Contents

Acknowledgements

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Purpose of the Study-1

1.2 Significance of the Study-2

Chapter Two Literature Review-3

2.1 Apology-3

2.1.1 Definitions-3

2.1.2 Categorization-3

2.1.3 Strategies-4

 2.2 Previous Studies of Apology-6

 2.3 Fossilization-7

Chapter Three Research Design-8

 3.1 Research Questions-8

 3.2 Research Instruments-8

 3.3 Research Subjects-8

 3.4 Data Collection-9

Chapter Four Detailed Analysis and Results-10

 4.1 English Major Students’ Responses-10

   4.1.1 Distribution of IFID Forms-10

   4.1.2 IFIDs in Apology Response-11

   4.1.3 Warnings in Apology Response-12

   4.1.4 Concern for the Hearer-13

   4.1.5 Trying to Explain-13

   4.1.6 Conditional Forgiveness-14

4.2 Major Findings-14

Chapter Five Implications of the Study-16

5.1 Different Learning Strategies-16

5.1.1 Self-Monitoring-16

5.1.2 Self-Evaluation-16

5.2 Different Motivations-16

5.3 Limitations-17

References-18

Appendix-19

Abstract

Fossilization is considered a common phenomenon in the acquisition of second language learning process. Study of fossilization has been a hot topic of domestic and foreign researchers. About fossilization, domestic and foreign language scholars have discussed from different           perspectives, such as biological, social, cultural, linguistic, communicative, cognitive psychology, linguistics. It also makes a more in-depth study of this issue, and researches on this phenomenon also more abundant. However, how to interpret the specific causes of fossilization and how to reduce or even eliminate the extent of fossilization of language learners is still controversial. 

This paper analyses the fossilization of apology of English Major Students in Xuzhou Institute of Technology to explore the causes of fossilization, and consider the main causes of fossilization are, the negative transfer of Chinese to English, the inauthentic or even the wrong language input, teachers’ invalid feedback of teachers to errors and the weak learning motivation of students. Based on these, this paper propose some strategies to overcome the fossilization, subjectively, students should enhance their learning motivation, input loss of correct English expression initially; objectively, teachers should adopt the method of error correction to help students to recognize their mistakes, thereby enhancing the students ability of distinguishing the correct English and the wrong, the authentic English and the Chinglish. Reduce the quantity of fossilization error fundamentally; depress the degree of fossilization error. And further explore the impact of different learning strategies for fossilization produced, thereby helping students overcome fossilization, improve teaching effectiveness, and the ultimate purpose of developing students language skills.

Keywords: apology  fossilization  English majors