Exploring Morpho-syntactic Errors in English Compositions by University ESL Learners

Abstract

Abstract Proficiency in English writing poses a pervasive challenge for second language learners globally, extending to Sinhala and Tamil-speaking students in Sri Lanka. Given English's role as the primary medium of instruction in Sri Lankan universities across most disciplines, it is a mandatory subject for all first-year students, irrespective of their field of study. This pilot study represents an initial exploration into the investigation of morpho-syntactic errors in the English compositions of university students in a Sri Lankan public institution. Sixteen participants’ answer scripts, evenly split between Sinhala-speaking and Tamil-speaking English learners, were selected for this study. The essays under investigation were sourced from year-end examination answer scripts, employing a purposive sampling method. The study seeks to discern prevalent morpho-syntactic errors in university-level ESL learners. This involves utilizing Corder's (1974)methodological steps for error analysis and categorizing errors through the Surface Strategy Taxonomy (SST) devised by Dulay et al. (1982). A total of 328 errors were identified and categorized into four SST types: omission, addition, misformation, and misordering. Findings reveal a prevalence of misformation errors, followed by omission, addition, and misordering. Sinhala-speaking learners exhibited a higher error percentage (54%) than their Tamil-speaking counterparts. Notably, within the Tamil-speaking group, a significant difference emerged, with Tamil-speaking Muslim learners demonstrating fewer errors than Tamil-speaking Hindu learners. These insights open avenues for broader research into the nuanced factors influencing morpho-syntactic errors in ESL learning contexts worldwide.