A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF ERRORS IN THE LITERATURE ON SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (SLA) RESEARCH AND HOW APPLIED LINGUISTS AND TEACHERS NEED TO RESPOND TO ERRORS OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Second language learners, in acquiring English as a second language, make errors based on their cognition of concepts. The perception of linguists and teachers about errors inform their approach to language research and pedagogies. Linguists and teachers who have negative attitudes towards errors consider them as deviations that need to be prevented at all costs, while others perceive the errors as innovation. Indeed, while deviations could be innovative and contribute immensely to the development of new varieties of languages, some deviations are clearly deficits that could influence the acquisition process leading, and language teachers need to respond to these deviations appropriately. Through a systematic review of literature, the article presents an evaluation of errors (deviations or innovation) and their pedagogical purposes for applied linguists and teachers. Keywords: Second Language, Errors, Deviations, Innovations, Pedagogical Purpose