Acquisition of the English article system by Thai learners : an analysis of metalinguistic knowledge in English article use

Abstract

This study investigated metalinguistic knowledge employed by Thai learners when making article choices in given contexts. By examining what rules were most commonly formulated and used in determining English articles, the study aimed to understand whether there were significant discrepancies between the rules and/or explanations upon which learners based their judgments and those that were consistent with linguistic theory. Moreover, in order to better understand the nature of learners' problems at different stages in the evolving interlanguage, the study explored the differences in metalinguistic knowledge between native English speakers and Thai learners at high and low proficiency levels. Thirty native English speakers and sixty Thai students, divided into high and low proficiency groups, participated in the study. Immediately following a fill-in-the-article test, the participants offered reasons for their article choices on a questionnaire. The data were analyzed quantitatively, using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative analyses were also performed across noun phrase classifications based on Huebner's (1983) model. The results indicate that the metalinguistic knowledge of the high English proficiency group was primarily pragmatically-oriented and more consistent with that of the native English speaker participants. However, as they incorporated too many assumptions to their readings, the high-proficiency students often wrongly judged the references to be part of the assumed hearer's knowledge, and thus they overused the definite article 'the'. The students with low proficiency relied heavily on limited structural cues in choosing articles. As 'the' was more deeply context-dependent, the low-proficiency students often used 'a' wherever possible. It was found that the hypotheses formulated by the Thai students of both proficiency groups varied probably due to the type and amount of input (i.e. language instruction) that the students had received. Some hypotheses were consistent with those of native speakers, while others were not. This resulted in the statistically significant differences in performance on the article test between the two proficiency groups. The 'zero' article was found to be most problematic for both groups of Thai students and was used the least. Furthermore, the Thai students had difficulties articulating a reason to support their choice of the 'zero' article. The findings reveal where article problems in Thai students with different proficiency levels originate. Based on the findings of the study, pedagogical implications are given so that a more effective model could be developed for teaching the English article system to Thai students.