M.A. / Since the 1960s, teaching has become ever-more learner-centred, with the results that drastic changes have been wrought to the theory of language learners' problems. In the present study, - the emphasis falls on linguists' realisation that knowledge of the language-learner's native language (L1) is vital. The principle aim of this study is, therefore, to launch an investigation into the linguistic aspects of the difficulties against which the experimental group has come up. The various schools of thought that have been developing on theoretical linguistics since the 1960s are directional for the approaches to language-learners' problems. In this way the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis has originated within the framework of Structuralism and is based on the premise that the learner's LI has a strong influence on the target language. The standpoint is that the most effective learning materials are those that are based on a scientific description of the language to be acquired, carefully compared with a parallel description of the native language of the learner. Language acquisition was, in line with the Structuralists' Behaviorist view, considered to comprise the overcoming of the effects of L1, which interfere with L2. The latter process of interference or negative transfer had to be unlearned by means of pattern drills and memorisation. With the advent of the Chomskian view of the creative aspects of the language user's competence, in terms of which language users are purported to dispose of language rules for the generation of language utterances, strong criticism was, however, levelled at the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis. Despite this, contrastive studies are still being undertaken. Thanks to the Error Analysis Theory, which has propounded in reaction to the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, language learners' errors are viewed more positively. The Error Analysis Theory, in turn, gave rise to the interlanguage theory, in terms of which errors constitute a diagnostic tool that could be used to determine the interlanguage stage that the learner has reached on his or her way to acquiring the target language. Learners construct their own set of rules according to which they can try and restore order in the mass of stimuli with which they are being bombarded in terms of this theory, L1 is also considered to be a handy tool in the acquisition of the target language. For the purposes of this study, a contrastive error analysis was performed on the interlanguage used by Northern Sotho speaking teacher students who are going to teach Afrikaans. The data was collected from their written work. Special attention was devoted to general syntactic, morphological, semantic and lexical problems. Structural variances between Afrikaans and Northern Sotho were indicated. Further it was shown that English, in its capacity as the other secondary language, may also be exerting a measure of influence on the structures of the target language, and that other difficulties may also crop up that could not be imputed to interference.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:3107 |
| Date | 23 August 2012 |
| Creators | Mahapa, Morongwa Johanna |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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