, Y., & Darmawangsa, D. (2019). Grammatical errors in French translation: Case of Indonesian students. FRANCISOLA, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.17509/francisola.v4i1.20342
Richards, J. C. (1971). A non-contrastive approach to error analysis. ELT Journal, 25(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/XXV.3.204
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. W. (2013). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics (4th ed.). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833835
Ringbom, H. (2006). Cross-linguistic similarity in foreign language learning. Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Samudra, H. A. T., & Mutiarsih, Y. (2022). Grammatical errors in French translation of the short story Moi et la danse de Semarang. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (ICOLLITE 2021), 595. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211119.051
Sarker, M. S. H., & Islam, A. (2020). Aspects of interlanguage of Bengali French learners. In On language in leap year (pp. 235–255). Pankowri Prokashon.
Srinivas Rao, P. (2019). The role of grammar in English language teaching (ELT) techniques. Research Journal of English (RJOE), 4(2).
Wang, F. (2010). The necessity of grammar teaching. English Language Teaching, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v3n2p78
Downloads
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The copyright of all articles published in the International Journal of Language Instruction (ijli) remains with the Authors, i.e. Authors retain full ownership of their article. Permitted third-party reuse of the open access articles is defined by the applicable Creative Commons (CC) end-user license which is accepted by the Authors upon submission of their paper. All articles in the ijli are published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, meaning that end users can freely share an article (i.e. copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt it (i.e. remix, transform and build upon the material) on the condition that proper attribution is given (i.e. appropriate credit, a link to the applicable license and an indication if any changes were made; all in such a way that does not suggest that the licensor endorses the user or the use) and the material is only used for non-commercial purposes.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, in a journal or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
