Grammatical and syntactic errors in the speech of beginner Somali ESL learners: A cross-comparative analysis, universal tendencies, and pedagogical implications

Abstract This study describes the grammatical and sentence-structure errors in the speech of 28 Somali learners of English at the beginner level (A2). The errors were classified into eight categories and analyzed using a qualitative mixed-methods approach: specifically through recorded speeches, questionnaires, observation notes, and demographic data. Headed by sentence-structure breakdown at 64.3%, the list also featured prepositions close behind at 60.7%. Subject–verb agreement and number (53.6%) and articles (50.0%) followed. The group's signature error is omitting 'to' after the verb 'listen', which appears in 50.0% of the cohort (14/28) within a preposition-error category affecting 60.7%. There was a large gap between what the participants claimed and the errors they made: 67.9% said that articles were not difficult, while 50.0% made mistakes. Compared to the international literature, most errors are general and incremental, whereas the errors on prepositions and adverb placement are specifically related to Somali structure. The study fills a scientific gap on an understudied ESL learner population, Somali, and suggests different teaching approaches based on the source of the error.