Learners’ Writing Errors in Foreign Languages: Arabic and English as Examples

Abstract

The practice of writing in a foreign language is a demanding skill that requires deep understanding of relevant error types. This research focuses on understanding, analysing and specifying the error types related to writing in a foreign language in two different language settings, considering differences in their cultural and linguistic systems. The study has adopted two rubrics for marking and determining different types of error made by learners while writing in a foreign language (English or Arabic). Each rubric, with its error categories, is suitable for the nature of each language. The results of this study can lead to an understanding of major errors in English and Arabic writing experienced by foreign-language learners (e.g., mechanical errors in English and grammatical errors in Arabic). In light of these findings, future learners in academic writing classes of English and Arabic as foreign languages can be provided with further instruction on and exposure to common errors, as well as how to minimize them. Further research is recommended to explore both the benefits of providing sufficient feedback on learners’ future writing and how typical errors are made. KEYWORDS Error, writing, English as a foreign language (EFL), Arabic as a foreign language (AFL), virtual exchange, telecollaboration