Abstract:
Abstract
Problem Statement: The current study tries to investigate the nature and typology of errors
that primary school pupils in Nembure Division, Embu County, Kenya make in the
acquisition of English as a second language. Primary school learners of English as a second
language are prone to making numerous errors. This is worrying because good performance
Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, Vol.7, No.2, October 2011
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in English in Kenya and the world enhances a learner’s choice of prestigious careers
especially those that strictly consider English as a special requirement.
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the nature and typology of errors made
by second language learners of English in Nembure Division and to suggest remedies to
these errors.
Methods: A written task in the form of a composition was administered to collect data from
182 class seven pupils.
Findings and Results: The results revealed that learners make many errors in the area of
spelling and phonetics.
Conclusion and Recommendations: Learners make many errors in the process of acquiring
English as a second language. The study recommends that English language teachers isolate
errors from the learners’ work and give individualized attention to those learners’ with
unique problems; that English language teachers categorize the errors that learners make and
address them from that perspective; that teachers give spelling exercises to the learners
frequently, and that the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) should consider
starting an oral examination for pupils in primary schools. This will encourage the pupils to
improve their spoken and consequently their written language.
Keywords: second language acquisition, error analysis, error analysis procedure
