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Second Language Learners' Theories On The Use Of English Articles: An Analysis Of The Metalinguistic Knowledge Used By Japanese Students In Acquiring The English Article System., Yuko Goto Butler

Yuko G Butler

Although it is well known that many second language (L2) learners have trouble using articles “properly,” the primary causes of their difficulties remain unclear. This study addresses this problem by examining the metalinguistic knowledge of the English article system that learners employ when selecting articles in a given situation. By doing this, the present study attempts to better understand the process of “making sense” of the English article system by learners who are at different stages in their interlanguage development. Eighty Japanese college students with varying levels of English proficiency participated in this study. Immediately after completing a fill-in-thearticle test, …