Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v19i0.2440
Analysis of Errors by Beginner Students from Croatia: The Case of the Definite Article in Catalan, Galician and Spanish
Blanca Leon Gonzalez
; Department of Ibero-Romance Studies, University of Zadar
Marti Mestre Melia
; Department of Ibero-Romance Studies, University of Zadar
Maria Rosales Fernandez
; Department of Ibero-Romance Studies, University of Zadar
Abstract
Romance languages are characterised by the systematic use of definite articles, which is in contrast with Slavic languages which lack this grammatical category. The aim of this study is to analyse errors in Croatian speakers’ use of definite articles in the context of the initial learning of Catalan, Galician and Spanish. The conclusions of this article were drawn from a corpus of essays written by Croatian students at A1 and A2 CEFR levels. This research allows us to observe and catalogue the different errors in the use of definite articles, as well as to confirm the hypothesis that motivated this work. The fact that these three languages – Catalan, Galician and Spanish – share both a common descriptive and prescriptive reality concerning the use of articles facilitated a cross-analysis in which interferences were minimal. In summary, the results demonstrate that the use of articles is one of the main grammatical difficulties in the transient interlanguage of Croatian speakers learning Romance languages, and highlight the need to create a method that prevents the fossilization of such errors.
Keywords
foreign language learning; Ibero-Romance languages; second language acquisition
Hrčak ID:
184046
URI
Publication date:
27.4.2017.
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