Error analysis in word order for Chinese second language learners in Singapore

Abstract

在二语学习的过程中，出现偏误是无可避免的现象，教师与学生都必须正视偏误的存在。教师更须进一步分析学生语文学习上的偏误，调整教学方法并引导学生学习正确的语言表达，如此， 偏误才能发挥其正面的价值，学生也才能在偏误中逐渐进步。<br><br>我们从课堂教学活动、教学资源、学生参考资料及作文研究方向等方面，检视现今新加坡的学生写作情况。我们发现，尽管教师们努力地使用各种教材及教学法教导学生写作技巧，期望藉此提升学生整体的写作能力，但事实上，绝大多数的学生可能连完整写出句子都有困难，更不用说进入优美文章的境界。为了让更多学生能切实提高写作能力，让教师对华文程度中下的学生的作文指导更有方向，我们从作文最基本的层面“文句”着手，利用语序偏误分析的概念，对学生作文的语序偏误现象进行全面的检讨。<br><br>我们认为如果把语文比喻成建筑物，词语就像是建筑材料，语法就像是建筑物的结构，建筑物的型态如何，取决于建筑的材料及建筑的结构两大部分，语文建筑物的型态亦相仿，语言表达的优劣，亦取决于材料——词语，以及结构——语法。因此词语与语法这两个部分在作文教学中有极重要的地位，而语文累积及使用的基本顺序也是从词到句，亦即从造句的最小单位——词，进入语文使用的单位——句子，直至联句成章。在这篇论文中，我们对学生句子语序不当的情况进行了分析，发现其中主要有定语位置不当、状语位置不当、多项定语次序不当 、多项状语次序不当、虚词位置不当 、特殊句式（主要是“把”句字、“被”字句及“有”字句）和复句内语序不当等类型。因此，我们将语序偏误类型以语法成分的形式来划分，同时借以词语、句法的一些基本概念，对语序偏误加以分析，最后提出教学建议。<br>

Language is the foundation for education, a cornerstone for all disciplines, such as history, geography or the sciences. In the language learning process, the grammatical bias is an inevitable phenomenon; teachers and students must face up to the existence of biasness. Teachers must be able to understand and analyze such biases in the students' language learning and adjust their teaching methods accordingly. Hence, such biases can play a positive role in a student’s language learning process.<br><br>Despite many teachers' efforts to use a variety of teaching materials and methods to teach students writing skills, more is expected from a teacher to enhance his or her students' overall language ability especially in writing. Since the majority of students are unable to write sentences well, how can we expect them to come up with beautiful compositions without grammatical errors? With building up students’ writing ability in mind, we carried out error analysis of the word order of my students’ essays over a period of six months, collecting over 300 sentences with word order problem.<br><br>Through this research, we see the need to help our students in writing better sentences with good word order. It throws new light into this realm of language teaching and more resources can be utilized to help teachers who in turn help their students in writing good compositions.