AN ERROR ANALYSIS OF POSSESSOR ENCODINGS IN ROMANIAN INTERLANGUAGE: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY[1]
Monica Vasileanu1,3 
, Carmen Mîrzea Vasile1,2,3
Department of Linguistics1 / Solomon Marcus Centre for Computational Linguistics2, Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest / Iorgu Iordan – Alexandru Rosetti Institute of Linguistics, Romanian Academy3
Abstract
This study provides a taxonomy of the errors in Possessor encoding among Romanian language learners. Drawing on Corder’s (1967, 1981) error analysis and Selinker’s (1972) interlanguage framework, the research offers insights into how learners construct hypotheses about target-language rules. The learners’ difficulties arise from the complex morphological system of Romanian and its wide array of possessive constructions that match in a loose way the diverse (sub)types of alienable/inalienable possession, along with the more elusive influence of pragmatic factors.
The analysis, conducted on LECOR, a learner corpus of Romanian, identified two main categories of errors: form errors (incorrect genitive marking, improper agreement of possessive adjectives, case-related mistakes in pronominal clitics, etc.) and usage errors (inappropriate choices in encoding possession, such as omission, redundant marking, and especially selection of unsuitable constructions for a certain subtype of possession). These errors could have multiple explanations: simplification strategies, overgeneralisation of target-language rules, transfer from both L1 and other foreign languages, and the influence of didactic input and of the L1 natural input via immersion.
While language transfer, either from L1 or another foreign language, plays an important part, most challenges seem to stem from interlanguage-specific processes, particularly overgeneralisation. Understanding these error patterns and their sources is crucial for developing effective teaching strategies, leading to several pedagogical implications which are presented in the conclusion section.
Keywords: Romanian as a foreign language; LECOR (Learner Corpus of Romanian); Interlanguage; Error; Possession.
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How to cite this article: Vasileanu, M., & Mîrzea Vasile, C. (2024). An error analysis of possessor encodings in Romanian interlanguage: A corpus-based study. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 17(3), 177–194. https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2024.17.3.10
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