Errors in the Foreign Language Learning Process

Abstract

The process of learning a foreign language is long and difficult. Besides that, it is unimaginable to pass it through without making any errors. Errors in the foreign languages acquisition are done during both oral and written communication. People make errors not only as learners of a foreign language in the classroom, but also as children during the acquisition of the native language. Learners of a foreign language can make identical or similar errors with children who are learning their native language. The mother tongue learning children correct their errors step by step by means of the self-correction mechanism or by the correction of others. On the other hand, the correction of the errors in the foreign language teaching effort is a very problematic process. During the acquisition of the mother tongue the children perceive positively any help and correction from others, they repeat the correct words while playing and correct themselves continuously. This method is no longer practiced by people during their adulthood. The instinctively positive and effective mechanism of the children is not transferred in their adulthood during the process of learning a foreign language. In foreign language teaching can arise inhibitions just because of errors and error correction and in extreme cases may happen that the desire to learn a foreign language vanishes. As a conclusion, in my opinion the better we know these concepts and the processes and strategies that the foreign language learner goes through, the more effective our didactic interventions as teachers might be.