Written Errors in Lao Language of Students at Khon Kaen University

Abstract

The aim of the study in ‘Written Mistakes in Lao Language of Students at Khon Kaen University’  were analyze the written mistake in Lao language of the students at Khon Kaen university about consonants, vowels and symbols (tone marks and punctuations). The final examinations of 416 261 Lao for Communication I  from academic year 2003-2005 were used for the data, there are 278 samples from 557 examinations of students from variant faculties.  The results found that there are written mistakes in consonants, vowels and symbols.  The written mistakes in consonants is divided into 2 groups as: one-initial consonant and two-initial consonant, clusters and silent. There are 19 initial consonants in written mistakes not found written mistakes in 8 initial consonants. For in two-initial consonants, there are written mistakes in also clusters and silent.  Moreover, the result found that the students usage Thai in writing Lao.  The written mistakes in vowels and symbols are divided into 3 groups as : same sound different form, confused usage of vowels and incorrect usage vowels. The written mistakes of symbols, there are 2 groups as: tone marks and punctuations. For tone marks, there are confused usage of tones, usage and non-usage tone marks in appropriate words.  In addition, the study found the written mistake from non-usage of 3 punctuations marks as:  full stop, colon, and question mark.  The factors in written mistakes of the students are the interference of mother tongue, Northeastern Thai dialect or Central Thai dialect, non-knowledge in Lao vocabularies, incorrect vowels and tones pronunciation and mistake in written Lao.