VNU University of Languages and International Studies

Postgraduate Faculty

Training program: MA in English Linguistics

Course title: Semantics

THE USE OF ARTICLES IN LEARNING ENGLISH

AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AMONG HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS

By:
Nguyn Th Lu
Date of birth: 15/02/1988
Place of birth: Thai Binh
Group:
K20C
Tel:
0976 044 933
E-mail:
luu.hulis.vnu@gmail.com
For:
Date due:

Assoc Prof. Dr. V i Quang

15/06/2012

Hanoi, 06-2012

Acknowledgement
I would like to express my deep thanks and appreciation to the course instructor,
Assoc Prof. Dr. V i Quang for his inspirational lectures and detailed guidelines
for doing this final assignment. Without his contribution, this paper would have
been impossible.
I extend my gratitude to my MA classmates for their useful advice and precious
comments.
Special thanks also go to my husband who has always been caring and
encouraging me in carrying out this study.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of figures, tables, and abbreviations

PAGE
4

PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the study

2. Aims of the study

3. Scope of the study

4. Practical significance of the assignment

5. Methodology

PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Articles in English

1.1.1. Specification due to anaphoric reference

1.1.2. Specification due to immediate surrounding

1.1.3. Specification due to cataphoric reference

1.2 Classification of errors

1.3. Significance of errors

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. Participants

11

2.2. Data collection instruments

11

2.3. Data collection procedure

11

2.4. Data analysis procedure

12

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1. Does the increase in the length of exposure have any
significant impact on the ability to use articles correctly?

13

3.2. Some recommendations

16

PART C: CONCLUSION

18

1. Recapitulation

18

2. Concluding remarks

18

3. Suggestions for further research

18

PART D: REFERENCES

19

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Percentage of correctly inserting the definite articles
(Anaphoric reference)

13

Table 2: Percentage of correctly inserting the definite article

(Cataphoric reference)

14

PART D: REFERENCES
Agnihotri, R. K. (1991). Acquisition of articles in learning English as a second
language: A Cross-culture Study. South Asian Language Review , Vol.1,
No.2; June 1991.
Agnihotri, R. K., Khanna A. L., and A. Mukherjee (1994). The use of Articles in
Indian English in R. K. Agnihotri and A. L. Khanna, (eds.) Second
Language Acquisition: Socio-cultural and Linguistic Aspect of English in
India, New Delhi: Sage Publication.
Chomsky, N. (1964). A review of B. F. Skinners Verbal Behaviour in J. Fodor and
J. J., Katz (eds.), The Structure of Language Reading in the Philosophy of
Language , London: Prentice Hall.
Corder, S. P. (1981). Idiosyncratic dialects and error analysis, in J. C.Richards
(ed.) Error Analysis: Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition,
London: Longman.
Dulay, H., Burt, M., and Krashen, S. D. (1982). Language Two , Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Ferris, D. R. (2004). The grammar correction debate in L2 writing: where are we,
and where do we go from here?. Journal of Second Language Writing
13(1), pp. 49-62.
Krashen, S. (1981). Second Language Acquisition and Second Language
Learning, Oxford: Pergamon.
Kubota, M. (2001). Error correction strategies used by learners Japanese when
revising a writing task. System 29(4), pp. 467-480.
White, L. (2003). Fossilization in steady state L2 grammars: persistent problems
with inflectional morphology. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 6, pp.
129-141.