Date of Award

1-1-2001

Thesis Type

Masters

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Languages and Linguistics

Department

-

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

The objectives of this study are (a) to analyse and categorise the errors made by Malay students of French when using the two French conversational past tenses: the imparfait and the posse compose; (b) to compare and contrast the French past tenses with the Malay expressions of past times; and (c) to suggest some pedagogical strategies. The subjects of this study comprise Malay undergraduates of BA English and BA Malay doing a French proficiency course at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The instrument used is a test consisting of four passages. The respondents have to use the correct past tense of the 109 verbs given in the infinitive form. The errors are evaluated and classified into 7 categories and then tabulated according to their frequency and explained in terms of negative transfer and intralingual errors. The findings indicate that the errors made are caused by the inherent complexity of the forms and functions in French. The students did not perform as well in the posse compose as they did in the imparfait in terms of forms, but the pattern is reversed when it concerns the accurate use of the tenses. The choice of tense constitutes a major difficulty to Malay students, as the expression of time is different in the two linguistic systems. Though there is negative transfer of the use of the English tense system into French. a good command of English is to a certain extent facilitative. The acquisition of the correct tense and form of French verbs can be facilitated by the use of various measures and strategies.

Initial

snms

Additional Information

Dissertation (M.A) -- Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, 2001.

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