Keywords Saudi EFL learners – Second language spelling – Error analysis – Spelling instruction 2 Implications for spelling instruction and EFL curriculum design are made.
The results are statistically analyzed and interpretations are made in terms of intra-and interlingual influences. Patterns of spelling errors were classified into seven categories homophones/confusables, misrepresentation of vowel sounds, misrepresentation of consonant sounds, misapplication of spelling rules, silent letters, double letters and mispronunciation. The participants were asked to compose a paragraph on a given topic, and spelling errors were identified and analyzed. The present error analysis study aims to identify patterns of spelling errors among Saudi high-school female graduates who learn English as a foreign language.
On the interlingual part, patterns of spelling errors can also manifest differences between the first language (L1) and the second language (L2) as research shows that previously acquired L1 literacy skills influence EFL word recognition (Akamatsu, 2003 Koda, 2005) and spelling skills (Figueredo, 2006). On the intra-lingual part, spelling errors may reflect poor linguistic competence on different levels, including phonological awareness, and knowledge of orthography, vocabulary, morphological and semantic relationships, and mental orthographic images (Apel & Masterson, 2001 Apel, Masterson, & Niessen, 2004). Patterns of spelling errors by EFL learners can reflect both intra-and inter-lingual influences.
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