Author(s)

Yunyi Zhang ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Humanities and Law, North China University of Technology, Beijing, China

Corresponding Author

Yunyi Zhang

ABSTRACT

Noun errors often exist in non-English undergraduates' English use, which are serious grammatical mistakes that can lead to confusion or even wrong understanding of meanings because of improper ways of English expressing. The study uses questionnaires to draw an overall picture of noun errors in non-English undergraduates' English from five universities in Beijing. The study reviews the theories of Mother Tongue Transfer, Second Language Acquisition and Collocations in order to test the sensitivity of undergraduates in noun errors and investigates the underlying reasons why they tend to make those mistakes. The results indicate that the subjects make noun errors probably because they are apt to be misled by Chinese vocabulary with similar meanings. Numerous mistakes are made due to the unfamiliarity with parts of speech and the number of nouns, small vocabulary and the confusion of same-root nouns, etc. Based on the findings, the study provides suggestions that students should be greatly encouraged to accumulate and practice collocations, read more high-quality articles published in English or watch authentic video clips in English instructions, etc. 

KEYWORDS

Noun Errors, Grammar Instructions, Mother Tongue Transfer, Second Language Acquisition, Collocations

CITE THIS PAPER

Yunyi Zhang. A Study of Noun Errors in Non-English Major Undergraduates' English Use. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology (2021) 5: 127-137. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2021.54017

REFERENCES

[1] M.H. An, (2000) Issues of College English Grammar Instructions, 03, 38-40+50. 
[2] J.J. Chen, (2012) A Brief Talk on Mother Tongue Transfer in Chinese, Northern Literature, 01, 127-128. 
[3] B.Y. Huang, (2009) Second Language Acquisition Studies and Its Implications in Foreign Language Teaching, Science and Technology of West China, 20, 86-87. 
[4] C.Y. Liu & Y.S. Yang, (2006) CLEC-based Analysis of Word Misuses by Chinese English Learners, Journal of Northeastern University(Social Science), 04, 301-304. 
[5] X.P. Long & X.Q. Liu, (2007) A Study on the College Students' Learning View on English Grammar and Its Implications in Grammar Instructions, Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 06, 28-30. 
[6] L.H. Su, (2000) The Effect of Mother Tongue Transfer on Second Language Learning, Journal of Beijing International Studies University, 04, 44-52. 
[7] L.L. Wang & W.D. Dai, (2014) A Critical Review of Second Language Acquisition Research Methods, Foreign Language World, 05, 29-37. 
[8] P. Zhou, & J.S. Zhang, (2003) The Interaction between Second Language Acquisition Research and Foreign Language Teaching, Foreign Language World, 02, 13-16. 
[9] J. Bahns, & M. Eldaw, (1993) Should We Teach EFL Students Collocations, System, 21(1), 101-114. 
[10] S. Hatami, (2015) Teaching Formulaic Sequences in the ESL Classroom, TESOL Journal, 6(1), 112-129. 
[11] N. Nesselhauf, (2003) The Use of Collocations by Advanced Learners of English and Some Implications for Teaching, Applied linguistics, 24(2), 223-242. 
[12] J. Parkinson, (2015) Noun-noun Collocations in Learner Writing, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 20, 103-113. 
[13] R. Ravem, (1968) Language Acquisition in a Second Language Environment, IRAL-International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 6, 175-186. 
[14] A. Wray, (2000) Formulaic sequences in second language teaching: Principle and practice, Applied linguistics, 21(4), 463-489. 

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Curriculum and Teaching Methodology
  
  
• Transactions on Comparative Education
  
  
• Applied & Educational Psychology
  
  
• Advances in Vocational and Technical Education
  
  
• Adult and Higher Education