Differences in the Written Production of Young Spanish and German LearnersEvidence from Lexical Errors in a Composition
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Universidad de La Rioja
info
ISSN: 1139-8213
Année de publication: 2005
Número: 14
Pages: 5
Type: Article
beta Ver similares en nube de resultadosD'autres publications dans: BELLS: Barcelona english language and literature studies
Résumé
This study investigates quantitative and qualitative differences in the production of lexical errors in the English written performance by young Spanish and German learners of English. The essays produced by the subjects were analysed and lexical errors identified, classified, and quantified. A t-test was performed on the data. Results revealed that Spanish learners commit significantly fewer lexical errors than their German counterparts, t = 2.94 at a significance level p <.01. Despite quantitative differences, both language groups obtained similar results regarding the lexical error types. Our findings suggest that lexical transfer is an important lexical error source in German, as well as in Spanish informants.