Abstract:

Errors are treated differently depending on the methods applied in teaching. As a part of an effort to understand the origins of errors, the present study assessed the impact of different factors involved in occurring errors on some students taking an essay writing course taught based on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). The results indicated that some errors could be traced back to the students’ mother tongue (Here, Farsi language). Some others originated from the interlanguages which the students were developing, the context in which the students were learning essay writing skills, and the communication strategies applied by them in learning the materials of the course. These findings suggest that some errors naturally occur whenever the learners’ interlanguages develop. This type of errors should be overlooked by teachers. However, teachers should help the students with: a) modifying their strategies of learning, b) making necessary changes in the context in which learning takes place, and c) providing remedies and feedback in correcting those errors which are the result of negative interlingual transfer.

Keywords:

CLT, Communicative Strategies, Errorology, Interlanguage.