|  e-ISSN: 2718-0107

Original article | Base for Electronic Educational Sciences 2022, Vol. 3(1) 1-28

The Effect of Semantic Context and the Task Types on Turkish EFL Learners Use of English Articles: A Comparison of Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate Level Learners

Meric Akkaya Onal

pp. 1 - 28   |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/bedu.2022.429.1   |  Manu. Number: MANU-2203-10-0007.R1

Published online: March 13, 2022  |   Number of Views: 28  |  Number of Download: 556


Abstract

This study investigated the use of English articles in five semantic contexts by pre-intermediate and intermediate level Turkish EFL students at a state university. Specifically, it explored a) whether the accuracy of article use by the students varied with respect to the types of noun phrase (NP) contexts b) the types of errors committed by the students in using English articles, and c) whether the accuracy of article use varied with respect to the proficiency levels and the tasks that the participants carried out. The data were collected through two task types: a multiple-choice (MC) task and a written production task. The results of these tasks revealed that the accuracy of article use by students varies with respect to the types of NP contexts in both the multiple-choice task and the written production task. Moreover, each proficiency level tended to omit or substitute the articles when they make a mistake. However, the variety and frequency of these errors depended on the proficiency level of the students, type of the NP contexts, and the tasks that were given to the students. The study also revealed that the accuracy of article use varied with respect to the proficiency levels, and the tasks that were given to the students.

The data were collected through two task types: a multiple-choice (MC) task and a written production task. The results of these tasks revealed that the accuracy of article use by students varies with respect to the types of NP contexts in both the multiple-choice task and the written production task. Moreover, each proficiency level tended to omit or substitute the articles when they make a mistake. However, the variety and frequency of these errors depended on the proficiency level of the students, type of the NP contexts, and the tasks that were given to the students. The study also revealed that the accuracy of article use varied with respect to the proficiency levels, and the tasks that were given to the students.

Keywords: Article, definite article, indefinite article, noun phrase (NP), NP types, NP contexts, omission and substitution


How to Cite this Article?

APA 6th edition
Onal, M.A. (2022). The Effect of Semantic Context and the Task Types on Turkish EFL Learners Use of English Articles: A Comparison of Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate Level Learners . Base for Electronic Educational Sciences, 3(1), 1-28. doi: 10.29329/bedu.2022.429.1

Harvard
Onal, M. (2022). The Effect of Semantic Context and the Task Types on Turkish EFL Learners Use of English Articles: A Comparison of Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate Level Learners . Base for Electronic Educational Sciences, 3(1), pp. 1-28.

Chicago 16th edition
Onal, Meric Akkaya (2022). "The Effect of Semantic Context and the Task Types on Turkish EFL Learners Use of English Articles: A Comparison of Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate Level Learners ". Base for Electronic Educational Sciences 3 (1):1-28. doi:10.29329/bedu.2022.429.1.

References

    Bickerton, D. (1981). Roots of language. Ann Arbor: Karoma.

    Butler, Y. (2002). Second language learners’ theories on the use of English articles: An analysis of the metalinguistic knowledge used by Japanese students in acquiring the English article system. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 451-480.

    Celce-Murcia, M., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1983). The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFLTeacher's Course.

    Chan, A. (2019). Typology and contexts of article errors: Investigation into the use of English articles by Hong Kong Cantonese ESL learners. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, (1). https://offcampus.anadolu.edu.tr:2206/10.1515/iral-2018-0268

    Chaudron, C., & Parker, K. (1990). Discourse markedness and structural markedness: The acquisition of English noun phrases. Studies in Second Language Acquisition12(1), 43-64.

    Chesterman, A. (2005). On definiteness: A study with special reference to English and Finnish (Vol. 56). Cambridge University Press.

    Chodorow, M., Gamon, M., & Tetreault, J. (2010). The utility of article and preposition error correction systems for English language learners: Feedback and assessment. Language Testing27(3), 419-436.

    Covitt, R. I. (1976). Some problematic grammar areas for ESL teachers (Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles).

    Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language two. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Ekiert, M. (2004). Acquisition of the English article system by speakers of Polish in ESL and EFL settings. http://www.tc.columbia.edu/tesolalwebjournal/Ekiert2004.pdf

    Goad, H., & White, L. (2009). Articles in Turkish/English interlanguage revisited. Second language acquisition of articles: Empirical findings and theoretical implications. John Benjamins Publishing49, 201-232.

    Han, N. R., Chodorow, M., & Leacock, C. (2006). Detecting errors in English article usage by non-native speakers. Natural Language Engineering12(2), 115-129.

    Hawkins, R. (2001). Second language syntax: A generative introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

    Hiki, M. (1991). A study of learners' judgments of noun countability. Indiana University.

    Huebner, T. (1979). Order-of-acquisition vs. dynamic paradigm: A comparison of method in interlanguage research. TESOL Quarterly, 13, 21-28.

    Huebner, T. (1979). A longitudinal analysis of the acquisition of English. Ann Arbor: Karoma.

    Ionin, T., Zubizarreta, M. L., & Maldonado, S. B. (2008). Sources of linguistic knowledge in the second language acquisition of English articles. Lingua118(4), 554-576.

    James, C. (1998). Errors in language learning and use: Exploring error analysis. New York: Longman.

    Jarvis, S. (2002). Topic continuity in L2 English article use. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 387-418.

    Kharma, N. (1981). Analysis of the errors committed by Arab university students in the use of the English definite/indefinite articles. IRAL: International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching19(4), 333.

    Lee, P. (1996). The Whorf theory complex: A critical reconstruction. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

    Liu, D., & Gleason, J. L. (2002). Acquisition of the article the by nonnative speakers of English: An analysis of four nongeneric uses. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 1-26.

    Master, P. (1987). Generic the in scientific American. English for Specific Purposes6(3), 165-186.

    Master, P. (1990). Teaching the English articles as a binary system. TESOL Quarterly, 24, 461-498.

    Master, P. (1997). The English article system: Acquisition, function, and pedagogy. System, 25(2), 215-232.


    Master, P. (2002). Information structure and English article pedagogy. System, 30(3), 331-348.

    Mizuno, M. (1999). Interlanguage Analysis of the English Article System: Some Cognitive Contraints Facing the Japanese Adult Learners. IRAL37(2), 127-152.

    Murphy, Susan. 1997. Knowledge and production of English articles by advanced second language learners. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas at Austin.

    Önen, S. (2007). EFL students' use of English articles at different proficiency levels: a comparison of context and task type (Doctoral dissertation, Bilkent University).

    Parrish, B. (1987). A new look at methodologies in the study of article acquisition for learners of ESL. Language Learning, 37, 361-83.

    Pica, T. (1983a). Adult acquisition of English as a second language under different conditions of exposure. Language Learning, 33(4), 465-497.

    Pica, T. (1983b). The article in American English: What the texts don’t tell us. In N. Wolfson & E. Judd (Eds.), Sociolingusitics and language acquisition. (222- 233). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

    Qian, L., Li, K. & Cheng, Y. Variability in Article Use Among Chinese EFL Learners: Effects of Semantic Contexts, Proficiency and Discourse-Mode. J Psycholinguist Res (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-021-09821-z

    Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1972). A grammar of contemporary English. London: Longman.

    Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S. (1990). A student’ s grammar of the English Language. London: Longman.

    Richards, J. C. (1974). A non-contrastive approach to error analysis. In J. C. Richards (Eds.), Error analysis: Perspectives on second language acquisition, (pp. 172-188). London: Longman. (Reprinted from English language teaching, 25(3), by Oxford University Press, 1971, London.

    Richards, J. C., Platt, J., & Platt, H. (1992). Dictionary of language teaching & applied linguistics. Essex: Longman.

    Robertson, D. (2000). Variability in the use of the English article system by Chinese learners of English. Second Language Research, 16, 135-172.

    Sinclair, J. (1991). Corpus, concordance, collocation. Oxford University Press.

    Takahashi, T. (1997). Japanese learners’ acquisition and use of the English article system. Edinburgh Working Papers in Applied Linguistics, 8, 98-110.

    Tarone, E., & Parish, B. (1988). Task-related variation in interlanguage: The case of articles. Language Learning, 38, 21-44.

    Thomas, M. (1989). The acquisition of English articles by first- and second-language learners. Applied Psycholinguistics, 10, 335-355.

    Thompson, A. J., & Martinet, A. V. (1987). A practical English grammar (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Trenkic, D., Mirkovic, J., & Altmann, G. T. (2014). Real-time grammar processing by native and non-native speakers: Constructions unique to the second language. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition17(2), 237-257.

    Ürkmez, S. (2003). Article use in the compositions by Turkish EFL students. Unpublished master’s thesis. Uludağ University, Bursa.

    Whitman, R. L. (1974). Teaching the article in English. TESOL Quarterly, 8, 253- 262.

    Yamada, J., & Matsuura, N. (1982). The use of the English article among Japanese students. RELC journal13(1), 50-63.

    Yılmaz, G. (2006). L2 acquisition of the English article system by Turkish learners. Unpublished master’s thesis. Boğaziçi University, İstanbul.

    Young, R. (1991). Variation in interlanguage morphology. New York: Peter Lang.

    Yoon, K. K. (1993). Challenging prototype descriptions: Perception of noun countability and indefinite vs. zero article use. IRAL-International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching31(4), 269-290.

    Yotsukura, S. (1970). The Articles in English: A Structural Analysis of Usage. Janua Linguarum, Series Practica 49.