英语中介语无标志被动语态的错误分析.doc

Abstract

In the study of EFL acquisition, error analysis is crucial for English language learning and teaching. English passive is a very complex sentence form in English grammar. It is unavoidable for Chinese learners to misuse it because of the differences between English and Chinese.
The present study focuses on the unmarked English passives, one kind of English passive voice’s terms, constructions errors in the interlanguage of Chinese EFL learners. On the basis of the theories of interlanguage and error analysis, this dissertation tries to take the error correction and point out the causes of errors, and in–depth study of error treatment, hoping to give suggestions on avoiding errors are given from different aspects. It is believed that the findings in this study are helpful in the mastery of English passive voice and the understanding of its application, thus facilitating learning and teaching of the English language.
Key Words: unmarked English passives; error analysis; interlanguage; error correction; error treatment

摘要

在英语作为外语的习得研究中，对学习者中介语的错误分析，是英语教学中极其重要的部分。被动语态是英语语法中一种非常复杂的句子形式，因英语与汉语二者之间的差异中国的英语学习者在习得被动语态过程中不可避免的产生一些误用现象。
而英语无标志被动语态属于被动语态的一种形式，所以本文研究了中国英语学习者中介语中无标志被动语态的错误。以第二语言习得理论的中介语理论和错误分析理论为基础，对学习者的无标志被动语态错误进行语言纠错并加以分析，指出错误产生的原因，并深入对纠错策略进行研究，从不同角度提出避免错误的建议。本研究的主要发现既有助于学习者学习英语被动语态，掌握其运用，便于英语的教与学。
关键词：英语无标志被动语态；错误分析；中介语；语言纠错；纠错策略

Contents

Abstract i
摘要 ii
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Research background 1
1.2 Significance of the study 1
1.3 Research methodology of the study 2
1.4 Organization of the dissertation 2
2. Literature Review 3
2.1 Theoretical basis 3
2.1.1 Interlanguage 3
2.1.2 Error analysis 4
2.2 Unmarked English passives 4
2.3 The previous study related to unmarked English passives 4
3. An analysis of the errors of Unmarked English Passives 6
3.1 Classification of errors 6
3.2 Causes of errors 8
4. Error Correction Strategy 10
4.1 Error correction methods 10
4.2 Error treatment 10
5. Conclusion 12
5.1 Major findings 12
5.2 Limitation and suggestions for future research 12
References 13
Acknowledgements 14

1. Introduction
For language learners, passive voice as major grammatical category is a common and complex linguistic phenomenon in both English and Chinese. During acquiring English passives, Chinese learners will make errors for the differences between the two kinds of languages. This dissertation analyzes the errors of unmarked English passives, one kind of English passive voice’s terms, and tries to put forward some effective error treatments in order to promote the English passives’ learning and teaching.
1.1 Research background
The phenomena of second language acquisition take an important part in the development of understanding of our capacity of language. When we learn a second language, it is very important and necessary to understand the learner and learning. Passive voice is one of the most important grammar items in English language. Due to the great different structures between English passives and Chinese passives, so the second language learners come across a lot of obstacles in the process of learning passives. Unmarked English passive voice, one kind of English passive voice’s terms, is also complex, while the study on it was rare. Therefore，the study object of this dissertation is unmarked English passives.
The language research needs some related theoretical foundation. Interlanguage has always been a hot topic in second language acquisition, which is the key issue in explaining the process of second language acquisition. What’s more, error analysis has become a very useful theory for investigating and describing learners’ interlanguage. Learners’ errors symbolize some marked points in the interlanguag continuum, which reflect the real situation of learners. In order to avoid misusage in the learners’ interlanguage, analyzing the errors and finding out some effective error treatments are not only important but also necessary. In a word, the theories of interlanguage and error analysis are closely related with each other in second language acquisition. Interlanguage is the subject of investigation of error analysis and error analysis is the tool of undertaking the investigation of interlanguage.
1.2 Significance of the study
For Chinese EFL learners, unmarked English passives are complex in the process of learning English. On the basis of the theories of interlanguage and error analysis, this dissertation try to analyze the errors produced by the second language learners and the causes of errors, hoping to offer learners some effective error treatments on avoiding errors are given, leading them to use English passives more appropriate. It is believed that this study is helpful not only for the learners’ understanding of passives learning, but also for the English teaching of the construction. It has realistic meanings to a certain extent.
1.3 Research methodology of the study
The dissertation is to explore and analyze the unmarked English passives. According to the requirements of the study, some literatures related to this dissertation are chosen for reading. The author takes data from corpus data on the errors of unmarked English passives made by the learners which are researched by some scholars. After the collection of data, the author starts to analyze the errors on the basis of the grammatical rules of the passives. And the results will be discussed in details next. All in all, the data will reflect the situation of the learners’ using unmarked English passives from different aspects.
1.4 Organization of the dissertation
This dissertation includes five chapters. The first chapter is a brief introduction of the dissertation, including the research background in this field, the significance of the present study, the research methodology and organization of the dissertation. Chapter Two is the general view of unmarked English passives and related basic theories on interlanguage and error analysis, as well as the description of previous studies on them at home and abroad. Chapter Three focuses on the analysis on the misuse of unmarked English Passives in Chinese learners’ usage. Chapter Four put forward some effective error treatments which are helpful for the English passives’ learning. Finally, we draw our conclusion from the data, and the limitation of the present study. In addition, some suggestions will be offered for further studies.

2. Literature Review
In this chapter, interlanguage, error analysis and unmarked English passive voice will be reviewed respectively. Those theories are the theoretical basis of the research, without theories no concrete research would be carried out. This chapter first begins with literature of relevant concepts: interlanguage and error analysis. The second part of this chapter focuses on unmarked English passive voice, which is the core of this study. Finally, it continues with the introduction of the previous studies related to unmarked English passives.
2.1 Theoretical basis
2.1.1 Interlanguage
The interlanguage theory was first used by Larry Selinker in 1972, he proposed it in order to emphasize that learner language differs very much from natural language. Interlanguage is a linguistic system that results from a second language learner’s attempt to produce the target language. Selinker (1972:201) thinks that interlanguage refers to the separateness of a second language learner’s system, a system that has a structurally intermediate status between the native and target language. The concept of interlanguage coined by Selinker is the starting point for any discussion of the mental processes responsible for second language acquisition.
Selinker (1972) gives us a suggestion that five principle processes operated in interlanguage (1) Language transfer; (2) Transfer of training; (3) Strategies of second language learning; (4) Strategies of second language communication; (5) Overgeneralization of the second language into the target language. He also noted that many second language learners fail to reach target language competence. That is, they do not reach the end of the interlanguage continuum, they stop learning when their interlanguage contains at least some rules different from those of target language system.
Corder (1981:151) believes that learners’ errors are systematic, regular, and consistent, and he assumes that the interlanguage system is based on knowledge or competence of the second language learner.
Ellis (1999:28-30) summarizes the basic features on the basis of researches on interlanguage: 1) Interlanguage is dynamic. The second language learner’s interlanguage is constantly changing. However, it does not jump from one stage to the next, but rather towards a standard target language system. 2) Interlanguage is permeable. In the sense that rules that constitute the learner’s at any one stage are not fixed, but are open to amendment. 3) Interlanguage is systematic. Despite the variability of interlanguage, it is possible to detect the rule-base nature of the learner’s use of the second language, which can be found out from the systematic errors.
2.1.2 Error analysis
Error analysis refers to the study and analysis of the errors made by second and foreign language learners. According to James (2001), “Error analysis is the process of determining the incidence nature, causes and consequences of unsuccessful language”. Corder (1981) claims that error analysis aims to (1) find out how well the learner knows a second language; (2) find out how the learner learns a second language; (3) obtain information on common difficulties in second language learning; and to (4) serve as an aid in teaching or in the preparation and compilation of teaching materials. In addition, error analysis generally consists of five stages, namely, identification, description, explanation, evaluation, and collection (Corder 1981:35).
Learners’ errors provide the research with proof of how the target language is learned or acquired. Error analysis may be carried out in order to show strategies which learners use in language learning and show the causes of learners’ errors and obtain information on common difficulties in language learning. Error analysis has become a very useful theory for investigating and describing learners’ language learning. It has been studied by many different schools of linguistics. 张春龙 (1992(4):11-20) defines errors, and puts forward a more rigorous standard to identify and distinguish errors. In addition, 庄恩平 (1989(1):47-50) studies the causes of errors and the inspiration to the foreign language teaching.
2.2 Unmarked English passives
In English grammar, voice is classified into active voice and passive voice according to the classification of the giver or the receiver of the act. The passive voice means that the subject is the agent of the action (Bo 1990:335). The passive voice can be divided into two types in terms of the forms, marked passives and unmarked passives. “Be + V-ed” is the typical structure of the passive voice in English. However, as an analytic language, there are various other forms in English that can be used to express passive. That is unmarked English passive voice, which means that certain active verb forms with passive meaning. Unmarked English passives refer to the subject is the agent of the action without any marked passive verbs in the syntax.
2.3 The previous study related to unmarked English passives
Passive voice is a common and complex grammatical term, and research on the passive voice has increased significantly, therefore, a variety of research achievements about the studies on passive voice have been done both at home and abroad. Yet unmarked English passives, as one kind of English passive voice’s terms, just had a brief analysis in these studies. For instance, some researchers study the contrastive analysis of the English passives and Chinese passives. 张晋林 (2009(2):59-61) analyzes the expression forms of English and Chinese passives and then mainly distinguished the similarities and differences between them, so that revealed the nature of the passive voice. 王一红 (2010(7):113-114) tries to find out the cultural differences between Chinese and foreign country by comparing the two kinds of patterns of passive voice. What’s more, there are other aspects of studies on unmarked English passives. 李国南 (1991(4)12-23) discusses notional passive and syntactical passive.
In recent years, many scholars have come to focus on the study of passive acquisition, they study on learning and teaching of English passives, such as朱朝霞 (2004) proposes a new method on the teaching of English passives, namely, the contrastive inductive method. With the corpus-based research method, 陈万霞 (2001:198-202) concludes that Chinese college EFL learners made various errors in the passive voice acquisition. And she finds that the causes might be negative transfer, transfer of training, and learners’ inability to use English verbs correctly. 吴静 and 邵志洪 (2006(4):32-35) discuses the reasons for the existence of English and Chinese unmarked passives based on the theory of Cognitive Linguistics.
From the previous literatures and data, the studies of unmarked passives are mainly restricted to the theory and contrastive study between Chinese passives and English passives. And it is a pity that most of the studies were mainly on the marked English passives, while the study on unmarked English passives was rare. Some scholars think that the unmarked English passives is a kind of edge of sentence, which accounts for a little proportion, so they are simply generalizing it and do not have more researches. However, unmarked English passives is also complex, the second language learners come across difficulties in it. They cannot master the unmarked English passives for the lack of error correction and error treatment. So the author chooses this topic to analyze the unmarked English passives thoroughly and systematically.

3. An analysis of the errors of Unmarked English Passives
The previous chapter has been devoted to some theoretical issues concerning interlanguage, error analysis and unmarked passives in English, which give us a better understanding. However, the central part of this research is gained through the detailed analysis of the samples. So in this chapter, the results of the study are presented and discussed. We will analyze the errors of unmarked English passive on the basis of the data materials. Classification of the errors will be given and the causes of errors will be put forward according to the result.
3.1 Classification of errors
As an analytic language, the unmarked English passive voice is a special form that can be used to express passive. That is, certai