Error analysis in writings of Chinese students learning Turkish as a foreign language

In the process of learning a foreign language, it is inevitable that students will make errors. This rule applies equally to Chinese students learning Turkish as a foreign language as well. Focusing on the errors made by Chinese students in their writings is of paramount importance, as it can help minimize potential errors in Turkish teaching. In light of this, this study was conducted with the objective of identifying the errors made by Chinese students in their writings and proposing solutions to these errors. Data were collected from compositions written by 17 junior students of the Turkish Department at Xi'an International Studies University in China. This study employed content analysis, a qualitative research method, to analyze these compositions. The errors made by Chinese students have been categorized into six distinct groups for analysis: spelling and punctuation errors, phonological errors, morphological errors, morpho-syntactic errors, syntactic errors, and lexico-semantic errors. In the findings section of the study, the data obtained from evaluating the collected compositions were presented and elucidated, showcasing the errors made by Chinese students in writings across six aforementioned categories. A total of 794 errors have been identified with the following categorization: 60 errors in spelling and punctuation, 25 errors in phonetics, 131 errors in morphology, 299 errors in morpho-syntax, 33 errors in syntax, and 244 errors in lexico-semantic knowledge. It has been observed that Chinese students make the most errors in morpho-syntax and lexico-semantics. Through the analysis of the causes of these errors, it has been established that factors such as inattentiveness, negative transfer from the native language and insufficient knowledge of Turkish rules were identified as the reasons for these errors. In the final section of this study, solutions and recommendations regarding the identified errors have been provided.