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Title LINGUISTIC ERROR ANALYSIS: A CORPUS-BASED INVESTIGATION OF MPHILTHESES AT NUML

Author(s) Zainab Farooq

Abstract Title: Linguistic Error Analysis: A Corpus-Based Investigation of MPhil Theses at NUML Error analysis is a systematic method for locating, classifying, and examining second language learners' errors. It closely examines both repetitive and sporadic errors to understand more about the learners' language skills. The present study has explored language errors in the graduate theses of second language learners in Pakistan (NUML). Using the pragmatic research philosophy, the present study employs case studiesto identify, categorise, and analyse language errors. Forty theses from the four departments of NUML (IR, GPP, Economics, and English) have been selected randomly. After downloading ten theses from each department from the NUML e-library, four corpora were made, which were then annotated with the help of TagAnt. Two corpustools, TagAnt and AntConc, have been used to identify the errors. Three categories of grammatical, mechanical, and syntactical errors have been adopted from PescanteMalimas and Samson (2018), which have been further analysed under the theoretical lens of Ellis (1994). A corpus-based error analysis found that grammatical errors were the most common among the four selected departments. Mechanical errors were not asrecurrent, whereasthe occurrence of syntactical errors mainly depended on the demand of their subject or the study area that students dealt with; the students from the economic departments focused on the statistical rather than syntactic or grammatical functions of the language. This study found that the students from English departments were writing long and descriptive sentences, which lessened the readers' engagement. The current research study contributes to the academic domains of English thesis writing by giving practical suggestions to students, teachers, and policymakers to significantly enhance the academic language in the graduate thesis. This study suggests organising academic writing workshops and seminars to enhance the students' writing capabilities and teach them to tackle various academic challenges.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2024-08-08

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