Written Communication Oct 2004

Differential Error Types in Second-Language Students’ Written and Spoken Texts: Implications for Instruction in Writing

Leketi Makalela Michigan State University

Abstract

This article reports on an empirical study undertaken at the University of the North, South Africa, to test personal classroom observation and anecdotal evidence about the persistent gap between writing and spoken proficiencies among learners of English as a second language. A comparative and contrastive analysis of speech samples in the study showed a significant higher proportion of morpho-syntactic nonstandard forms in the learners’ written compositions and more nonstandard discourse forms in their oral presentations. As a result, it is argued that this gap may be minimized when learners’written interlanguage variety is used productively as a means toward normative writing proficiency. Recommendations for remedial instruction in second-language writing pedagogy, within the framework of Cummins’s conversational abilities and academic language proficiency, are offered for adaptation in comparable situations.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2004-10-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088304270026
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Topics
discourse analysis writing pedagogy empirical research multilingual writers second language acquisition
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