This pilot study uses a combination of frequency measures and an accuracy
measure to explore article use in the writing of Spanish learners of English as
a foreign language (EFL). Following Bickerton’s (1981) and Huebner’s (1983)
publications, the uses of the definite, indefinite and zero articles are analysed
and (error-)tagged in a learner corpus containing texts at the A2, B1 and B2
levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Three criterial features, more concretely positive linguistic features, are observed
in the learner corpus at CEFR B2 level: the higher mean of correct uses of the
zero article in non-referential contexts, their effective use and selection, and
their accurate use. The chapter also analyses the patterns in the accuracy of use
order at the three CEFR levels and provides examples of article errors.
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