Essence: Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Linguistics, and Literature Journal
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): April 2026

A Morphosyntactic and Lexical Error Analysis in English SOP Writing on Welding Procedures by Mechanical Engineering Students

Ahsin Fahmi Mubarok (Unknown)
Setiyo Rojikin (Unknown)
Mochammad Abdullah Salim (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
10 Feb 2026

Abstract

This research examines the most common morphological and lexical errors in English Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for welding machines authored by Indonesian mechanical engineering students. Using a descriptive qualitative method, ten student-generated SOPs on Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) were analyzed. The study found that most errors arose from negative transfer from Indonesian, a language with minimal obligatory inflectional and derivational morphology. The top three morphological mistakes were the omission of the adverbial suffix -ly (8 occurrences), the omission of the plural -s (6 occurrences), and the omission of nominal suffixes (6 occurrences). Lexical errors were also prevalent, particularly inaccurate collocations (e.g., do welding instead of perform welding) and incorrect phrasal verbs, reflecting a tendency to translate literally rather than use established English technical expressions. These errors undermine the clarity, precision, and safety essential for effective SOPs. The results suggest the need for focused instructional strategies that contrast English morphological and idiomatic conventions with Indonesian to enhance students’ accuracy in technical English writing.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

essence

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Essence Journal is a biannual journal for those engaged in English Language Teaching (ELT), encompassing those teaching English as a second, additional, or foreign language, as well as in the context of international communication. The publication bridges the practical aspects of teaching with ...