Sidra Tauqeer

MPhil Applied Linguistics

Course: Thesis
Thesis Topic:
Semantic and Syntactic Problems Faced by Students in
2nd Language Acquisition
(With reference to English Learners in Pakistan)
Submitted to:
Miss Priya Awais
Submitted by:
Sidra Tauqeer

Sidra Tauqeer

Research Proposal
Title: Semantic problems faced by students in 2nd language acquisition (With
reference to English learners in Pakistan)
Introduction:
Language acquisition is a complex, dynamic and continuous process
which goes on since childs birth. The process of 2nd language acquisition is totally
different from that of first or native language. Students have to face many kinds of
problems in 2nd language acquisition semantically and syntactically because
languages vary in forming their rules of sentence formation and deriving meanings.
Any language that a student acquires as a 2nd language is thoroughly different in
structure, word formation, sentence formation, meaning extraction either it is on
lexical meaning or contextual meaning from their native language.
The research study aims at investigating what type of problems are faced by young
learners from semantic and syntactic perspectives in learning English language at
college level and it will explore the nature of these problems and will offer
practical solutions to overcome these problems. The problem will be studied in
context of Pakistani educational system where English language is taught as a
second language. English enjoys a status of second language in Pakistan as it is
used extensively for many purposes in society. For acquiring and using any
language effectively and efficiently, it is essential to master four basic language
learning skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing. Writing is not a
natural activity, so explicit instructions are required for learning this skill (Aronoff
& Rees- Miller, 2007).

Sidra Tauqeer

In Pakistan, Urdu (L1) is taught as a compulsory subject as well as English

(L2) in schools and colleges till intermediate level; however the majority of
students with rural and urban backgrounds cannot communicate properly in
English and perceive it as a very difficult subject. What to speak of secondary
(grade 9-10) and higher secondary level (grade 11-12), even at bachelor levels
(grade 13-14) many students from the Arts and Humanities areas cannot meet the
requirements of the examination in English. The purpose of the study is to explore
the difficulties faced by students semantically while learning English language.
Objectives:
To look at the process of teaching and learning English in Pakistan as 2 nd

language.
To identify the problems of the learners in 2nd language acquisition.
To identify the semantic problems faced by English learners in Pakistan.
To identify the syntactic problems faced by English learners in Pakistan.
Identify the role of teachers to overcome these problems.

Background:
L1 interference has important implications in the learning of written expression. L1
learning is different from L2 learning, as the person already knows about meaning
and use of one language. First language helps learners when it has elements in
common with L2, but hinders the learning process when both language systems
differ (Cook, 2001). A person who speaks two languages has gone through the
acquisition process twice, but second language learning takes many forms and
occurs in many situations other than natural circumstances which cause problems
(Cook, 1993).

Sidra Tauqeer

However, the necessity to use English overshadowed Urdu due to the common
medium of instruction at the higher levels of education. Because the federal and
the provincial authorities have promoted the use of English, the majority of
educators teach English in a way that learners are not at ease while communicating
in English (Warsi, 2004). Especially, the teachers at primary, elementary and
secondary school levels are not aware of the science of applied linguistics. They
teach English in traditional ways (translation and cramming) which do not fulfill
the need for developing communicative competence. Lack of vocabulary, a poor
grasp of grammatical structures, the incorrect use of punctuation marks, incorrect
spelling, poor paragraph and sentence structure, and illogical sequence are some of
the writing difficulties faced by the students. These difficulties not only affect
learners academic success, but also hinder their professional progress.
Development of semantic knowledge is an important area of study in Second
Language Acquisition (SLA). This is not only because lack of semantic knowledge
can lead to global errors in language use, but also because errors based on semantic
knowledge are the most common type of errors in second language (L2)
production and are judged to be key elements in inhibiting communication (Ellis,
R., 1995; Ellis, R., Tanaka, & Yamakazi, 1994). How L2 learners are able to
quickly acquire words and word meanings depend on their ability to successfully
make sense of and respond to language input as well as create coherent output.
Thus, exploring how L2 learners develop semantic knowledge could lead to a
better understanding of L2 language processing and support theories of L2
pedagogy.

Sidra Tauqeer

Research methodology:
Nature of the study:
The main objective of this study is to identify problems faced by English learners
at college level on semantic as well as syntactic level by using both quantitative as
well as qualitative approaches.
Target population:
The data will be collected through interviews and questionnaires from the teachers
who teach English at college level and the students who join college after
matriculation.
Sampled population:
The data will be collected through interviews and questionnaires from teachers and
students at college level from different colleges of Pakistan, particularly from
Lahore.
Sampling Technique:
The proposed sampling techniques to collect data will be simple random
sampling and stratified random sampling.
Data collection tool:
In order to cover a large sample of respondents and to make the study more
comprehensive and reliable, well-structured questionnaires will be used as a data
collection tool.

Sidra Tauqeer

Data analysis tool:

The data will be analyzed by using quantitative as well as qualitative approach.
SPSS, Minitab and Excel software will be helpful for the analysis of data.

Sidra Tauqeer

References
Aronoff, M., &, Rees-Miller, J. (2007). The handbook of linguistics. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Cook, V. (1993). Linguistics and second language acquisition. London: Macmillan.
Cook, V. (2001). Second language learning and language teaching (3rd ed).
London: Oxford University Press.
Warsi, J. (2004). Conditions under which English is taught in Pakistan: An applied
linguistic perspective. Retrieved from http://sarid.net/sarid-journal/2004_Warsi.
pdf .
Ellis, R. 1995. Modified oral input and the acquisition of word meanings. Applied
Linguistics, 16, 409-435.
Ellis, R., Tanaka, Y., & Yamakazi, A. 1994. Classroom interaction, comprehension,
and L2 vocabulary acquisition. Language Learning, 44, 449-491.