ICLSL 2016
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/14246
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Item Errors in the Use of English Articles(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Wanasinghe, W.M.S.P.K.This study aims at providing a comprehensive account of the types of errors produced by Sri Lankan ESL students in their use of English articles. Within the field of second language research (SLR), a large number of studies have focused on error analysis. One of the most difficult challenges faced by second language learners of English is mastering the system of English articles. The simple morphology of English articles is easy to explain but frustratingly difficult for students to master. It has been observed by researchers that English article system which includes the indefinite article a(n) the definite article the zero (or null) article are among the most difficult structural elements for ESL/EFL learners to master although they are the most frequently used structural elements in the English language. The main objective of the study was to identify the types of errors in the use of articles and to identify whether there is a significant impact from the learners first language in committing these errors. Data were collected from randomly written samples of 50 first year undergraduates from the faculty of Arts. Students were given one hour to write on one of five different descriptive topics related to their life and culture. The researcher classified errors according to the Surface Structure Taxonomy of errors (SST), namely, substitution, omission, and addition, recording the frequency of each error type and the percentage of the total. Furthermore, students‟ errors were classified according to their possible sources into interlingual and intralingual, showing the frequency of errors according to their source. Analysis of errors in students‟ written samples revealed that while students made a considerable number of errors in their use of articles according to SST, omission and addition of errors were the most frequent, while substitutions were the least frequent.Item The Accuracy of the Usage of Prepositions by Learners of English as a Second Language in Dictation Tasks: Primary and Secondary Levels in Schools(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayasinghe, R.R.English prepositions are often vague and confusing, and extremely hard for Sinhala speaking ESL (English as a second language) learners to learn the nuances of all the prepositions. Littlefield (2006) has found four categories in the domain of English prepositions based on ± lexical and functional categories: adverbial prepositions [+lexical, -functional], particles [-lexical, - functional], semi-lexical prepositions [+lexical, + functional] and functional prepositions [-lexical, + functional]. The aim of the study is to examine the accuracy patterns in the usage of English prepositions of ESL students in Sri-Lankan schools, comparing primary and secondary levels. The research problem of this study is, whether these ESL learners would initially imitate the sentences with different prepositional categories differently in the lower grades and by Grade 10, all the prepositional categories would be imitated equally well. A pool of 316 students from two government schools participated in this study, and 65 of the students were randomly selected from each Grade: Grade 4, Grade 6, Grade 8 and Grade 10 for the test. A Dictation task in which the sentence battery had a total number of 40 sentences, including 10 sentences each to test the four categories of prepositions found by Littlefield, used in this test to collect data. Students were asked to listen to the recorded sentences one by one carefully, and write them down. The scripts were marked and the scores were analysed by using Excel spread sheets and SPSS 12 using the experimental method. An ANOVA was run to investigate the significant variances between the correct use of the four categories of prepositions by these students across these four Grades. The findings can be applied to facilitate teaching prepositions in ESL classrooms from Grade 4 to Grade 10, and also in making the necessary changes in school syllabuses, text books and lesson plans on the relevant course units on prepositions.Item Colour me…orange? : Incorporating Aspects of the Colourful Semantics Approach into English as a Second Language Lessons at Preschool(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Hettiarachchi, S.; Walisundara, D.; Ranaweera, M.Among the challenges faced by Sri Lankan children learning English as an additional or second language is the accuracy of word order and vocabulary knowledge. The Colourful Semantics approach (Bryan, 2008) has been used successfully in the UK and in Australia with children experiencing language-learning difficulties (Bennington, 2011; Chiat, Law, Marshall & Bryan, 1997), with many programmes devised by Speech and Language Therapists (Morrissy, 2010; Wade, 2009). It uses thematic roles and a colour-coding system to support the development of syntax through a semantic route. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using aspects of Colourful Semantics to develop vocabulary knowledge and the use of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structures in young learners of English. Twenty preschool children in ESL classrooms were included in the study. Key aspects of Colourful Semantics were introduced as a whole-class approach using children‟s storybooks, colour-coding and signing with lessons offered once a week for 12 weeks together with supplementary activities. Pre- and post-intervention measures were undertaken on five receptive and expressive language and literacy measures of vocabulary and syntax. In this presentation we will discuss the programme offered, the pre- and post-intervention assessment scores and statistical results on vocabulary and discuss the benefits of incorporating aspects of the Colourful Semantics approach into the English language teaching classroom.Item The Use of Music as an Effective Tool in English as a Second Language Classrooms to Teach Verb Forms(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Gamage, S.U.Today, most of the ESL learners in Sri Lanka consider English language learning as anxiety packed, insipid and an unconquerable obstacle. Moreover, Karunarathna (1993) has mentioned that the methods employed by the facilitator have not been successful at improving English proficiency of Sri Lankan school students. Especially, when teaching English verb forms, most of the facilitators have used the traditional chalk and talk method. If facilitators can integrate music into ELT (English Language Teaching), the ELT sessions can be converted into a stress free, learner friendly atmosphere. This study attempts to investigate whether music can be implemented in teaching English verb forms. The sample of this study consists of 80 students from the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. A pretest was administered to test their prior knowledge in English verb forms. After that, the selected sample was randomly divided into two groups. The control group was taught English verb forms in a traditional classroom setting whereas the experimental group was exposed to a teaching session of English verb forms using English songs. Later on, a posttest on English verb forms was administered to assess the proficiency level obtained by the students after getting them exposed to two different types of treatments. The results of the posttest showcased that, the students of the control group outperformed the experimental group in terms of the proficiency level obtained at the posttest. In conclusion, it is clearly evident that the use of English songs in ESL classrooms has not been supportive in teaching English verb forms.