Analyzing different aspects of language

After working with the article by Myles (2002) Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Students Texts, several aspects could be analyzed referring to language conventions.

Regarding quotations, two different types were found. The first type of quotation is defined as short quotation and the name of the author, year of publication and the page number for the reference should be included. Moreover, a signal phrase that includes the author`s last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses. Quotations marks are also present in these types of quotations. Two clear examples of short quotations can be found in the article:

According to Ellis (1985), it is through analyzing learning errors that we elevate “the status of errors dorm undesirability of a guide to the inner working of the language learning process” (p.53).

According to Bialystok (1998), any definition of language proficiency is deeply entangled in theoretical attitude. On the one hand, there is the formalist approach, which attempts to explain language as code. According to this perspective, “language profiency is an ultimately unknowable abstraction that reflects the universal competence of native speakers” (p. 502).


A second type of quotation referred as long quotation could also be found. In this case, quotation marks are omitted and a different type of layout is used. It starts with an introductory phrase, followed by a longer quotation done in a new line. An example of long quotations could be found in the article:

As Yau (1991) points out:
[A]lthough we should not cripple our students’ interest in writing through undue stress or grammatical correctness, the influence of second language factors on writing performance is something we have to reckon with and not pretend that concentrating on the process would automatically resolve the difficulty caused by these factors. (p.268).

Omissions are also another aspect to consider when analyzing a text. There are several types of omissions. In this respect, an omission of less than a sentence could be found in the text, being indicated by the use of dots.

By comparing skilled and less-skilled writers, the emphasis here is placed on “students´ strategic knowledge and the ability of students to transform information . . . to meet rhetorically constrained purposes” (Grabe & Kaplan, 1996, p.116).

Insertion of letters is also an important aspect to be analyzed when changing a part of a word in a quotation, for example from an upper case to a lower case letter. The letter that has been changed can be identified through the use of square brackets. Two examples could be found in the text:

According to McLaughlin, transfer errors can occur because:
[L]earners lack the necessary information in the second language or the attentional capacity to activate the appropriate second-language routine. But such an account says little about why certain linguistic forms transfer and others do not. (1998, p.50).

As Yau (1991) points out:
[A]lthough we should not cripple our students’ interest in writing through undue stress or grammatical correctness, the influence of second language factors on writing performance is something we have to reckon with and not pretend that concentrating on the process would automatically resolve the difficulty caused by these factors. (p.268).


Introductory phrases, in text citations and use of reporting verbs are all closely related and the examples found in the text were analyzed together. Introductory phrases could have different layouts, being the source and the main idea key factors to be analyzed. In this respect the main idea is sometimes introduced by a reporting verb. This reporting verb will carry a specific meaning, that is why, the choice of a reporting verb is crucial when citing an author and his or her ideas. In the examples above, different reporting verbs were found (focus, analyze, propose, observe, argue), leading to different connotations. Moreover, different introductory phrases structures could also be noticed.

According to Bialystok (1998), any definition of language proficiency is deeply
entangled in theoretical attitude. According to X (year of publication).
The Flower and Hayes (1980, 1981) model focuses on what writers do when they compose. X (year of publication) focuses on….
Flower and her colleagues (1990) analyze the academic task of reading-to-write to establish the interaction of context and cognition in performing a particular writing task. X (year of publication) analyze….
Bereiter and Scardamalia (1987) also propose a model that suggests reasons for differences in writing ability between skilled and less-skilled writers. X (year of publication) propose….
Silva (1993) observes that learners revise at a superficial level. X (year of publication) observes….
Schumann (1998) argues that affect may influence cognition through its role in framing a problem and in adopting processing strategies. X (year of publication) argues that….
Concluding, after analyzing different aspects of language it can be stated that writing in academic standards not only requires a know-how on the language, but also a certain amount of practice and critical thinking when writing.

Reference
Myles, J. (2002). Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Students Texts. TESL-EJ Magazine, 6, (2). Retrieved September, 2008, from www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESl-Ej/ej22/a1.html