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ABSTRACT
In this paper, the dichotomy between errors and mistakes in applied linguistics will be discussed, with a view to arriving at a clearer understanding of how to describe learner language from an empirical viewpoint. Errors are usually defined as systematic deviations from the rules of a target language. They may occur because a learner does not know a rule, such as Subject-Verb Agreement in English. Mistakes, on the other hand, are seen as unintentional, accidental slips resulting from simple laziness or forgetting. Distinguishing between errors and mistakes has always been fraught with problems. Using examples from a corpus of written learner English constructed in Malaysia, this paper argues that it is not empirically feasible, or even desirable, to maintain a dichotomy between errors and mistakes, especially from a corpus-based empirical perspective on learner language. It is argued that empirical analysis of learner language cannot practically access the knowledge of a learner to determine if an error or a mistake has been produced. Furthermore, many existing objective tests of 'errorness' or 'mistakeness' are not reliable. Instead, it is proposed that the phenomena currently known as 'errors' or 'mistakes' should be termed 'interlanguage features', a term which is relatively value-free.
KEYWORDS: Corpus, error, mistake, interlanguage feature, learner Englis
Introduction
For those who set out to describe and analyse language in a rigorous and scientific manner, linguistics terminology provides a definitional minefield. Linguistic concepts are notorious for the difficulty with which they can be defined and delineated clearly. This is especially true in the field of Applied Linguistics, where two terms are commonly used, but are extremely difficult to define and distinguish from one another. These terms are 'error' and 'mistake'.
Errors can be defined as systematic deviations from the rules of a target language, as they are believed to occur because a learner does not know a given rule or feature, such as Subject-Verb Agreement or Noun Plurality in English. Errors might arise from little or no input on a given language feature during language lessons. Mistakes, on the other hand, are usually seen as unintentional, accidental slips resulting from simple laziness or forgetting, or insufficiently internalised rules. If a learner makes a mistake, he or she will normally be capable of correcting it,...