This document reports on a study of errors made by Japanese university students in their English writing that are influenced by their first language of Japanese. The researchers built a "house-made learner's corpus" of over 178,000 words by collecting writing samples from forums and blogs on Moodle platforms at three universities in Japan. They analyzed the samples and found common error types such as incorrectly using the topic rather than the subject of the sentence, missing or misusing pronouns, and confusing parts of speech and predicate-argument structures. These errors reflected the influence of Japanese syntactic structures on the students' developing English interlanguage. The researchers suggest exercises to improve learner awareness of these cross-linguistic differences as a way to address these common

1. Out of “house-made learners’ corpus”
L1-influenced errors made by Japanese university students
Mitsumi Uchida, Mari Yamauchi and Atsuhiro Kojima
(Kwansei Gakuin University, Chiba University of Commerce and Osaka Prefecture Unviersity, Japan)
The Second Asia Pacific Corpus Linguistics Conference (APCLC 2014)
07 March 2014
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (22520573)
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2. TOC
Objectives
Data collection
L1-influenced errors
Suggestions
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3. A piece of reality
1st-year students at KGU
20.0%$
18.0%$
16.0%$
14.0%$
12.0%$
2009$
10.0%$
2010$
8.0%$
2011$
2012$
6.0%$
2013$
4.0%$
2.0%$
14年3月10日月曜日
B2
900+$
850+899$
800+849$
750+799$
B1
700+749$
650+699$
600+649$
550+599$
500+549$
A2
450+499$
400+449$
350+399$
300+349$
250+299$
A1
200+249$
150+199$
100+149$
CEFR
50+99$
0.0%$

4. Objectives of the project
To build “house-made learners’ corpus”
To identify and describe major features of
Japanese EFL learners’ interlanguage grammar
at an earlier stage in development focusing on
errors influenced by the L1 syntax
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5. Data collection
“House-made learners’ corpus”
for home use only
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6. “House-made learners’ corpus”
Size
Collected
by
Where
Interface
CUC
Moodle & Blogs
55,300
MY
OPU
Moodle
114,300
MU
KGU
Moodle
9,200
MU
Total
--
(words)
178,800
--
CUC: Chiba University of Commerce, Chiba, Japan
OPU: Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan
KGU: Kwansei Gakuin University, Hyogo, Japan
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7. “House-made learners’ corpus”
Size
Collected
by
Where
Interface
CUC
Moodle & Blogs
55,300
MY
OPU
Moodle
114,300
MU
KGU
Moodle
9,200
MU
Total
--
(words)
178,800
--
CUC: Chiba University of Commerce, Chiba, Japan
OPU: Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan
KGU: Kwansei Gakuin University, Hyogo, Japan
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8. Data collection on Moodle
at OPU and KGU
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9. Writing activities outside the classroom
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10. Writing activities outside the classroom
Forums
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11. Forums
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12. Forums
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13. Topics
self-introduction
my favourite things
if I had 10 million yen. . .
plans for the summer/winter break
what I did during the summer break
the most impressive event
school festival
my favourite films (artworks)
customs and habits for the year-end & new year holiday
overseas travels
books I have read
new year’s resolution
if there were no mobile phones. . .
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14. Creation of ‘Backup’ XML files
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15. Creation of ‘Backup’ XML files
Backup
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16. ‘Backup’ XML file
<MOODLE_BACKUP>
<INFO>
<DETAILS>
<MOD>
<NAME>forum</NAME>
... forum data ...
<USER> ... user data ... </USER>
<DISCUSSIONS>
<DISCUSSION> ... discussion topic ... <DISCUSSION>
<POST> ... discussion post ... </POST>
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17. Text extraction tool: MooX
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18. Error analysis
on spreadsheet and/or database
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19. Data collection from Blogger
at CUC
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20. Text extraction: Blogger
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21. Error analysis on spreadsheet
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22. L1-influenced errors
Findings at CUC
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23. Collected Data & Analyzed Data
Words
Posts
Sentences
Sentences
/ Posts
2010 / Y1
5,694
140
724
5.2
40.7
2011/ Y2
8,570
176
1195
6.8
48.7
2012/ Y1
9,060
175
1,087
6.2
51.8
2012/ Y2
13,890
205
1,518
7.4
67.8
2013/ Y1
8,574
124
1,068
8.6
69.1
2013/ Y2
9,485
114
1,217
10.7
83.2
Total
55,279
Total 934
Total
6,809
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Ave. 7.3
Words
/ Posts
Ave. 59.2

24. Collected Data & Analyzed Data
Posts
Sentences
Sentences
/ Posts
2010 Y1
TOPICS /(2013 Fall) 5,694
140
724
5.2
40.7
About Me
2011/ Y2
8,570
On Sharing Food Photos
What I Usually Do in My Free Time
GW Holidays
2012/ Y1
9,060
My Favorite …
Summer Vacation
2012/ Y2
13,890
Introducing a World Heritage Site
Winter Break
2013/ Y1
8,574
176
1195
6.8
48.7
175
1,087
6.2
51.8
205
1,518
7.4
67.8
124
1,068
8.6
69.1
9,485
114
1,217
10.7
83.2
Total
55,279
Total 934
Total
6,809
Words
2013/ Y2
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Ave. 7.3
Words
/ Posts
Ave. 59.2

25. Wrong P-A Str (322)
Wrong
Topic-toSubject (73)
With Be (50)
Wrong Zero
anaphora (94)
Subj (63)
All sentences (1,217)
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26. Wrong “Topic to Subject”
Be as topic marker
This year I’m very hard. (This year my schedule is very
tight.)
kotoshi watashi wa haad da
I was berbecue after a long time. (I had a barbecue after a
long time.)
wahashi wa hisasiburino baabekyuu datta.
GW is [I had a great time]. (I had a great GW.)
Gooruden Wiiku wa (watashi-wa) tanoshikatta
I was saw a my friend had nails, ... (I saw a friend of mine
wear nail polish,...)
watashi-wa tomodachi ga neiru-o siteru no o mite...
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N+be+Adj
N+be+N
N+be+[SV]
N+be+V

27. Wrong “Topic to Subject”
Be as topic marker
[I like song] is Wish You.
watashi ga suki na uta wa Wish You da
(The song I like is Wish You.)
SV+be+N
[It’s a time to work] is 3 hours, ...
shigoto o suru jikan wa 3 jikan de ...
(Working hours are 3 hours,...)
SV+be+N
[Taro coming my home] is 2011 January first.
Taro ga uchi ni kita no wa 2011 nen 1 gatsu tsuitachi
da.
(Taro came to my house on January 1st, 2011.)
V-ing+be
+N
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28. Wrong “Topic to Subject”
The next day became myalgia needless to say.
Yokujitsu wa mochiron kinnikutsuu ni natta
(The next day I had sore muscles, needless to say. )
+ Wrong
Zero anaphor
But I like Amazon better. Because Amazon can buy easily
more than Rakuten.
Demo watashi wa Amazon no hou ga sukida. Nazenara
Amazon wa Rakuten yori kantanni kaeru kara.
+ Wrong
(But I like Amazon better, because I can buy items more easily Zero anaphor
(shopping is easier) at Amazon than at Rakuten. )
I did a barbecue for Golden Week. The barbecue went in all of
the committee.
Watashi wa Golden Week ni barbecue o shita. Barbecue wa
iinkai no minna de itta.
+ Wrong
(I had a barbecue during Golden Week. All the committee
Zero anaphor
members went to the barbecue party. )
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29. Wrong Zero anaphor
English pro-forms are equivalent to Japanese zero-anaphors
This year GW holiday I was busy. Because φ almost work part time job.
(During the GW holidays this year I was busy, because I mostly worked part time.)
I usually practice baseball on week ends. However, when I have time to
spare, φ paint one's nails.
(I usually practice baseball on weekends. However, when I have time to
spare, I paint my nails. )
... and, I will study hard too, read a lot of books for graduation report, and get
some qualifying examinations. for this activity, φ need some money.
(... and, I will study hard too, read a lot of books for my graduation thesis, and get
some qualifications. To this end, I need some money.
The next day φ became myalgia needless to say.
(The next day I had sore muscles, needless to say.)
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+ Wrong
Topic to Subject

30. Confusion of POSs / P-A structures
lexical level
... so it is very safety. (
safe)
... dakara sore wa totemo anzen da
It's too danger (
na-adjectives
dangerous) and unhealthy.
Dore wa kiken sugiru shi hukenkou da
※ Most na-adjectives are composed of < a noun plus -na >, and
appear as < a noun plus -da > when used as the predicate.
e.g. anzen (安全)-na/da (safe), kiken (危険)-na/da (dangerous)
benri (便利)-na/da (convenient), juuyoo(重要)-na/da (important)
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31. Confusion of POSs / P-A structures
lexical level
It’s very excited (
I'm exiting (
exiting) to play music.
exited) to work there.!
emotion/feelings
It (=Getting ready for the ceremony) was very hard and tired
( tiring). *It was very hard and I was tired.
But we are enjoyed. I'm enjoyed!
But I'm very enjoyed.
But a coming of age is very enjoy!
It’s very enjoy sports.
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32. Confusion of POSs / P-A structures
lexical level
NG: X ni naru (ku naru) => become X
became myalgia ""
kinnikutsuu ni naru
"
become muscularity" "
takumashi-ku naru
false friends
(have sore muscles)
(build a strong body)"
become stress relief" " (relieve stress, be stress-relieving)
sutoresu kaisho ni naru
became a stage of the movie "(is where the movie was shot)
eiga no butai ni natta
※ Other false friends: sugosu => spend, suru => do, tanoshii => enjoy
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33. L1-influenced errors
Confirmed with KGU data
3rd and 4th-year
Sociology students
20.0%$
18.0%$
16.0%$
14.0%$
12.0%$
2009$
10.0%$
2010$
They made such errors.
8.0%$
2011$
2012$
6.0%$
2013$
4.0%$
2.0%$
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900+$
850+899$
800+849$
750+799$
700+749$
650+699$
600+649$
550+599$
500+549$
450+499$
400+449$
350+399$
300+349$
250+299$
200+249$
150+199$
100+149$
50+99$
0.0%$
. . . and they did not.

34. Future ....
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35. Exercises for improved awareness
http://www.lextutor.ca/concordancers/text_concord/
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36. Exercises for improved awareness
concordance lines for the keyword “free”
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37. Exercises for improved awareness
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38. Most influential L1factors behind the scene
Direct application of L1 structures
Topic–subject
Absence/misuse of pro-forms
Argument structures
Apparent lack of structure,
esp. over the boundaries of clauses
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39. Conclusion & Suggestion
Their interlanguage has its own structures.
Cross-linguistic awareness
—both students’ and teachers’ —can be the key.
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