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The main goal of this paper is to show a quantitative and qualitative analysis of a non-native speaker of English. The quantitative analysis was accomplished through analyzing the speaker's performance in speaking English. Both the quantitative and the qualitative analysis try to answer the research question that is stated below:

What appears to be systematic errors in the speaker's production in English, and how do the sociocultural factors affect the learner of English language?

The subject for this study is Mr. B, a 32 year old man, who was born in Saudi Arabia, and raised with his parents who live in a traditional Arabic setting. He is the only child of his parents. His native language is Arabic, but he decided to learn English because he wants to work in the Saudi Arabia Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). This company ranks the first among oil companies worldwide. So, Mr. B wants to get a job in that company because the salary is very high, but it is required that one has a good understanding for both spoken and written English. This made Mr. B to travel to Portland Oregon in 2012, and he stayed with an American family. He enrolled in Portland English program institution for one year and eight months to learn English language. Then Mr. B moved to the State of California to attend the University. Currently, he is in his first year of engineering major.

In this study,I will examine the data in different aspects such as grammar and conversational features. Also, I will give a critical analysis of the psychological, social and cultural differences that are considered as the main factors in the speaker’s level of learning English as a second language.

Previous Research

Most arguments about the effect of first language in the second language learning consolidate the question of whether there is any effect of the first language on the second language acquisition which is known as Contrastive analysis Hypothesis. The term contrastive analysis hypothesis was first coined by Labo in 1957 and it postulates that a learner of the second language will experience difficulties due to the existing differences between his first language and the new language. The most common syntactic error types observed in this case are attributed to language transfer and include misuse of determiners, noun-number disagreement and subject-verb disagreement(Freeman & Freeman, 2004).However, contrastive analysis has been largely replaced by error analysis in SLA. Error analysts claim that contrastive analysts placed much emphasis on transfer errors while there are other many types of errors in SLA. But contrastive analysis is still found useful in predicting the native language of a writer by analyzing the errors present in the text (Lightbrown& Nina, 2006). In addition to Contrastive analysis Hypothesis, there is another hypothesis that plays very important role in acquiring a second language like Natural order Hypothesis. Natural order Hypothes is associated with Krashen, who argues that language acquisition, both first and second language acquisition, follows a predictable order. According to Krashen, although the natural order hypothesis relates to the first and second language acquisition, the sequence of acquisition tends to differ between them. This is to say that the order of acquiring the first language is different from the sequence of acquiring the second language. Krashen claims that all language learners appear to go through the same predictable sequence in acquiring any second language regardless of their native language. For example, students of English as a second language tend to learn the grammatical structure of yes-no questions before that of wh- questions. Krashen also claims that the explicit instruction cannot change the order of acquisition(Krashen, 2009). Moreover, Input Hypothesis also considered as a hypothesis that contributed in second language acquisition. It also associated with Krashen, and it applies to language acquisition only, it doesn’t apply to language learning. The input hypothesis hypothesizes the process that enables learners of the second language to follow a predictable sequence in acquiring grammatical structures as the natural order hypothesis predicts. This hypothesis holds that learners of the second language require comprehensive input to move to the next level of acquisition(Gass& Larry, 2008). It defines comprehensive input as input which contains a structure which is above the current understanding. Here, understanding refers to understanding the meaning of a second language and not understanding of the form of a second language. According to this hypothesis, acquisition of a second language occurs through exposure to comprehensive input and hence this negates the importance of explicit instruction learning just as the natural order hypothesis does (Díaz-Rico & Weed, 2010).

In the term of cognitive factors affecting second language acquisition, there is Acculturation Hypothesis which is established by Schumann. He postulated that the social factors experienced by learners within the mainstream culture do influence their acquisition of a second language. These social factors include integration pattern, cultural congruence, social dominance, enclosure, the size of the minority group, cohesiveness of the group, planned length of residence and attitude. These factors define the social distance between the learner and the mainstream culture of the target language. In turn, this distance determines the rate at which the learner acquires the second language. According to Schumann, a learner who acculturates faster and without difficulty to the mainstream culture of the target language the faster he/she acquires the second language with ease (Berry, 2008).

Methodology:-

The information was collected through interviewing Mr. B for thirty minutes at the CSUDH library. The conversation was enjoyable, and the speaker was clear and explicit.

The subject was asked to relate how his life was when he first came to America including some hard event that happened in that period.

The speaker’s narrative was recorded and written, as seen in appendix A. After that, the writing was analyzed to discover if there are any errors in both grammar and conversational features. In the grammar errors, there were nine sub-categories: Article, preposition, object pronouns, verb tense, missing verb. Subject-verb agreement, double negation, and subject topicalization.

Discussion and Results

Error analysis

The interlanguage is clear in the speech of Mr. B. In the article we found that Mr. B put the before America, and this is because the influence of the Arabic language. In the Arabic language, the name of the countries should proceed with the article " ال "which is equal to “The” in English. Mr. B did well in the article “The” in most positions but did not do well in the other article “a" and “an” as in line; 34, and 41. This is because the Arabic language does not have similarity with English in these two articles.

Also, in prepositions we find that Mr. B did well in his usage of “for,in” while he did not do well in other prepositions like “by” as in "by many times" (line 25), and also this is because the similarities and differences in both two languages.

In the subject topicalization: " What wants the teacher for me to speak about " also shows the interlanguage. The learner proceeds the verb before the subject because the Arabic language word sequence follows the form: Verb +Subject +Object. It seems that the first language has effects in learning a second language.

In the field of verb tense, we see that the learner is more proficient in some areas than the other area. The L2 learner did well in irregular verbs rather than regular past. The number of errors in irregular verbs is three errors, for instance "when I come to America" (line 3). This is also evident in line; 5and 25. There are also 5 regular verbs errors, for example, " I travel to America" (line 5). This is also evident in line; 21, 23, 25, and 41. Also, the learner was predicted to acquire progressively at first, and this is clear in the subject speech. We find that the learner did not commit any error in the progressive verbs.

Table 2. Error Analysis of Subject's Grammar

Qualitative Analysis

Mr. B’s life in America affects his level of proficiency in the aspect of assimilation, preservation, and adaptation. From the conversation with Mr. B about his girlfriend during the first year in the United States, we can say that he shows his direction to assimilate, but his mother was the main factor to change his way. She wants her son to take preservation movement. At the end of the conversation, we found Mr. B's adaptation is clear when he told us that he married an Arabic-American wife and ate Arabic & American food.

From the interview with the speaker, we find that the speaker took speaking class at the first level in his way of learning English. His teacher was asking him to speak. This process in learning lead him to drop that class. He felt embarrassment and difficulty at the same time.

In the term of aneffective factor, Mr. B seems to have the motivation. Mr. B has instrumental motivation. He desires to learn English as a second language because he wants to get a higher position in his workplace and a higher salary than he is currently getting.

Implication;

It is important to us as teachers of ESL that students in their way to learning a new language are affected by many factors. Some factors are intertwined; for example if we order our students to take the time to produce a speech and speak accurately, this will lead to having high effective filters in their acquiring a target language, and this means that we give them more than one level from their right level. Also, the social and affective variables can be different from one student to another, and it could also differ forthe student from time to time as in the case of Mr. B.

Conclusion

Everyone's language learning is affected by internal and external factors. As an ESL teacher, it is important to have a theoretical understanding that allows you to see how each of your students' idiolects has been shaped by cognitive variables and their experience in a new culture. Moreover, this understanding allows you to provide instruction that better reaches the student's individual needs, instead of taking a blanket approach that will surely be lacking in one area or another for every student.

References

Berry, J. W. 2008. Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation.Applied Psychology, 46(1), 5- 34.

Díaz-Rico, L. T. & Weed, K. Z. 2010. The crosscultural, language, and academic development handbook: A complete K-12

Freeman, D. E. & Freeman, Y. S. 2004. Essential Linguistics. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

reference guide (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn& Bacon.

Gass, S. M. & Larry S. 2008. Second language acquisition: An introductory course, 3rd edn. New York: Routledge.

Krashen, S. D. 2009. Principles and practice in second language acquisition, 1st internet edn. Oxford: Pergamon.

Lightbrown, P. M. & Nina S. 2006. How languages are learned, 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Appendix A

B. I start?

1. F. Yes

2. B. I'm want to tell you about my life when I come tothe America.

3. F. ok

4. B. I travell to America in two thouusand twelve. I finded the home stay waiting for me in the recebtion in the airbortin the Oregon.

5. F. how do you knew that they are your home stay?

6. B. they were raising my name in the baber in the airbort of Portland .

7. F. I see.

8. B. The first neght was very very very stranger for me.

9. F. how it was?

10. B .was a lot of feeling.

11. F. what did you feel?

12. B. was felling habby, but fear, exceted but nerfous. it was the first time I leafe my country and my family.

13. B. uuuh.. you know.

14. I did not no English excebt yes and no word.

15. F. oh, so it was big challenge to learn another language?

16. B .sure. It was a harder experience for me .

17. F. did you go to school?

18. B. yes.

19. F. how was it?

20. B. in the first six months I was shy and felt anxety esbecially when students speak and know English not like me. The speaking class was the harder class than the other classes.

21. F. oh, you had a speaking class, that great. Did you pass it?

22. B. no, actually I drop it.

23. F. oh why?

24. B. I was feel like I am stupid among the class. I was takebymany time to understand what the teacher want she from me to speak about.

25. F. oh, sorry.

26. F. do you think that you are able kn

27. B. they were raising my name in the baber in the airbort of Portland .

28. F. I see.

29. B. The first neght was very very very stranger for me.

30. F. how it was?

31. B .was a lot of feeling.

32. F. what did you feel?

33. B. was felling habby, but fear, exceted but nerfous. it was the first time I leafe my country and my family.

34. B. uuuh.. you know.

35. I did not no English excebt yes and no word.

36. F. oh, so it was big challenge to learn another language?

37. B .sure. It was a harder experience for me .

38. F. did you go to school?

39. B. yes.

40. F. how was it?

41. B. in the first six months I was shy and felt anxety esbecially when students speak and know English not like me. The speaking class was the harder class than the other classes.

42. F. oh, you had a speaking class, that great. Did you pass it?

43. B. no, actually I drop it.

44. F. oh why?

45. B. I was feel like I am stupid among the class. I was takebymany time to understand what the teacher want she from me to speak about.

46. F. oh, sorry.

47. F. do you think that you are able know to take the speaing class?

48. B. yes, yes of course.

49. F. did you have friend when you come to America?

50. B. I knew a lot of Arabicstudents but I did not wanted to enjoy with them.

51. F. why?

52. B. because if I go with them I will not learn English.

53. F. so you stay alone?

54. B. no I had angirl friend but we could not continue together because you know my mum always a fried of me about doing something like .... ah ..you know. Also it is forbidden in Islam to do something like... without marriage..

55. F. I know

56. F. have you ever bring your mum to America?

57. B. oh yes. { laughs} but she is not able to accebted or adabted a life here.

58. F. all right. what the thing that you miss from your country?

59. B. { laughs} I like this questions.

60. F. {laughs}

61. B. I miss a Arabic food. The first two month I lost twenty fife killos but then I adapted American food. Now I like it.

62. F. do you think that your life better than when you first come to America? or vice versa?

63. B. of course my life now is better than before. Now I know English, not just yes and no word. I have a lot of an Americans friends. I marriedArabic American wife, so she cooks either Arabic or American foods.

64. F. oh nice. I'm happy to hear that.

65. B. thank you.

66. F. ok Mr. B, I enjoyed with you in this conversation and I appreciate your time.

67. B. me too, I enjoyed.

68. F. thank you.

69. B. thank you.