Error analysis and second or foreign language writing: The case of students of the tertiary level of universities of Chittagong Mallik Srabani1, Nahar Jabun2 1Assistant Professor of English, Institute of Modern Languages #University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh E-mail: mallik.srabani@yahoo.com 2Lecturer, Department of English, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong, Bangladesh. E-mail: jabunnahar12@gmail.com Online published on 4 July, 2017. Abstract Errors are seen as a natural phenomenon that must occur as learning a second or foreign language takes place, before correct grammar rules are completely internalized. Students writing in a second or foreign language are faced with social and cognitive challenges related to second language acquisition. Error analysis is a very important area of second and foreign language learning and writing. The present study explores error in writing paragraphs in relation to particular aspects of second language acquisition and theories of the writing process in L1 and L2. This study attempts to investigate why Bangladeshi ESL and EFL learners fail to produce grammatically correct sentences in English, in spite of having English as a compulsory subject from the primary levels. The instrument used for this study for the purpose of Error Analysis was the writing paragraphs of tertiary level students of University of Chittagong and BGC Trust University Bangladesh. All of the errors in these paragraphs were identified and classified into different categorizations. The study concludes that L2 writers require and expect specific overt feedback from teachers not only on context, but also on the form and structure of writing. Top Keywords EA, Errors, Mistakes, CA, TL, Interlanguage, SLA, EFL/ESL. Top |