Types And Causes Of Errors In Essay Writing: Error Analysis Of Students' Essays At SSC And O-Level In Pakistan

Multicultural Education Volume 11, Issue 11, 2025 _______________________________________________________________________________________ 64 Types And Causes Of Errors In Essay Writing: Error Analysis Of Students’ Essays At SSC And O-Level In Pakistan Aftab Hussain, Naveed Khattak Article Info Abstract Article History Received: August 17,2025 Codeswitching in the context of single or multiple conversations has been a myth for language experts. Matrix language framework (MLF) model proposed by Myers Scotton (1993) has become very popular for the analysis of language pairs, and is influential in determining matrix language in different language pairs. The aim of this study is to identify matrix and embedded language in Urdu-English data sets of health and science theme. MLF model is applied to an original article on Covid-19. Data sets include language pairs from a published article on the nature of coronavirus. A qualitative design was followed to arrange data sets, language pairs were identified, transcribed and coded carefully according to the Canonical Trilinear Representation. Three layers of data with the first layer of roman Urdu, the second layer of gloss and the third layer of English translation were further analyzed syntactically and morphosyntactically to show how they grammatically occur in the bilingual complementiser phrases. The findings of this study reveal that codeswitching was permissible even when it led to structural asymmetry. English insertions received different Urdu markers of gender and number wherever required. Urdu adjectives played a significant role in realizing nouns. Some data sets allowed English insertions without Urdu markers. Moreover, the data supported matrix language frame, morpheme order principle and system morpheme principle and no counter example appeared against MLF model. Thus, the present study is a significant contribution in the related area. Accepted: November 20 ,2025 Keywords : Asymmetrical Structure, Code-Switching, Content Morphemes, System Morphemes, Matrix Language Frame Model, Urdu-English Codeswitching DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17663516 Introduction The alternation of two languages inside and outside of sentences –codeswitching (CS hereafter) has been studied mainly from two perspectives, i.e. Grammatical/syntactic and pragmatic/discourse (Romaine, 1995; Jake, 1994). Although these two aspects are related and a knowledge of one helps understand the other (Jake & MyersScotton, 1997; Myers-Scotton, 2002; Hebblethwaite, 2010). A number of researchers have proposed descriptive grammatical constraints in CS, rather than theoretical. Poplack’s study on Spanish/English bilinguals (1980) was one of the most influential studies.Her study is specifically based on syntactically close languages, i.e. English / Spanish, butcounterexamples can be found in syntactically distant languages. In the 1980s some other models were proposed to define grammatical constraint, e.g. Chomskians’ Government Binding model by Di Sciullo, Muysken and Singh (1986). Myers-Scotton and her associate Azuma developed a model based on speech production theory, i.e. Azuma’s frame-content hypothesis (1993) and Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model (1993). Myers-Scotton’s MLF model is an abstract theoretical model, but it has been employed to examine contact phenomenon among a variety of languages since the 90s. Her MLF model was revised in Myers-Scotton, 1997 and extended sub-models were proposed (Jake & Myers-Scotton, 2002; MyersScotton & Jake, 2017; Kniaź & Zawrotna, 2020). The concept of the MLF model is influenced by psycholinguistic theories. The most significant of the three are the differential activation of base language and guest language (Grosjean,1988 quoted in Myers-Scotton, 1993), the different retrieval process of closed class items and open items in Garret’s speech error study (1975 quoted in Myers-Scotton, 1993), and lemmas in the mental lexicon linking conceptual information and grammatical function in Levelt’s language production model (1989 cited in Myers-Scotton, 1993). Urdu-English code switching is evident in health and science related data sets. Recent covid-19 pandemic has proved that certain data sets are being produced every day. Frequent use of English content words in Urdu bilingual speech helps in realizing potentials and constraints of both languages. In a single conversation, there is always a mutual understanding between the speaker and interlocutors. The speaker is in the mode of communicating while considering semantic, pragmatic and socio-pragmatic aspects of interlocutors (Myers-Scotton 1996; Jake & Myers-Scotton, 2009). Both languages in connection have definite roles and MLF model explains these in interpretations.Myers-Scotton (1993a, 1997, p. 82) proposed System Morpheme Principle (SMP) along with 65 Morpheme Order Principle (MOP) to present an argument on bilingual constituents of participating languages. In this argument, Matrix language (ML) provides morphosyntactic frame, whereas lexical items such as nouns and verbs are inserted from Embedded language (EL). This analysis is focused on Urdu-English data sets. These data sets were converted into their English translation and then roman Urdu version. Data is available online atthe BBC Urdu website (https://www.bbc.com/urdu/science-54677744). The article was written to provide information about the nature of the virus and the very natural flow of the text made it highly suitable for this analysis. The lack of the “observer's paradox” (Labov, 1972, p. 79). Code mixing denotes a phenomenon where two languages are observed in a single sentence carrying lexical and grammatical features from both languages. However, there are set rules for the insertion of the items. These insertions are often unconscious, abrupt and unplanned but almost all productions seem to follow the same criteria. Muysken (2011) discusses code mixing with reference to language mixture. Urdu-English code switching can be intra-sentential or inter-sentential. CS can be structurally divided into inter-sentential CS and intra-sentential CS. The inter-sentential CS has been broadly studied in the sociolinguistic field, but grammatical constraints are not a major focus there. With the intra-sentential CS, grammatical constraints directly affect the behaviour of two, or more participating languages (Youssef, 2017). The MLF model is devised to explain intra-sentential CS as both Urdu and English are extensively used in formal education, public sector and industry. Though both languages are used in the expressions, code-switching confirms that Urdu is the only language that provides morphosyntactic frame of the clause in data sets as proposed by Myers Scotton (2005). Language production at the abstract level confirms bilingual constituents atthe surface level of data sets and this is discussed in MLF principles. This data set contains Urdu-English data with an intra-sentential code switching. Clyne (2003) and Muysken (2000) both argued that the cognitive aspects in language development and processing need careful scrutiny on the part of researchers. References Al-Bataineh, H., & Abdelhady, S. (2019). 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Author Information Aftab Hussain Naveed Khattak