This study provides a taxonomy of the errors in Possessor encoding among Romanian language learners. Drawing on Corder’s (1967, 1981) error analysis and Selinker’s (1972) interlanguage framework, the research offers insights into how learners construct hypotheses about target-language rules. The learners’ difficulties arise from the complex morphological system of Romanian and its wide array of possessive constructions that match in a loose way the diverse (sub)types of alienable/inalienable possession, along with the more elusive influence of pragmatic factors.

The analysis, conducted on LECOR, a learner corpus of Romanian, identified two main categories of errors: form errors (incorrect genitive marking, improper agreement of possessive adjectives, case-related mistakes in pronominal clitics, etc.) and usage errors (inappropriate choices in encoding possession, such as omission, redundant marking, and especially selection of unsuitable constructions for a certain subtype of possession). These errors could have multiple explanations: simplification strategies, overgeneralisation of target-language rules, transfer from both L1 and other foreign languages, and the influence of didactic input and of the L1 natural input via immersion.

While language transfer, either from L1 or another foreign language, plays an important part, most challenges seem to stem from interlanguage-specific processes, particularly overgeneralisation. Understanding these error patterns and their sources is crucial for developing effective teaching strategies, leading to several pedagogical implications which are presented in the conclusion section.

Aikhenvald, A. (2013). Possession and ownership: A cross-linguistic perspective. In A. Aikhenvald, & R. M. W. Dixon (Eds.), Possession and ownership. A cross-linguistic typology (pp. 1-64). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Barbu, A.-M., Irimia, E., Mîrzea Vasile, C., & Păiș, V. (2023). Designing the LECOR Learner Corpus for Romanian. In G. Angelova, M. Kunilovskaya, & R. Mitkov (Eds.), RANLP2023: Large language models for natural language processing. Proceedings (pp. 143-152). Shoumen: Incoma Ltd.

Corder, S. P. (1967). The significance of learner’s errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, V/4, 161-170.

Corder, S.P. (1981). Error analysis and interlanguage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Duff, P. (1993). Syntax, semantics, and SLA: The convergence of possessive and existential constructions. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 15(1), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100011645.

Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language two. New York: Oxford University Press.

Gass, S., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second language acquisition: An introductory course (3^rd ed.). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203932841.

Giancaspro, D., & Sánchez, L. (2021). Me, mi, my: Innovation and variability in heritage speakers’ knowledge of inalienable possession. Glossa: A Journal of General Linguistics, 6(1), 31.  https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.1240.

Granger, S., Swallow, H., & Thewissen, J. (2022). The Louvain Error tagging Manual. Version 2.0. CECL Papers 4. Louvain-la-Neuve: Centre for English Corpus.

Guțu Romalo, V. (Ed.). (2008). Gramatica limbii române. I. Cuvântul; II. Enunțul. București: Editura Academiei Române.

James, C. (2013). Errors in language learning and use: Exploring error analysis. London: Routledge.

Haspelmath, M. (2017). Explaining alienability contrasts in adpossessive constructions: Predictability vs. iconicity. Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft, 36(2), 193-231. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2017-0009.

Mace, J. (2003). Persian grammar. For reference and revision. London: Routledge.

Mîrzea Vasile, C. (2024), Ghid de utilizare, https://unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ghid_LECOR_5.09.24_v0.pdf

Niculescu, D. (2008). Mijloace lingvistice de exprimare a posesiei în limba română. București: Editura Universității din București.

Pană Dindelegan, G. (Ed.) (2010). Gramatica de bază a limbii române. București: Univers Enciclopedic.

Pană Dindelegan, G., & Maiden, M. (Ed.). (2013). The Grammar of Romanian. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Payne, D., & Barshi, I. (1999). External possession: What, Where, How and Why. In D. Payne, & I. Barshi (Eds.), External possession (pp. 3-29). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Păun, C.A.-M. (2024). Exprimarea relației de posesie în româna ca interlimbă. Probleme ale analizei cantitative. (Unpublished MA dissertation). University of Bucharest, Romania.

Pérez-Leroux, A. T., O’Rourke, E., Lord, G., & Centeno-Cortes, B. (2002). Inalienable possession in L2 Spanish. In A. T. Pérez-Leroux, & J. M. Liceras (Eds.), The acquisition of Spanish morphosyntax. The L1/L2 Connection (pp. 179-208). Dordrecht: Springer.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0291-2_7

Pitz, A., Bott, O., Solstad, T., Hörnig, R., Behrens, B., & Fabricius-Hansen, C. (2017). An empirical L2 perspective on possessives: German/Norwegian. Oslo Studies in Language, 9(2), 41-74. https://doi.org/10.5617/osla.4765

Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 10(3), 209-231.

Șerbănescu, A. (1999). Dative Possessive, Dative Experiencer. Studii și cercetări lingvistice, L(3-4), 375-392.

Vasiu, L.-I. (2020). Achiziția limbii române ca L2. Interlimba la nivelul A1. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Universitară Clujeană.